Chapter 2
TWO
Mccoy Davenport
“Oh shit! Are you okay, Miss? I didn’t mean to do that shit,” I said in a panic.
Before the florist’s body could hit the ground, I sprang into action and caught her in my arms. I wasn’t trying to be an asshole about the roses, but they weren’t mine.
I hadn’t placed an order and I knew good and well no one even knew my address to send me anything.
Knocking the vase from her hand wasn’t intentional.
I’d admit I’d become irritated at the back and forth, but disrespecting a woman wasn’t the type of man I was.
Her sobs were inaudible but from the rise and fall of her back, I knew she was still crying.
I had a feeling it wasn’t the broken vase that caused her despair.
The pain I felt radiating was more of an “I give up” type of hurt.
This cry was long overdue. All I had done was put the icing on the cake.
Deep in my own thoughts, I almost missed the beautiful face that stared back at me once we made eye contact.
When I first laid eyes on her, my sole focus was the damn roses.
Now that she didn’t have a big ass bouquet in front of her, I was able to appreciate her somewhat rare beauty.
I knew Black people came in all different forms, but a Black person with freckles wasn’t something you saw often.
Those freckles were laid against perfectly sun kissed golden brown skin.
Her top lip had a dent so deep that it gave her mouth the perfect bow shape.
To top it all off, long curls the color of ginger jutted freely in all directions from the top of her head.
Here I was, not even knowing this woman’s name and she had me in awe.
“I’m sorry. This is so unprofessional of me,” Pretty said, standing back to her feet.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I never meant to knock the vase from your hands. My bad for that. I was only trying to do the right thing by not accepting them. I would hate to take something meant for someone else.”
“No need for an apology.”
When she bent down to pick up the broken pieces of glass, I put an end to it before she cut herself.
“I’ll clean it up; don’t worry about that.”
Standing back to her full height, Pretty looked at me before running her hands down the front of her purple apron. Right when I was about to invite her inside, she took off in a haste to her vehicle. Before she could back out of the driveway, my eye caught the sign stuck to the driver side door.
“May’s Flowers,” I said aloud, not knowing why I even cared.
I let out a breath before stepping back inside.
My living room was the only room in the house presentable right now.
Yesterday, the couch I ordered almost a month ago had finally gotten delivered.
I wasn’t big on décor, but my mother helped me get a few pieces that would liven up the living space without it being too much.
Today, my homeboy from back home would be here to help with the rest of my furniture.
I was born and raised in Gwendal, Illinois, which was the opposite of Pleasant Springs.
Gwendal was a big city with fast-paced living.
Heavy traffic and congested living areas were what I grew up seeing.
There was always something to do or a new club opening downtown.
Moving to a smaller city with a slower pace was something I’d been wanting to do for a while now.
I was getting older and city living didn’t excite me how it used to.
When my ex-fiancé and I decided to part ways, it felt like the perfect time to leave.
I was only two hours from Gwendal, but that was far enough for my peace of mind.
After retrieving the broom and dustpan, I headed back out and swept the glass and roses from the porch.
There were so many long-stemmed roses that I felt bad for throwing them in the trash.
When a purple card with glitter shimmered beneath a piece of glass, I recalled the pretty lady saying she put a coupon in the bouquet for the late delivery.
Carefully, I picked it up and glanced at the front and back, satisfied that there was an address and phone number.
Going down to the shop to pay for the roses crossed my mind and felt like the right thing to do.
After all, this shit was my fault. After emptying the dustpan in the dumpster, I went back inside and grabbed my phone.
There were two missed calls from my best friend Justin.
Right as I went to call him back, I heard the soft roar of an engine pulling into my driveway.
I wasn’t sure if the walls of the house were thin or if the neighborhood was just that damn quiet that I heard everything around me.
That was the reason I had been on the porch before the florist could ring the bell.
“What’s up, bruh? I called you a few times because I couldn’t remember the address. All I remembered was the street name and I wasn’t sure if I was coming down the right way,” Justin said as he closed the door to his brand-new Venus 7.
“My bad, man. I wasn’t by my phone. I had to sweep some glass off the porch.”
“Damn, what the hell you break?”
As we walked into the house, I filled Justin in on the brief encounter.
“Man, that shit was an accident. Was ol’ girl hurt?”
“No, she was cool. She was crying but I think it was for other reasons. I’ll fuck around and drop by the shop whenever I have a chance. No lie, I threw away about two hundred roses. Hopefully she’s working when I stop by,” I admitted.
“Stop by to check on her?”
“That, and to pay her back. That many roses couldn’t have been chump change.”
“That’s true.”
Relaxing deeper into the couch, I threw my arm over my eyes and took a few deep breaths.
I was tired as hell, but the task of getting my home in order wouldn’t complete itself.
After a few moments of silence, the energy in the room shifted and I knew Justin was about to hit me with some bullshit.
We’d been friends for so long that I’d grown familiar with his character.
He was always deep in thought before telling me what was up.
“Just say it,” I stated, wanting to get it out of the way.
“Carmen came by again. She wants you to call her and tell her that you’re good.”
“Must be the guilt kickin’ in. There really isn’t shit for us to talk about. She said what she said and I took it on the chin.”
Carmen was my ex-fiancé. We had been together almost three years when she decided she didn’t want children.
Getting married and starting a family was a high priority for me and I wanted that with her.
Carmen and I had chemistry so deep; I just knew she’d be my wife.
She checked every box and met my every standard.
Yet here I was, unmarried and childless.
Growing up, I always admired how my dad provided for us.
Even on his worst days, he put our family first and always treated my mother with respect.
A love like theirs was something I longed for but seemed like I’d never get.
“I keep tellin’ her you cool, but she comes by every other day. Has she been doin’ the same thing to your parents?” he quizzed.
“Not that I know of. My mom or sister would’ve told me by now.”
“I know you came here to get away from everything, but how would you feel if I moved down the street?”
My eyes popped open and I sat up at Justin’s question. Him being closer would be some shit to look forward to.
“You wanna move out here? I thought you said it was too slow for you?”
“Yeah, that was until we started ridin’ around.
This a cool lil town. It’s probably what I need right now.
We’re thirty-three, man. It’s time for some shit to shake.
I done smashed half the women in Gwendal and I just don’t feel like that’s where I’m supposed to be forever.
It’ll always be home, but I wanna make a new home.
If I don’t get the house down the street, I was thinkin’ about movin’ out to this small city right outside of Dallas. ”
“Texas?” I asked with a brow hiked.
“Yep. I’m weighing my options now. Dallas is just far as fuck, but it’ll be a fresh start. The winters there are nothing compared to the shit we have here.”
“That’s true. What are you leaning toward the most?”
“Pleasant Springs, honestly. It’s not far from home but it’s far enough. I also feel like the city has a lot of potential when it comes to real estate. There’s so much land out here that isn’t occupied and I feel like I can change that,” Just explained.
He was right. Pleasant Springs was already a nice city, but there was room for growth. The people here seemed to like how things ran, but bringing in more businesses and tourist attractions meant the city would generate more money.
“You my brother. I wouldn’t feel no type of way if you moved out here. Especially if you see an opportunity to deepen your pockets. Shit, it’ll be better to have you here in person anyway. You can get that ass handed to you in Madden right in my living room,” I joked, standing from the couch.
“You swear you the Madden king. I don’t hear you talkin’ shit when them other niggas be blowin’ yo’ ass out.”
“Nah, that shit be laggin’ sometimes. That’s the only time I lose.”
“Whatever, man. Where the toolbox at so we can get to it?”
Over the next several hours, Justin and I put all the furniture together. We took a small break to grab dinner, but got back at it afterward. By nightfall, my house was in order and I could see it all coming together. I was excited to have a new space to call my own.