Forget Me Not (25 page)

Janelle took the steps up to her apartment by twos until she could get into her place and lock the door behind her. Against her better judgment, she ran to the window that overlooked the parking lot to see Gideon. She watched him look pensive before he pounded his fist on the steering wheel
and
then
back
ed
out of the spot in front of the building. When he drove away, she took it as a sign that he didn’t see a future for the two of them.

She had given him several opportunities to open himself up to her. She’d offered to be a friend and confidante. Gideon kept his wall up around his heart.

She hadn’t expected him to share a personal story. Knowing what a burden he’d put on himself as a child tugged at her heart. For a moment, as he’d told his story, she’d wanted to apologize to him, tell him it would be okay, hold him even though he would have probably rejected the offer. He probably would have seen it as her feeling sorry for him.

Gideon had made it obvious that he didn’t need help. He stood firmly on his own two feet. A man so sure of himself had always appealed to her. If he couldn’t open up, what would prevent him from leaving her? She didn’t want to go through another situation like she had with her last serious relationship.

As she stood in her living room wearing a borrowed dress and no underwear, she couldn’t help but think about that moment where she had been rejected. No time to dwell on the past or her potential future. She had bills to pay and a business to run.

Janelle took another quick shower to remove the smell of sex and, unfortunately, Gideon’s heady scent. She hadn’t seen any cologne in his bathroom. His natural essence intoxicated her.

She dressed in her standard jeans and T-shirt before she jetted off to her store. As soon as she strolled in with her backpack, Penny jumped on her.

“If you can’t get here on time, get here whenever you can.” Penny braced her hands on the glass counter, staring down at Janelle and judging her, as Janelle whisked by her.

“I told you, I overslept.” Janelle deposited her bag on top of her desk and removed her coat. She hadn’t realized Penny had followed her until she turned around and found her friend in her bag.

“Your dress is at home. I’ll wash it and get it back to you.” Janelle rolled up her sleeves before attending to the customers milling around her store.

“I could care less about the dress. You can keep it if you want. Probably looks better on you anyway.” Penny shrugged and continued digging.

“Oh, shit.” Janelle snapped her fingers. “I should have packed your shoes. Come by after work and I’ll give them to you.”

Penny brought her head up and smirked. “Really? As much clothing and shoes we exchange back and forth, you really think I would care about some shoes? Tell me about your date. How did it go?”

Janelle wanted to confess all, tell her how he’d made a delicious dinner, and that they’d watched her favorite movie before she’d fallen asleep. That he’d taken her upstairs, and then the sex…and the fight.

“It was nice,” she said. The statement almost sounded like Gideon’s standard
response.

“Nice? You were in a house with one of
People
magazine’s fifty sexiest people and all you have to say is that it was nice?”

“Yep. That’s it.” She patted Penny on the shoulder and started to head out the doorway.

Penny gasped. “You slut!”

Janelle whipped around. “Keep your voice down. There are customers out there.”

“You fucked Gideon Wells?” Penny’s mouth hung open.

“What are you talking about? Where would you get that idea?” Janelle had to fight against touching her increasingly hot face. She knew she had to have been the darkest shade of crimson.

“I know exactly the number of condoms I gave you and the types. From what I counted and from what was missing, I’d say that Mr. Wells must hung like a—”

Janelle came back into the room and pushed against Penny. “Stop it. Shut up. We’ll talk, but not here. I don’t trust anyone.”

“Not even me?” Penny shoved the wrappers back into the bag.

Janelle’s shoulders slumped down. “Of course I trust you. But the walls have ears. I don’t want to draw any more attention to Gideon or me.”

“The extra attention on you could get you more customers.”

“I told you. I’m not using Gideon or anyone else to get ahead.” Janelle took a deep breath and smoothed her hands down her body. “Now let’s get back to work.”

“Good. The sooner this day is over, the faster I can find out how big your quarterback really is.” Penny put her two index fingers up about a half a foot apart, then kept moving them away from each other to illustrate how big Gideon’s penis could be.

When Janelle didn’t respond, Penny’s eyes widened.

“Yes, cannot wait until we close up.” Penny swatted Janelle on her ass.

The hit reignited the tingling sensation she had in her clitoris. She still felt as though Gideon stood between her thighs, moving himself back and forth. Why had she let that man go?

She remembered. Pride. She’d been battered once. She couldn’t go through it again.

Janelle checked on her hibiscus. Still looked good. Hopefully, it would be good enough for the win.

“Nice. Is that for sale?”

The unfamiliar voice and inquiry forced Janelle to turn around. She saw the paparazzi guy, Jules, behind her.

“What are you doing here?” She tried keeping her voice low to not alert Penny.

Penny asking questions about Janelle’s date with Gideon had been bad enough. Janelle didn’t want her friend also finding out about this half-a-million-dollar offer standing in front of her.

“Here to buy flowers, of course.” He took a step closer to her. “And see if you’ve changed your mind on my offer.”

Even with the fight, Janelle would never betray Gideon. Jules’s cigar smoke wafted to her when he moved closer. She sputtered out a cough before answering him.

“Both this plant and I are not for sale.” She pointed to the main part of the store. “We have other lovely items that you can buy if you want.”

“Are these the same flowers Gideon Wells gave you when you all ran out?”

Janelle’s mouth hung open.

“I have spies everywhere, Ms. Gold.” He cleared his throat. “Tell you what. I’ll up the offer to a cool million. Hell, I paid that to get pictures of that football player getting his dick sucked by a tranny.”

A lot of what Jules said offended Janelle. He reminded her right away of how much a gentleman Gideon had been with her.

“The term you should use is transsexual or transvestite. I don’t allow crude language in this family establishment. If you only came for a story, you’re wasting your time. You need to leave.” She pointed to the door.

Jules shook his head and tsked. “You must have great big ones to let a million-dollar offer walk out the door.” He turned around to leave, stopped, and came back to her. “Tell you what. You get me the dirt on him getting put on the injured list, and that’ll be good enough for me.”

“He’s what?” Janelle hated to hear something that important about Gideon from a cretin, bottom-feeder like Jules.

“You hadn’t heard? ESPN just reported that Gideon Wells has been placed on the injured list, although he’s still on the roster. But come on. Everyone knows that you get injured, a team no longer has any use for you.”

This time Janelle moved closer to Jules. “But he just won a Super Bowl. He made VIP or something.”

Penny poked her head to the back room area. “MVP.”

Janelle glared at her intrusive friend.

Penny shrugged. “What? I was walking by and heard you.”

As soon as Penny walked away, Jules continued. “Super Bowl, MVP, none of that matters. Football, like your flower shop, is a business. If a plant you have produces no flowers and should, you would toss it or at least not sell it. If your quarterback can’t perform, time to put in someone else.”

Janelle tried keeping her shocked expression hidden, but she knew she could be read by Jules or anyone else who walked by and saw her. Gideon loved the game as much as he loved flowers. No wonder he didn’t want to talk about his injury. Now she felt like an intrusive fool.

“Offer still stands.” Jules walked out of the store.

With the two bombs he’d thrown at her—the increase in his payout and what Gideon’s injury would mean to his career—she had a lot to consider.

She grabbed her coat and backpack.

“Hey, where are you going?” Penny asked as she rang up a customer.

“Seeing a sick friend.”

* * * *

Gideon took a couple of deep breaths in his car to calm himself down. He didn’t need his mother seeing him upset at the recent turn of events. Today would be all about her.

Although he’d missed Elizabeth at her house, Gideon had managed to find her in a hospital room getting prepared to go into surgery. Gunnar and Eboni stood by her bed.

“I apologize for being late, Mom.” Gideon kissed his mother on her forehead. “Overslept.”

If that excuse worked for Janelle, it should work for him.

Janelle. What a strong woman. Other women who had come after him had settled for less. The cheerleader who’d tried to get in his bed hadn’t cared that Gideon didn’t know her name. Janelle wanted to know what made Gideon tick. She didn’t want to be some side piece, as a reporter had once called her. She wanted to matter.

Being away from her for an hour hurt him. His body ached. He wanted to touch her again, feel her soft skin and run his fingers through her curly hair.

When Gideon pulled back from his mother, she stared at him with suspicion in her eyes. Without warning, she blurted, “You had sex this morning.”

Gideon glanced at Gunnar and Eboni. Eboni bowed her head but he could see her shoulders shaking and the telltale sounds of giggling. Gunnar stood next to the love of his life with a big grin. It relieved Gideon that his brother and Eboni had managed to repair their damaged relationship and that they would be getting married soon. He glanced down at Eboni’s ring for a brief moment before turning back to Elizabeth.

“Mom, have you already been drugged?” Gideon smoothed his hand over his head.

Gunnar shook his head. “Dude, no use denying it. Trust me. The more you do, the more she’ll keep at it.”

“I can tell you’ve had sex. Was it with Janelle?” His mother sat up higher in her bed. “Do you really like her?”

“I don’t like this conversation. I can tell you that.” Gideon took a seat in the corner.

Gunnar laughed. “Admit it and she’ll drop it.”

Gideon shook his head. “No.” He looked at his mother. “Mom, weren’t you the one who told us it’s impolite to talk about our sex lives in public?”

“I did. But that rule doesn’t apply to your mother. So are you two a couple? Is she here with you?”

Gideon buried his face in his hands. “Jesus.”

“We’re going to leave you two alone for a bit. We’ll be back before they take you to the OR.” Gunnar kissed his mother’s cheek and gave Gideon a pat on his shoulder before leaving the room.

Gideon closed the door for an added layer of protection. “So how are you feeling?”

“I would feel better if I knew that you and Janelle had hit it off.”

He rolled his eyes. “You want to prove that you were right.”

“Of course, darling.” She smiled. “Mama is always right.”

Gideon couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, fine. We hit it off. Happy?”

She stared at him. Until then, he hadn’t noticed that his mother wore no makeup. She’d always prided herself on being done up, even first thing in the morning. She still looked beautiful.

“No, not happy. You’re not happy. What’s wrong?”

Gideon started to open his mouth when Elizabeth cut him off.

“Don’t you dare say that you’re fine.” She held her hand out to him. “Come here.”

He stood and held his mother’s hand while standing next to her bed. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“Good. I should have told you this a long time ago. I’m ashamed I haven’t.” She squeezed his hand. “You can stop being the rock or the glue or whatever it is you think you need to be to keep us all together.”

He let a smile creep up his face slowly before he let out a laugh. “
S
top kidding
around.”

“Don’t lie to me, Gideon. I know all you boys too well. I recognized it as soon as I brought you home. Gunnar tested me in every way he could. Thane needed me. I’m not going to lie, son. There were days when all hell was breaking loose where I knew you would be okay.”

“Exactly. Aren’t I always okay?” He squeezed her hand the same way he did with Janelle to reassure her of his health.

Queen Elizabeth slipped her hand out of his. “You would rather make sure none of us worry about you and that you cripple yourself than tell the truth? Gideon, if you need surgery, have it.”

He shook his head and paced. “I have to take care of you. I have to look out for the store.”

“Stop it.” She crossed her arms over my chest. “This is my fault. I’ve made you feel like if you don’t twirl your finger in the air, the world will stop spinning. I am so sorry that for years I leaned on you for support. You have always been the levelheaded one. As the middle child, you have always been the mediator. You don’t have to do that anymore.”

“Yes, ma’am, I do. You’re about to have major surgery. Gunnar is still recovering from a gunshot wound. Thane isn’t here. Who is supposed to take care of you?”

When he didn’t hear his mother respond, he stopped and stared at her. Tears filled her eyes.

“Who’s going to take care of you?” She pulled a tissue sheet from a nearby box and wiped her eyes. “Please don’t feel like you have to be strong for me. And I know you love football, but don’t kill yourself to keep doing it. That’s the reason I pushed you and your brothers to get an education. At least you and Thane listened. Gunnar went off and did his own thing. Schedule the surgery.” She broke her stare from him to gaze up at the muted TV mounted in the corner of the room.