Unforgettable (4 page)

Breezy was so astounded she couldn’t even speak. She just opened the boxes one by one. The next box contained white roses, pink, yellow, and finally peach roses, all with matching colored bows.

“Susan, I’m not sure I like the idea of a strange man sending me flowers and knowing where I live. After all, I don’t even know his name.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous! If he intended you any harm he wouldn’t have helped you in the first place. The man saved your life and now he’s just being considerate. It isn’t the first time anybody sent flowers to someone who’d been in hospital, you know.”

“But five dozen roses?” Breezy exclaimed. “He doesn’t know me well enough to send me flowers at all, but sending this many is just insane.”

“Geez, get a grip, why don’t ya? Look, I’ll admit I don’t know his name and I didn’t spend that much time with him but I can tell you this; when you were unconscious, you scared the living daylights out of him. You could see, as plain as day, that he was just as anxious and worried about you as I was. He even told me he thought you were beautiful and I feel like I know him at least well enough to know that he meant it.

“Besides, you have that effect on people, Breezy. You always have. They take one look at you and want to protect you. Even old Mrs. Princeton, who does well to take care herself, tries to watch out for you.” Susan threw her tiny hands up in the air and slammed them back down onto her knees in exasperation.

“I know…,” Breezy sighed “…and I wish she’d stop. She’s going to hurt herself running up and down the block. I wish everyone would stop trying to protect me. I’m twenty-eight years old and I can take care of myself. I have at least proven that much over the last nine years, haven’t I? Oh hell, you’re probably right, Susan. You usually are. I guess I’m just overreacting. It was a lovely thought and they are beautiful. But five dozen roses! Good Lord, that’s a lot of money for a person to spend on a stranger.”

“I don’t think he considers you a stranger, Breezy. I’m sure he wouldn’t have done it if he couldn’t afford it. One thing’s for sure; if a gorgeous man sent me dozens of roses, I surely wouldn’t complain.”

“No, but I bet Tom would complain plenty enough for both of you,” Breezy teased. Before she could reply, there was a knock at the door and Susan went to answer it.

“Now, Breezy…” Susan began, peeking around the corner into the living room, “…don’t blow another gasket but your guardian angel has struck again.” After a pause and a quick glance behind her, she added, “Twice.” She stepped in the living room wearing an impish grin.

“Oh, my! That many balloons would be enough to carry me off to Ireland!” Breezy exclaimed, as Susan struggled to control five dozen helium filled balloons. Half of them were Mylar balloons of all shapes and sizes with her name emblazoned on them. Some had cute little teddy bears, kittens or puppies bearing messages that said, ‘Get Well Soon,’ ‘ Hang in There,’ or ‘Hope You’re Feeling Better’ on them. There were also a few Disney and other cartoon characters mixed in. The rest were latex balloons in every color of the rainbow, saying, ‘Get Well Soon,’ or simply twisted into all kinds of animal shapes. Ribbons of every color tied all the balloons together.

“When the man says, ‘Get Well Soon,’ I think he means it,” Susan giggled, still wrestling with the balloons. She was glad this house had high ceilings and that the ceiling fan wasn’t turned on at the moment.

“Does he want me to get well or kill me with a heart attack?” Breezy was astounded, her wide eyes trying to take in the sheer number of flowers and balloons. “Hold it! Wait just a damn minute. Freeze everything! You said he struck again…twice. Just exactly what else has our mysterious Mr. S.D. done, besides drown me in roses and balloons, that is? Should I even dare ask?”

Susan flinched and silently gave Breezy the yellow slip of paper she’d been handed at the door, a simple task made difficult to achieve while trying to hold onto sixty helium-filled balloons.

Frowning, Breezy read the receipt from the auto repair shop, unable to believe her eyes, her face growing redder by the minute. She did something she’d rarely done in her whole life; she exploded in anger.

“What the…who does this guy think he is, Mr. Generosity? What am I, some kind of charity case? Is this supposed to make me feel better?”

Susan fell back in a chair, releasing her tight grip on the balloons. They quickly floated up to bounce gently against the ceiling, leaving their colorful ribbons dangling at eye level. “Uh oh, she’s on the warpath, now. Look out, S.D. you just crash landed in Trouble City!” Susan mumbled.

Breezy didn’t even notice Susan’s reaction. She was too busy pitching a major fit.

“What in the name of God made him think he had the right to mess with my car? I already had the damn fan belt, Freon and other parts ordered for that car and they weren’t even supposed to be in yet. How the hell did he get overnight delivery, anyway? That car is a classic. He had no right to touch it. Have you seen this, Susan? Not only did he have my air conditioner fixed, he had my oil changed, an entire tune-up done, all new tires put on and, to add insult to injury, he had it cleaned inside and out and towed to my front door! I’m surprised he didn’t have it painted, too. Oh, wait! I forgot; he doesn’t know what my favorite color is! How silly of me. Why, that’s almost as foolish as believing there’s such a thing as an intelligent, independent woman! Where’d this guy come from anyway, the Dark Ages? Do I look like some kind of damsel in distress? I don’t think so! I bet his knuckles are raw from dragging the ground, that… that Neanderthal! Who is this guy? Where can I find him? I’m going to strangle him with his own ribbons. No jury in the world would convict me.” Breezy was on a rampage, pacing back and forth, flinging her arms in the air, waving the yellow receipt violently and smacking the ribbons out of her way every now and then. She was madder than a wet hen on a cold morning and she didn’t care who knew it.

“Are you through having a cow, yet?” Susan asked.

“Through? Through? I haven’t even begun! The flowers and the balloons were bad enough. I could have accepted those as an overblown, way out of proportion token of friendship and well wishes. But he couldn’t just stop there, could he? Noooooo! He’s had all this work done on my car and he’s foot the bill for all of it. I guess we can stop wondering where he had to rush off to when he left the hospital yesterday. He had to go tamper with my car! You know I don’t like being indebted to anyone, Susan. I don’t even know who this guy is so I can’t even pay him back. He should have asked me first. Better yet, he should have left me alone after leaving me at the hospital yesterday. In fact, he should have forgotten all about me.” Breezy was in a rage and it didn’t look like she was going to stop anytime soon.

“If you don’t calm down and sit down, you’re going to get another headache,” Susan grumbled.

“I’ve already got a splitting headache, and a pain in the butt, and Mr. S.D. Moneybags is responsible for both!” Breezy snorted.

“Now, Breezy,” Susan said, shaking out a couple of Breezy’s pain pills into her hand. “That’s no way to talk. He’s just being generous and thoughtful. I would imagine he only fixed your car because he didn’t want you hurt again. After all, the doctor did tell him none of this would have happened if your air conditioner had been working in the first place. Lose the attitude and show a little gratitude, will ya?” Susan handed her the pills and a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted.

“Well, that may be so and I appreciate the thought, I do. I’m grateful for his help yesterday,” Breezy admitted. “But, the fact remains that, 1)…” she continued, counting off her fingers, “…he’s a stranger to me; 2) he should have asked me first; 3) I don’t like owing anybody anything; 4) I not only owe him my life now, but I also owe him for the flowers, the balloons and for all the work he’s had done to my car; 5) I can’t get in touch with him to pay him back, and 6) I can’t refuse these gifts because I can’t send them back to him.”

“You can’t pull that on me, Brittany Marie Spring!” Susan declared emphatically. “I know you too well! What’s eating you up inside is that someone else evidently wants to pamper you and you just can’t stand that. Ever since your parents died, you’ve tried to be so strong and independent. You’ve done a good job of taking care of yourself. I don’t know of any other nineteen-year-old girl who could have taken what little you had left and become as well off as you are today, I’ll give you that. But, Breezy, you’re not the healthiest person in the world and, every once in a while, you need to be taken care of. You need someone to watch over you and help you through difficult times and that burns your butt. You know, even the strongest person needs a little help occasionally. You just need to learn to accept that. Plus, you saw him! You may have been in a semi-conscious state, but you saw how gorgeous he was and you’re afraid.”

“Afraid? Afraid of what?” Breezy scoffed.

“Afraid he does care about you, afraid you’ll learn to care for him, afraid you’ll fall for him, and afraid to trust him. You’re afraid of love, Breezy, afraid to let anyone close to you, or to lean on anyone, ever again. You’re afraid that, if you do, he’ll use you, laugh at you and only pretend to care for you. You’re afraid he’ll turn out to be abusive, either verbally or physically. You’re afraid he’ll strip you of your pride and dignity, your self-esteem, and your independence, just like Frank did. And, on top of all of that, you’re afraid that, as soon as he gets all he can from you, or as soon as someone else comes along, he’ll be out the door so fast, your head will swim. So, you’re being all grouchy and defensive to protect yourself. You’ve built a castle wall around your heart that’s way too high for any man to climb. Oh, your lifelong friends can get in, but no man ever could. Well, let me tell you, sweetie. Frank was a mean spirited, evil, spiteful, lowlife son-of-a-bitch with more mental problems than I can count on my fingers and toes combined. He was the lowest kind of low and that was his one good point. There are a lot of jerks out there, but not all men are like Frank.

“This man, who has been nothing but kind to you, is in no way, shape, or form like Frank. They are, if anything, exact opposites. So, before you go popping your top again, getting all bent out of shape and prepared to run this guy off, I suggest you take a long hard look at yourself and examine your true feelings. If you keep being hateful to every man who walks into your life, you’re going to be one lonely, bitter old lady with no one to share your twilight years with. Now, that would be a real shame, Breezy…a real damn shame.”

Susan picked up her things and walked toward the front door. With the door knob in her hand, she paused. “I’m sorry, Breezy,” she sighed heavily. “I know I promised never to mention his name again and I broke that promise. I’m so sorry.” Having nothing else to say, Susan walked out the door and went home, leaving Breezy alone with her thoughts.

Stunned at Susan’s outburst and abrupt departure, Breezy sat for the longest time, her unseeing eyes fixed on the scattered balloons, thinking of all the bad memories of her time with Frank Dupree. Even the few good memories hurt to remember because when he was at his sweetest, kindest, and most charming was when he wanted something from her the most. The man was incredibly devious, manipulating her shamelessly to get what he wanted, and she’d been too blind to see. That she’d fallen for it time and time again was humiliating, even now.

When she thought of all that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours, she realized Susan had been right about everything. She
had
built a wall around herself. She
was
shooting this man down every chance she got. She
did
push every man away with both hands, and she
was
afraid. Other than her closest friends, she trusted no man. She would
not
let any man close to her, ever again. For all she knew, this man wanted nothing but friendship from her and, so far, she hadn’t given him a single chance. Even a criminal was innocent until proven guilty and she’d been acting as his judge and jury, not allowing him a fair trial. She just found him guilty of being a man; therefore, he was trouble and needed to be completely vanquished from her life.

The main thing that bothered her, though, was that she didn’t even know his name. He was a complete stranger to her. Maybe, if he’d stayed at the hospital long enough to talk to her, or if he’d phoned her after she got home, she could have had him pretty well figured out by now. At least she would have been able to tell if he was trustworthy, or not.

Breezy sat forward with her elbows on her knees, running her fingers through her long, mahogany tresses in frustration. If only she knew his name! If only she could speak to him!

Leaning back against the sofa once more, she gazed around the room in wonder at all the thoughtful gifts he had just given her. Her eyes came to rest on the beautiful flowers, her lips turning up at the corners. She adored roses. If she could speak to him just once, maybe she could get beyond her pride and accept these gifts with grace and heartfelt gratitude. If she only had a name…

That’s it
! she thought triumphantly as her eyes fell on the receipt. She’d call the Ford dealership and get his name from the mechanic who worked on her car.

Racing to the phone, she dialed the number on the receipt. A few minutes later, she hung up, aggravated and disappointed. The mechanic had informed her that the man had paid cash and signed with his initials. If she’d bothered to look at the receipt a little closer, he’d told her irritably, she would have realized that without having to bother him at work. He’d been extremely rude, which only served to upset Breezy more and bring back her headache. She got up to take the medication Susan had given her when someone knocked at her door.

“Oh, no! Not again. If that’s another gift, you can just take it back and…” She opened the door, shouting, “Go away!” Shocked to see Mrs. Princeton at her door, her face turned pale before flushing beet red in embarrassment.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Princeton! I thought you were someone else. I hope I didn’t startle you.” Breezy apologized.