Lies in Love (28 page)

“Okay.”
Her response came off more as a question.

“I
started coming here shortly after my mom died.” He saw shock
spreading like wildfire across her face. “She was the most
beautiful woman I knew until I met you.” He folded his hands on
the table in front of him, trying to put the words in order. “I
was in high school when Joey took me in, even knowing I wasn’t
legally old enough to be here, but wanting to help out a kid
desperately in need. I’d come in all alone, not knowing where
else to turn. The neon sign out front just called to me.”
Landon paused, remembering that first night he stopped in. He softly
chuckled, remembering how Joey reacted to him.

“When
I first showed up here, I showed him a terrible fake ID. He took one
look at it and threw it at me. There was no way he didn’t know
it was a fake, but I guess he saw something in me and he let me stay.
I started coming in every night to get away from my father.” He
hated mentioning his father. This wasn’t supposed to be about
his dad. This was about explaining to Talia why he chose the path he
had taken and what made him who he is today. “I kept coming
here for nine years, every weekend. Joey and Mary became my family as
I gambled my way through pool game after pool game and constantly
broke women’s hearts. I didn’t want to even consider
making room for another woman after my mom.”

Talia
took that moment to reach across the table and grasp his hand.

“When
my father got remarried and then quickly divorced, things got worse
for him. I was technically still living at home and commuting to
college so I could take care of him. I tried to bury myself in my
studies, but most night’s my dad was really belligerent, so I
would return here for some solace. It was a tough time, but this
place got me through every bit.” He stopped momentarily,
mustering the courage for what came next; how his father lost
everything to wife number two; how he was living here in a storage
room in back, working for pennies when he met Ethan; how he was
searching for a way to take care of his dad while struggling through
college and eventually dropping out for a bigger paycheck; how he
used women for one night of companionship. He had to tell her all of
it. He was just about to continue when Talia’s phone rang.

She
pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and looked up at Landon
apologetically. “It’s Sara.” She silenced the phone
and put it back in her pocket. “I’m not going to answer
it.”

“Are
you sure?” He watched her pull her phone back out of her pocket
and set it on the table.

“She
knows I’m with you. She shouldn’t have called.”

Landon
was preparing to continue, but Talia kept looking at her phone. She
was evidently conflicted with ignoring her sister’s call.
“Talia, just call her back.”

“No.
It’s fine.” She shoved the phone back in her pocket and
looked back at Landon. Before he said anything, her phone began to
buzz again. Talia rolled her eyes, but pulled her phone out of her
pocket again. She stared at the readout as her eyes widened. “Shit.”

“What’s
wrong?”

“The
cooler went out. I’m sorry. I have to call her.”

Landon
nodded. He knew how important the shop was to her. “It’s
fine. Let’s go outside.” He grabbed Talia’s jacket
off of the back of her chair and followed her out as she dialed.

“What
happened?” Talia clearly didn’t have time for
pleasantries. “Shit. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Landon’s
heart sank. He hadn’t gotten to tell her anything of real
consequence and now his time was up. “What’s going on?”

“Sara
said when she was closing up, she noticed quite a few flowers inside
the cooler wilted and when she walked inside, it was warmer than it
should’ve been. She said a breaker must have tripped, but the
damage is already done. I need to get back and take care of this. I’m
so sorry.”

Landon
pulled the helmet from his bike and handed it to her. “I
understand. Your business means a lot to you. I wouldn’t be
able to forgive myself if I kept you from something that you’ve
worked so hard for.” He jumped back on the bike and took Talia
home.

Talia
jumped off the bike and ran into the shop. She’d been worried
about how much damage awaited her when she finally returned. She
couldn’t afford a catastrophe, even with insurance. She had two
huge weddings in two days and if all of those flowers were lost, it
would take a huge chunk of her savings to replace them. When she
bolted through the door, she found Sara sitting on the workroom floor
covered in sweat. “How bad is it?” She heard Landon come
in behind her as she began to survey the damage.

“We
lost all of the lavender roses and blue hydrangeas as well as most of
the sweet pea and Queen Anne’s lace.”

Talia
stepped over Sara and walked into the cooler to get a better look.
She grabbed a clipboard just inside the cooler door and began taking
notes. Before long, Sara had joined her inside. “Did you call
the wholesaler?”

“Yeah.”

“How
long do you think it was off?” Talia was scribbling notes as
she talked.

“I’m
not sure. I think it must have gone out around the time you left.”
Sara leaned next to the cooler door looking crushed. “I’m
so sorry, Talia.”

“It’s
not your fault. I should’ve been here. I’m sorry.”
Talia finished up her notes and left the cooler, leaving Sara
standing inside. She dug around in the file cabinet beneath the sales
counter and began rifling through files of contacts and information.
When she saw Landon’s feet out of the corner of her eye, she
stood up in front of him. “You might as well head out for the
night. I’m going to be swamped here for a while taking care of
this.”

“Is
there anything I can do?”

“No.
It’s all a lot of insurance bullshit now. I need to handle this
on my own.” She kissed Landon quickly. “I’m sorry I
ruined the evening.”

“You
didn’t ruin it.” He held Talia in his arms, rubbing her
back.

“You’re
really too good for me.” She kissed him on the cheek and sent
him away. As he walked out, Sara entered the room smirking. “What’s
that look for?”

“Nothing.”

Talia
rolled her eyes and returned to searching for the insurance claim
forms.

“I
called an electrician to figure out what’s going on. He’ll
be here first thing in the morning.” Sara quieted, but stood
fidgeting in front of her. “And, Talia?”

Talia
didn’t like the tone of Sara’s voice. “What, Sara?”

“I
called Mason.”

“You
did what?” Talia dropped everything to reproach her sister.

“You
didn’t answer and I didn’t know what else to do. He said
he’d be here in an hour to help with the insurance claims.”

“You’ve
got to be kidding me.” Talia pounded out a text on her phone.

“What
are you doing?”

“I’m
telling him to stay away. I can take care of this on my own.”
She pushed past Sara and returned to the backroom with the insurance
forms in her hands.

“I’m
sorry, Tal. I know how important this place is to you and I did the
first thing that came to mind when I couldn’t get a hold of
you. He knows all about the business. He’s helped with the
claims before.” When Talia didn’t look at her sister,
Sara pulled her arm, forcing them face to face. “Please, Talia.
I was just trying to help.”

“Calling
Mason is the farthest thing from helping you could have possibly
done. Just go home. I’ll take care of it from here.”

“I’m
sorry, Talia. Really.”

“Just
go home.”

When
Sara was gone, Talia’s phone began buzzing in her pocket. It
was a text from Mason.

I’m
here if you need my help.

Talia
rolled her eyes. Hearing from him just made the night that much
worse. She forced herself into fixing the mess she was in and
forgetting that Mason was back in her life, if only briefly.

Things
had finally settled down at the flower shop since the insurance money
had come through, but Talia seemed to be pulling away from Landon.
Things were still great in the bedroom, but everywhere else, Talia
was distant. She wouldn’t talk to him about anything outside of
how he made her feel. She hadn’t even mentioned their trip to
the pool hall and it was draining him emotionally. He wanted to get
things back to where he and Talia were before the cooler fiasco. He
needed to get her away and show her who he was and where he came
from. He hoped it would help her open up. She seemed so stressed the
last couple of weeks, but now that things were finally slowing down,
he hoped he could whisk her away for the evening to clear her head.

After
his final delivery of the day, he cleared an evening getaway for
Talia with the girls, much to their apprehension. When Talia returned
from a business meeting, Landon pulled her aside to spring his plans
on her. “I’m done for the day.”

“Uh-huh.”
Talia was busy storing folders in the filing cabinet.

“I
thought maybe we could go for a ride.” Landon stood beside her,
waiting for her to show some sort of response.

“Uh-huh.”
She continued to deposit files, not really accepting Landon’s
proposal.

“Talia?”

“What?”
Talia finally turned to acknowledge Landon. “Oh, Landon, I’m
sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“I’ve
noticed.”

She
put her hand alongside his neck and leaned her forehead against his
chest. “I really need a break. Ugh.” She stood up,
staring back at him.

“Then
let’s go.” He took her hand, urging her on.

“Landon!
You know I can’t leave. The shop doesn’t close for
another hour.”

“And
the girls are all here working hard. I’m sure they will do a
great job managing without you.”

“But
what if Izzy doesn’t know how much to charge for an order?”
Talia looked frantically to the front room.

“I’m
sure Sara can help her out.”

“What
if the computer freezes up?”

“Reina
said she’d handle it.”

“But,
what if…”

“Talia,
the girls have been working with you here for years. If they don’t
know how to run things by now, I think you need to hire new staff.”

She
rolled her eyes. “You’re right.”

“I
know.” Landon smirked at her. “So let’s go. We’ll
be back later tonight, I promise.” He tucked a stray hair
behind her ear, staring deep in her eyes, praying she’d concur.

Talia
laughed then finally responded, “Okay. Just let me grab my
jacket.”

Landon
nodded and watched her run upstairs to get her jacket from the
apartment. When she returned downstairs, her hair was tied tight
behind her head and a huge grin was on her face. Landon nodded to the
girls in the shop before he escorted Talia out the back door.

“So
where are we going?” Talia looked absolutely giddy.

“It’s
a surprise.” He climbed on his motorcycle and didn’t say
any more as she climbed on behind him. When her helmet was strapped
on and she was tucked close behind him, he took off, taking them
somewhere he hadn’t been in years.

“Where
are we going?” Talia sounded mystified as Landon drove toward
Highway 75.

“I
told you, it’s a surprise. Just be patient.” He was
smiling as they journeyed north. He had a present waiting for her and
he couldn’t wait to see her reaction, having put so much
thought into it. He just hoped she loved it. They drove the rest of
the way in silence, Talia leaning against him with her head resting
on his shoulder. He loved the way she fit him so perfectly. He
couldn’t believe he’d gotten so lucky to have her placed
in his life.

When
the Harley slowed in front of the bike shop, Talia sat frozen. “What
are we doing here?” Disbelief echoed in her voice.

“You’ll
see.” He waited for her to get off the bike, but she didn’t
budge. “Come on, Talia. This is a good surprise, I promise.”