Forget Me Not. Crystal B. Bright
school.
Janelle stared at him some more, then scanned the banner across the bottom of the screen that displayed his name.
Janelle swallowed hard. She couldn’t help but drop her gaze down his body to his crotch. Penny would have called Janelle a hypocrite if she knew Janelle checked out this man.
“I can’t. I got to go home and see my mother.” The player darted off screen and attempted to make his way through the sea of people.
“That was nice, right?” Janelle put on her coat and pulled her purse strap on her shoulder.
Nice? Yes. Janelle felt a strange tickling sensation going through her body. Since Gideon Wells played for the Virginia Beach Wolves, did that mean he lived in town? Would he be coming home to Virginia Beach?
She shook her head. What was she thinking? He could come back home and she would never see him in person. No way would this multimillion-dollar athlete have some little house in the same neighborhood she lived. No, he probably lived at the Oceanfront area with one of those big, fancy houses people like her only dreamed about having.
“Dude has the opportunity to talk to the president of the United States, and he bolts to see his mama? I don’t know. Sounds like a straight-up mama’s boy to me.” Penny turned the TV off and grabbed her things.
“Hey, these are your kind of men, right?” Janelle brought her hands up and curved her fingers like Penny had done earlier. “High and tight.” Then she picked up the bouquet she’d made.
“Yeah, but they have to be a little more macho than that.” Penny shook her head. “Hey, that guy’s name was Gideon Wells.”
Janelle shook her head as she opened the front door for them to leave. “So?”
“I wonder if he’s related to that guy that got shot, Gunnar Wells.”
Janelle cocked her head. “What’s the chance that an MMA fighter and an NFL football player are related and from Virginia Beach? I don’t see that happening.”
Penny shrugged. “You never know. Now if that guy was rushing home because of his brother, that would be a different story.”
“Oh, then he would be dateable?” Janelle walked to her car.
“Maybe. It depends.”
Janelle shook her head. “See you in the morning.”
“Bright and early.” Penny blew her a kiss before ducking into her car.
As soon as Penny drove away, Janelle sat in her car and stared at her business. She cranked up the heat to not freeze to death as she stared at small storefront that sat in the middle of a shopping strip. An accountant’s office and an ice-cream parlor flanked either side of her place, which had a pink, green, and white sign at the top.
As she stared at her baby, Janelle recalled the very first day she’d opened. She and Penny had taken pictures of the place before the first customer, well, Queen Elizabeth, had arrived.
She glanced over at the stack of mail she’d left on the passenger seat. At the top sat a notice from the bank. Janelle had opened the first notice a couple of months ago that had stated she had missed her November payment. Last month’s notice had detailed how delinquent she’d become in paying her lease for the store. She had no desires to get yelled at again. To hide the bad news, she tossed her bouquet on top of them.
Janelle had kept this information from Penny, hoping to turn things around. As long as she kept her employees paid, she would be okay. Janelle needed a miracle. Something had to go her way for once.
She arrived at her small one-bedroom apartment near the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach. With barely being able to take home a salary, she couldn’t afford one of those new, ritzy apartments being thrown up near the strip. Maybe one day…
She closed her car door, making sure to leave her mail sitting on the passenger seat. No use bringing the bad news into her home. She did grab her bouquet. As though the slamming door signaled him, her downstairs neighbor, Buddy Harrison, appeared at his door.
Janelle smiled as soon as she saw him. “Good evening, Mr. Harrison.” As soon as she arrived at his door, he reached out and held her hand.
“You are as lovely as the flowers you sell.”
The elderly man reminded Janelle so much of her grandfather. His weathered, mahogany skin made a perfect backdrop to his shocking white ring of hair around his bald head and his white teeth, his own, he proudly proclaimed.
“You are so sweet.” Janelle patted the back of Buddy’s hand.
“You and my youngest son would make pretty babies.”
Janelle slipped her hand out of Buddy’s. “Too bad all your sons are married.”
Mr. Harrison made a disapproving grunting sound deep in his throat. “His wife is not good for him. Always spending his money, and she doesn’t work.” He smiled as he looked at Janelle. “You. You would be good for him. You got your own business and you’re cute.”
Janelle laughed. “How could I not love a glowing endorsement like that? I’m fine working and tending to my plants. Romance can wait.”
“Not right now. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.” Buddy registered his excitement by doing a slight dance.
At least romance hadn’t died for this senior citizen. Janelle hoped to be so lucky to have a man who would be that romantic from the start and for the years they would be together.
She brought up the bouquet she’d made. “For you to give to Mrs. Harrison.” She knew the duo didn’t leave their apartment much.
From what Althea Harrison told her, their children lived in other states and didn’t come home often. Buddy treated Janelle like one of his own, often asking her to join him and Althea for dinner or trying to give her money. Being too proud, Janelle never took the money. She would always accept their gracious hospitality.
“You are spoiling me and her.” Buddy waved his hand in the direction of his apartment. “That woman is trying to kill me. Always trying to get me to eat right and exercise.”
Janelle leaned forward to whisper to him, “Call me crazy, but it sounds like she wants you around for a little bit longer.”
“No. She’s killing me. I’m telling you. If she asks you for extra flowers, don’t bring them. They’ll be for my grave.” Even Buddy couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Shut that door! It’s cold out there.” Althea’s raspy voice held enough power to be heard all the way outside.
It didn’t take long for the woman to sidle up behind her husband. As soon as she saw Janelle, her face lit up like a neon sign. Janelle always imagined that Althea’s complexion had probably looked like honey gold in her heyday. Now her ashen skin looked well-worn. Wrinkles creased her cheeks and forehead. When she smiled, more complementing lines shot out from the corners of her eyes.
“She brought these for you.” Buddy handed his wife the bouquet. “I told her that you are as mean as a snake and didn’t deserve them.”
“You know you like me mean.” She accepted the bouquet and nudged her husband’s side with her elbow.
“You are right about that.” He chortled and gave her a kiss on her cheek.
“Janelle, come on in and get you some hot cocoa and cookies.” Althea tapped her husband on his shoulder. “Stand back and let the baby in.”
“She can get by me. Are you calling me fat?” Buddy threw his shoulders back as he looked down at his wife. Although he tried looking hard with his bottom lip poked out and his potbelly protruding proudly, he couldn’t keep up the hard expression. A smile broke on his face before his wife spoke.
“I have more of you to love.” In her pink bedroom slippers with blue flowers embroidered