Forget Me Not (16 page)

Gideon shook his head. “Something personal. I’ll handle it.”

“You say that a lot.” Brick snickered. “You’ll handle it. It’s not your responsibility to protect the world. You know that, right?”

Gideon didn’t need this right now. If he didn’t think he would wake his mother up, he would call her and see if she knew where Janelle lived.

Other women, hell, other people would jump at the chance to sit down with him. Gideon would rather that people get to know him before wanting to spend time with him and not because of his career.

A woman had broken into his house, tried to seduce him, claimed that she loved him, and Janelle didn’t jump at the chance to be in an intimate space with Gideon. He liked her character. She intrigued him.

“You’re here for a reason, right?” Gideon stopped his pacing to address his coach.

“Yes, I am.” Brick opened the box and pulled out the iconic silver MVP trophy.

For a moment, the world stopped. Gideon forgot how to breathe. With everything that had happened to his family and the drama surrounding the store, he’d forgotten about his true passion. Winning the Super Bowl meant everything to him. Getting presented with the MVP award showed him what hard work and determination got him.

“I suppose you would like this.” Brick handed the award to Gideon.

Gideon held out both his hands and cradled the substantial trophy like a baby. He caught his reflection in the shiny metal. He thought he would see the look of a hopeful boy gazing back at him. In the angular, slender base that held up a football likeness, he saw a man with a dream fulfilled. He’d done it.

He wanted to share this with his family. It would have been wonderful to show it to a woman, his woman. He didn’t have that. Maybe not having someone in his life allowed him to be a champion.

Gideon broke his concentration on the award for a moment to peer at his coach. “Thanks.” He could only muster that one-word sentiment.

“No use thanking me. You earned it. You worked hard.” Brick cocked up a crooked smile at the side of his mouth. “Now for the real reason I came over.” He pointed to a
chair across from him. “You might want to sit down for this.”

“Is it bad?” Gideon asked as he sat on the arm of the chair next to him. He placed his award on the coffee table.

Brick didn’t respond right away. He peered down for a moment before returning Gideon’s gaze. “Have you talked to your agent?”

Gideon blinked. “No.”

“Oh, ignoring his calls too, huh?”

Gideon held up his hand. “Wait. You have to understand. I—”

Brick cut him off. “You’re on the injured list until we get proof from our doctor and an independent doc that your knee is okay.”

“No.” Gideon bolted to his feet. Mistake. His knee took that moment to weaken and Gideon stumbled. “Damn it.” He braced his hand on his knee until the pain subsided enough for him to continue his conversation. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Brick blinked. “No? Son, you almost fell to your knees just now from pain.”

“You saw me at the game. I ran half a football field for that touchdown.” He looked at his gleaming award. “I’m MVP, for Christ sake. You can’t do this to me.”

“You did this to yourself.” Brick shrugged. “You’re a quarterback. Be a damn quarterback. Throw the ball. Call the plays. Rally the team. For God’s sake, stop trying to be running back and wide receiver.”

Gideon shook his head. “This can’t be happening. I told you I’m fine.”

“But you’re not.”

Gideon reached into his pocket and pulled out the note his mother had given him. “I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow. If you want to go with me, you can. I’m sure he’ll say there’s nothing to be concerned about. I’m fine.”

Brick struggled to stand. He strolled over to Gideon. “You’re not. You can keep saying that over and over again until you’re blue in the face. You and I know the truth.” He put his hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “The one good thing about this is that the big game is over. You did that. Now you can do the talk-show circuit, write a book, or, hell, join
Dancing with the Stars
. Lots of athletes do that show.” He patted Gideon’s shoulder.

Still full of anger over this news, he shrugged off his coach’s meaty hand. “Am I still on the roster?”

The smile disappeared from Brick’s face. “Talk to your agent.”

“I’m talking to you, my coach. Tell me something. I want to play. I need to play.” Gideon hated the desperation choking every word he’d said.

Not playing meant they could possibl
y
touch his money. He couldn’t have that. Not now.

Brick turned to the door. “You’re young. It’s not the end of the world. Do what the doctor tells you and rest up that knee. I’m sure everything will work out.”

Gideon brought his face up. “You’re not sure if I’ll remain on the team, right?”

Brick took a deep breath before speaking. “Your ring will be mailed to you. You have my number. Keep me in the loop about your condition.”

Gideon didn’t bother walking the man out the door. Brick left without another word. Dropped a huge bomb like that and retreated without asking how he could help.

As usual, Gideon would have to figure out his fate. He would have to thank his mother for setting up the appointment. Right now, he didn’t even know if he still had a team. What would he be now without his life in football?

Gideon went over to the front door and locked it before taking out his phone and calling his agent.

“Gid is god. How are you doing?” Scot Arundelson answered the phone the same way he talked if standing face-to-face with someone.

He screamed every conversation like he wanted everyone to be in on it. It surprised Gideon that his mother approved of this man as his agent.

“A man who talks like that has nothing to hide,” Queen Elizabeth said. “I never trust a man who is great at whispering.”

“Scot, what the hell is going on? Coach Brick was here and said I’m on the injured list. What gives?” Gideon paced.

“Formality, Gid, my man. The Wolves have to look out for themselves. They have to list you that way to cover their assets.” Scot’s easy Southern drawl never appealed to Gideon, but the man knew about sports and making great deals.

“Am I cut? Brick said I’m still on the roster.”

“You’re not cut. You are still a Wolf. However—”

That pause forced Gideon to swallow hard.

Scot continued, “There’s nothing that says we can’t explore options elsewhere. I mean, you’re a Super Bowl-winning MVP quarterback.” He released a loud scream. “Other teams would pay out their noses to have that on their roster. As far as I’m concerned, the Wolves made a mistake. You can pretty much write your ticket to go anywhere.”

“I want to be a Wolf. I want to stay in Virginia Beach.” With his mother’s condition and the business, Gideon didn’t see himself going anywhere else.

“Gid, don’t close off your options. Although I don’t think the Wolves will drop you, I do think this is a great opportunity for you to test the waters elsewhere.” Scot paused. “It’s late and I have a special friend coming by. By the way, great angle to get viewers interested in you.”

“Angle? What are you talking about?”

“You and that small-business owner. The picture online is grainy, but she looks cute. You hitting on her shows people that you’re approachable.”

“Scot, I wasn’t hitting on her.” Not exactly, Gideon should have added.

Janelle had seen right through his line about her husband or boyfriend. He and Gunnar had used that trick back in high school. Janelle showed she wouldn’t be falling for any tired lines, something else that made her appealing.

“Whatever, man. You are trending right now with the hashtag
‘
Eliza Doolittle
’
.” Scot released a boisterous laugh.

Too bad Gideon didn’t get the joke. “Who’s that? That’s not the shop owner’s name.”

“I guess you’re not a musical-theater geek. That’s the name of the female lead in
My
Fair
Lady
.
Yeah, fans like that you’re bringing this small-town girl up to your level.”

Gideon shook his head. “I have to go. I have an appointment tomorrow to see an orthopedist.”

“Good! That’s good. Let me know what he says. We’ll get through this. Until then, do some talk shows. The two late-night Jimmys keep calling me.”

Gideon disconnected the call. He had a lot more to think about than talk shows and his trending pattern. Janelle had been right. Since he’d come to town, he had thrown a
monkey wrench into her daily life. He knew how to fix it.

* * * *

Janelle checked her bank account as soon as she got to the office. The cash from her deposits had been credited to her account. The few checks she’d received had not, and the credit card payments slowly trickled into her balance. She, at least, had enough to make one emergency order of roses, baby’s breath
,
and vases.

“The natives are restless.” Penny looked almost scared as she walked into Janelle’s office. She split her attention between Janelle and the front door. “I’ve never seen so many people here.” She scanned the place. “We still don’t have any flowers. What are we going to do?”

Janelle closed her laptop. “Open the store and take orders like I said. That’s all we can do. I’m not going to close the store.”

“I hope the rush orders come in soon.”

So did Janelle. She’d never been in this predicament. It would seem like being sold out of all inventory would be a good problem to have. Not with Valentine’s Day right around the corner.

Janelle strolled to the front door. She saw a bevy of people—men, women, children—all with phones aimed at her to take her picture or video. Since her scare last night, she’d started to notice the number of stares she now received.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Welcome to Flowers Galore.”

The crowd rushed into the small store only to stop a few feet around Janelle to take her picture.

Janelle sighed and tried smiling through the odd ordeal. “Unfortunately, I’m completely out of inventory right now. I sold out last night.”

No one moaned or seemed upset. The crowd continued to stare at her like an oddity.

Trying to keep her composure, Janelle turned to the front counter. “We have a binder filled with different arrangements if you would like to order something special for Valentine’s Day. Penny and I would love to accept your order.”

No one spoke. A couple of flashes illuminated the room.

Penny eased her way over to Janelle. “This is like
Night of the Living Dead
shit, only they don’t want our brains,” she whispered through her teeth. “If you had given your boyfriend some flowers, this wouldn’t be happening.”

Janelle snapped her head around to glare at her best friend. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“So where is Gideon Wells?” one customer asked.

“Yeah. Does he come in later for lunch or something?” A woman aimed her sideways phone at Janelle.

“Is he as hot in person as he is on TV?” A thin, young man raised his eyebrows while the crowd around him did the same gesture. He scanned their expressions. “What? I’m gay and he’s hot. Don’t trip.”

Janelle heard a loud
bang
at her back door. “Oh, hell. Now what?” She started for the door and then stopped. She turned to Penny. “Keep the masses entertained. If anyone gets out of hand, call the police.”

Janelle had a business to run and these people kept her from doing that. As she stomped toward the door, thoughts ran through her mind at who could be on the other side. Maybe that jerk photographer stood out back, waiting for her to arrive. She grabbed a lead pipe she had in her office before she went to the door. She’d planned on using the
pipe to straighten out one of her plants. Guess she would be using it to sort out whoever dared to cross her.

Once at the door, Janelle took a deep breath and pushed it open. “You picked the wrong day to mess with me!”

She stopped in her tracks when she saw the large white delivery truck backed up to her door.

A burly man jumped out of the driver’s seat. “Never mind. Someone just came out
,
”
h
e called over the truck.

“Wow. You all are fast. I just placed the order a few minutes ago.” She looked at the back rolling door of the truck.

She noticed the name of the company. She knew of the company as one that sold the very top-of-the-line flowers, plants, and other products that she wished she could afford. She hadn’t placed an order with them.

“Excuse me. I think you all have made a mistake.” Janelle held the pipe down beside her to not look too confrontational. “I didn’t order from you all.”

The driver unhitched the door and threw it up. Janelle noticed the container looked half full. It also held more than just roses and baby’s breath.

The driver worked some controls on the side to lower a platform. “Lady, I was told to come here with this.”

“By who?”

He pointed behind him as he got on the platform and raised himself up to the truck.

Janelle turned and dropped her pipe when she saw Gideon Wells coming around the side of the building. He looked better today than he had yesterday. In the morning sun, his blond hair glowed. His eyes looked so bright and blue. In his heather-gray sweater and dark denim jeans, he could have passed for a model. All pornographic thoughts about him filled her head until she had to avert her gaze to keep from blushing too much.

“I was going to go to the front door until the driver said you were out here.” He smiled.

The frost that had hardened around her heart as soon as the vultures had descended on her started to melt. “What are you doing here?” She looked into the truck. “And what is this?”

“Victor, the lovely man I work with, has been following some social media story online about you and, well, me too. Someone has already posted that you announced you were out of flowers like we were. I assumed your delivery truck hasn’t arrived yet. So instead of taking this full order, I took half and asked the guy to bring the rest here.”