“And that’s exactly why I hired someone.” He chuckled, and I smiled. “Did they come yet?”
“Did what come—Hold on, love.” I stood to unlock my office door. It was lunchtime, and I always locked myself in here, so that I wouldn’t be disturbed. The only person who ever bothers me was...
I swung my office door open to find Jason standing on the other side with a large bouquet of Marigolds in his arms. I stared at the colorful arrangement in awe. There were at least two dozen of them.
“Where’d you get those?” I asked after stepping back to allow him aside. Marigolds were my favorite because that was my mother’s name.
“One of the interns got them from the front desk and was too scared to bring them to you,” he said, setting them on my desk. “Those poor babies are terrified of you.”
“What!” I screeched. “I’m the nicest partner here.”
“Actually, I hold that title,” he boasted. He had, in fact, anonymously been voted the most easy-going partner, but I had also been a close second. The ones that feared me didn’t share the same skin color as me. Chuckling, I walked over and stuck my face into the flowers, taking a long whiff.
“Oh, there was a card. Who is Ro?” I spun around and glared at him, snatching the small card from his hand.
“That’s against the law, you know.” Jason lifted his perfectly arched eyebrow while laughing.
“I need you to brush up on your laws, beloved,” he joked. I rolled my eyes and watched as he sauntered toward the door. Jason was always dressed up no matter the occasion. I shook my head and smiled at the studded Louboutin’s on his feet. “I have a lunch date. Enjoy!” And just that fast, he was gone. I rounded my desk and picked up my phone.
“Are you there?” My phone indicated that he was, but I still asked.
“Always,” was his reply. I glanced down at the card, noting the Luxe logo, and read it.
Something to brighten your day.
—Ro
“Baby,” I whispered. It was little things like this that had me falling for him more and more each day.
“They’re your favorite, right?”
“Yes, and they are perfect. Thank you.”
“Anything for you.” There was a brief air of silence, and then he said, “Your sister was impressed that I knew.”
“I’m impressed that you knew.”
“You shouldn’t be. I pay attention to every detail about you, including the fresh arrangement you kept at your apartment.”
“I’m amazed by how thoughtful you are every day.” I knew he was smiling. I felt it through the phone. I’d never understood that statement until now. “Do me a favor and pack a bag for this weekend when you get off.”
“Are we going—”
“I want you to stay with me. I have some plans for us.”
“OK, so I’ll see you tonight then?”
“Tonight,” he murmured. “Oh, and baby?”
“Yes?”
“I did a walk-through of your apartment to make sure nothing was left before dropping off the keys to the leasing office. I found a notebook on the top shelf of your closet.” My journal. How had I forgotten to pack that? “Do you want me to toss it or…”
“Hold on to it for me,” I said. “It’s my journal.” He agreed, and we ended our call. Was it weird that I wanted him to take a peek inside? Every layer of who Blossom Baker is was inside of that white notebook, and I wanted Roman to know every layer of me.
As I finished up my workday, my mind kept drifting to my father and Roman’s apology to me for his actions. I don’t know why, but today the reality of his words were heavier than normal. Sighing, I grabbed my phone and swiped through my messages.
“Oh my—” I smiled. Nova sent a video to our group chat of baby Erin blowing spit bubbles.
“Spitting is not nice, Erin,” she said softly. Erin’s spit bubbles grew, and I laughed. “People who spit—"
“Don’t tell my baby whatever it is you were about to say,” Elijah cut in.
The video feed cut out, and I replied.
Me : Ugh, that just made my day.
After closing out of the thread, I called Daisy.
“Hello, my love,” she sang into the phone.
“I’m leaving work a little early, I need to blow off some steam.”
“Gun range in an hour?”
“Perfect!”
Daisy and I use the gun range as a way to release. It’s been months since we’ve been, and I needed a refresher. I wasn’t a fan of guns, but I was a fan of being able to protect myself, and at the rate that black women and children are going missing these days, it was a must that I knew how. Maybe I’ll have some answers by the time we finish our session.
“Are you alright?” Daisy asked as we stood in the parking lot of the Philly Gun Range. We’d spent the last hour and a half shooting. “And don’t lie to me because you blew a hole through three target papers.”
“I don’t know,” I said, leaning up against her car. “Just a lot on my mind. I’m feeling kind of heavy.”
“Give me a run down.”
“Dad has been on my mind, and I’m not sure if it’s because of Roman’s apology or if I’m just curious about him.” She hummed.
“Do you want to know what I think?”
“I’m open to all opinions.”
“It’s both. You don’t remember him, so you’re curious about who he is, and you want the apology to mean something. Knowing a little more about him may help with that.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I think you’re right.” She stepped in front of me and lifted my head. Those dark eyes that mirrored my own stared back at me.
“You know what you have to do, right?” I nodded. Daisy patted my cheek and dropped her hand. “I’m going to head home, but if you need me...”
“I’ll call.” We hugged, and I walked off toward my truck. Once inside, I called Lily.
“Hey, Bloss,” she answered after a few rings.
“How was everything at the store today?” She’d been pretty much working all of our shifts lately, and her stepping up meant a lot to us all.
“It was pretty smooth. I pretty much have everything down now.”
“Good, I’m proud of you.”
She sighed into the phone and then said, “That means more than you.” Oh, but I did know. Lily was still on the outs with her mother, and I felt for her because no matter Francesca’s actions, she could never stop loving her. She didn’t have the support of the one woman who should be there, so we were trying to fill that void. I pray every night that they can come to some understanding. Life was too short.
“Do you have time to talk while I drive home?” I still needed to pack some clothes for the weekend before heading to Roman’s place. I couldn’t wait to see him and feel his hands on me.
“Of course, I just got home.” I could hear a door closing right after she said it. “What’s up?”
“Can you...” I paused and started my truck. As I pulled out of my spot and onto the road, I finished my question. “Can you tell me about your time with dad?” Before he passed, Lily had reconnected with him. She got to spend a year getting to know the man who abandoned us all, including her. Her having a different mother than us didn’t matter. Gerald had still left her hanging, and even though I didn’t care for how he had done us, I was still curious. I could have asked my aunt, who raised us to tell me about him, but it wouldn’t be from the standpoint of one of his children. Lily was the only hope I had in figuring out how to let go and move on.