Home > Never Too Late(6)

Never Too Late(6)
Author: Alexis Winter

I grab four roses bushes and take them back inside to the counter. The woman starts ringing me up. “Are you new to town? I haven’t seen you around here before,” she says as she scans in the plants.

“Um, well… I grew up here but left years ago. I just came back to take care of some family property to get it on the market.”

“Oh, well, that’s nice. How long ago did you move?” she asks, just to make pleasant chitchat.

“Um… I guess it was around twenty years ago or so.”

“Really? Wow, that long?” She takes my card and swipes it. “Hey, if you lived here back then, I bet you probably know my boss.” She turns her head to face the swinging door behind the counter that leads to the back area where the flower arranging is done. I know because El and I had many make-out sessions back there.

“Hey, El. I think you might know this person,” she shouts.

My blood runs cold. Did she say El? As in Ella James? The girl who I left standing heartbroken on the side of the road while I drove off and never came back or gave her an explanation?

The door opens faster than my head can process and out walks Ella James, still just as beautiful as the day I left her. Her blond locks are pulled back into a ponytail, and her wispy bangs frame her icy-blue eyes that are wide with alarm, just like mine are, I’m sure. Her plump lips are parted as she takes me in. It feels like time has frozen completely for the both of us as we take in the other.

Time has been kind to her. She doesn’t look any older than the day I left her standing on the side of the road. She’s still tall and thin but round in all the best places. Her breasts that I’ve memorized seem to have only gotten bigger with age. Her stomach is still toned and flat, but her hips are more rounded, maybe from having children. I notice her hands, and while there is a tan line on her ring finger, there is no ring there. She could have taken it off for work, or maybe she’s no longer married. I wonder who she ended up with after all these years.

“Hey, El,” I manage to get out.

“Logan?” she asks, taking a step closer, like she can’t believe I’m standing here.

I’m sure she’s confused. The last time she laid eyes on me I was eighteen. I’ve aged quite a bit over the years. My brown hair is no longer short and styled, and now it has a little gray peppered through. My once smooth jaw is now covered in overgrown hair, and I’m sure I have a few more wrinkles on my face than she remembers.

“How ya doing, El?”

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she says, rushing toward me. She throws herself against me and pulls me in for a long overdue hug. “I thought Mrs. Mary was losing her mind when she said she saw you.” She pulls away but keeps her arms around my neck while she studies my face.

I laugh. “Well, to be fair, Mrs. Mary lost her mind years ago.” I notice that my hands are still on her hips, and I let them fall back to my sides. “You look good, El.”

She gives me that breathtaking smile of hers and steps back, looking me over. “You, too, a little more rugged than I remember.” That smile of hers has a way of lighting up her eyes and damn near making them glow. Her ivory cheeks start to turn pink as her eyes linger a little longer on my body.

I may be old, but I’m in damn good shape. The military helped me out with that.

“What are you doing back in town?” she asks, drawing her brows together as she crosses her arms over her chest, causing her breasts to press closer and giving me a nice shot of cleavage from her low-cut shirt.

“I got a letter from the city that said if I didn’t clean up Dad’s property, they would condemn it and tear it down. So, I’m back in town, cleaning shit up and remodeling. I’m planning to put it on the market.”

“Oh, so you’re not staying?”

I shrug, only now noticing the woman behind the counter has my card in her hand, but she’s just standing frozen, watching us. “For the time being, I guess. I don’t know what my plans are after this.” I look at the woman and point toward my card. “You done with that?”

She jumps. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” She hands it back with the receipt.

I take both and put it into my wallet. “Well, I have a lot of work to do. I should probably be getting back.”

She nods. “You need help? My car is right outside.” She peeks around me to see that her car is the only car outside, meaning I’m on foot.

“Ugh, yeah, I guess so,” I agree. I owe her more than I owe anyone in this town, and I don’t want to be rude. I’m sure she’s looking for a moment alone with me to get into all the details, and I don’t want to deny her that.

I take three of the rose bushes, and she grabs one as we head toward the door.

“Lisa, I’ll be back in a few.”

She smiles. “Take your time. I know you need it.” She winks, and I can’t help but wonder if this woman knows of me or not. My bet, she does.

I hold the door open for her with my foot, and she’s just about to step through it, but she pauses and looks back at the woman. “Not like Beetlejuice, huh?”

 

 

Five

 

 

Ella

 

 

Seeing him has sent my mind spinning. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say or how to act. All I know is that I have to say something, because his house isn’t far from the shop and time is limited. All these years, I’ve imagined this moment, the moment when he came back into this town. I imagined many different ways that I could run into him, none of them being at the flower shop. I never thought he’d step foot in there. So why did he? Didn’t he know that’s where I’d be?

“What made you come in today?” I ask as I back out of my parking spot.

He seems uncomfortable as he sits in the passenger seat of my Audi. “Mom’s rose garden in the backyard is gone, and I wanted to replace it. When I walked by the other day, I saw that woman behind the counter and thought you sold the place.”

“So you didn’t come in there looking for me then?” I look at him from the corner of my eye. He almost looks like he’s afraid to touch anything. His hands are in his lap, and he’s sitting completely still.

“I figured that you’d done moved on and would be happy in life, and I didn’t want to screw that up for you. So no, I didn’t come looking for you.”

I pull into his drive and shift into park. I get out and grab one of the rose bushes, heading to the backyard to set it down. I hear him climb out after me. About the time I’m setting the rose bush down beside where it will be planted, he’s walking through the back gate.

“El, there’s a lot to be said and address between us. If you want to talk about it, I’m okay with that. But if you want to pretend like I never existed, I completely understand. Just so you know, it’s up to you and I’ll honor whatever you decide.”

I snort. “Oh, now you’re honoring my wishes? Too bad you didn’t do that twenty-two years ago, huh?”

The anger I’ve been holding back all these years is finally bubbling over, and I have no control over it. The anger I hold toward him has been a seed in my belly for all these years, a seed that was watered the moment he walked into my shop, and now, it’s growing uncontrollably. There’s no stopping it. It will grow until I can no longer contain it.

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