14. JAGGER
Chapter fourteen
JAGGER
The sunflower. It’s her favorite. I remember finding out which flower Jess loved most when we first got together. You know, in case I ever messed up and needed to send her some. Pretty good thinking, right? I knew I’d slip up sooner or later—and I did. But that’s not the point right now.
The point is I wanted to know. So, I spent months sending a different variety to her work until she chose a winner. Jess adores the contrast of the oversized yellow petals and brown center. She loves the way the stem is so strong, a solid foundation that supports the weight of the beauty above.
Jess is my sunflower; I know that now. So, I’m bringing some to the playground. I stopped by Petal & Stem flower shop after practice. It’s a great hometown place in the heart of Echo Ridge.
Everyday I’m in this community, I find something else I like about it. Today it’s the chime when I walked into Petal & Stem. I’m used to robotic tones or even voices that declare, “The front door is open,” in the city. But this shop has ceramic petals above the door that have a wind chime effect, like the breeze passing through a garden.
I’m not going to go telling people the sound puts a smile on my face, but it does. When I turn around to look up at the door, I hear a warm voice behind me. “You like that, huh? We get that a lot.”
“Yes, very cool,” I tell the middle-aged woman with dark hair piled high on top of her head and shining blue eyes. She’s wearing a green T-shirt with the name of the store on it, and there’s something stuck in her hair, some sort of barrette.
I find myself squinting, trying to decipher what it could be.
“Yep, that’s a garden gnome in my hair,” the woman chuckles when she sees me involuntarily leaning in for a closer inspection. “I get that look a lot, too.”
“Is he wearing a—”
“Chef’s hat? He is. Check out his tiny apron.” She motions for me to get closer.
Now I hesitate, I’m not sure why I’m invested in her outfit, but she’s so friendly, I’m gonna do it. She leans down, and I see the gnome’s apron says, “Cooking up beauty.”
“That’s pretty unique,” I tell April, from the nametag she’s wearing. You just don’t get this sort of thing in the city, garden gnome wearing store owners. Plus, she has no idea who I am, which I love even more. So far, I’m able to walk around like any tourist passing through.
“What can I do for you?” April asks.
“I’m hoping you have some sunflowers or lots of sunflowers, actually. I‘ll take everything you’ve got.”
April smiles and leads me around the corner to the back of the shop. It’s huge back here.
“Wow.” There are more varieties here than I knew existed. Row after row of traditional colors line the tables but also reds, oranges and pale yellows, along with giants and dwarfs.
The shock on my face clearly registers with April. “You didn’t know there were so many, huh? We get that—”
“A lot.” I laugh as I come out of my flower stupor.
“Exactly. Still want everything we have?” she asks.
I scratch my head. Clearly, I underestimated how many flowers they’d have here. “Maybe not all of them, today,” I joke. “But I’ll definitely be back.”
I point to one of the varieties I’ve never seen before, blue and fluffy, like something out of The Lorax movie. “What is that one? It’s amazing.”
April smiles. “It’s called the Teddy Bear Sunflower.”
“I guarantee Jess has never seen a blue one before. She’ll love it.” Oh man, I just said her name out loud without even thinking about it. That’s what I can’t do in a small town. People are going to talk, and once they figure out who I am around here, which they will because of Jess’s social media campaign, it’s going to bring attention to us. And there’s not supposed to be an “us.”
“Great choice! Would you like a card for Jess?”
“Uh, yes please. I’ll take all the Teddy Bears you have for today…” I stammer. “Uh, for my grandmother, she’s not feeling well.” I force an all-too-obvious I’m lying grin onto my face .
April eyes me, then winks. “You got it. I’ll meet you up front.”
The bouquet is amazing when April returns a few minutes later. She points to the selection of cards on the counter. “Take your pick,” she says.
I reluctantly choose the “Get Well Soon” card and hand it over.
“Ookkaayy,” April draws out with a tightening jaw, clearly trying to stifle her laughter. “What do we want to say to Grandma?”
***
Sunflower Meadow Park doesn’t have any sunflowers in sight, so I’m not sure why it’s been named after them, but it doesn’t matter. What matters right now is that it’s 9:05 p.m. Jess is never late, except for that initial meeting with the team. But that was extenuating circumstances, so I hope she’s coming. I guess I don’t know for sure she saw my note on her calendar, or figured out the clue, but I’m giving her at least twenty minutes.
Armed with my flowers, I sit under a large fir tree. It has to be close to fifty feet tall. The fallen needles are soft and flat and feel like a nature made blanket underneath me. It’s dark, but I can still see the silhouette of mountains in the distance. Not a bad place to sit and wait.
9:15 p.m.
She’s coming.
9:30 p.m.
She’s not coming.
Just as I’m about to head for my apartment, a lone figure comes walking down the sidewalk. I suddenly realize asking Jess to meet me in a relatively dark park (except for some low pathway lighting) in a strange town may not have been the best idea.
I jump up to go meet her, armed with my Teddy Bear bouquet. “Hey!”
Jess smiles brightly at the flowers. “I wasn’t sure you were coming.”
“Sorry. I got caught up at the office.” Her eyes widen at the sight of the blue petals.
“You’ve been working this whole time?”
“We have to get some fans in the seats for you guys, right?” Jess eyes the flowers some more. “These are gorgeous, thank you! They’re like puffballs. What are they?” she asks.
“They’re sunflowers, actually, Teddy Bears.” I hold the bouquet out, and Jess sticks her nose right in the center of them. “And I’ll give you a proper thank you for your efforts promoting the team later,” I say with a mischievous grin.
Jess smacks my shoulders. “What? You don’t want a proper Jagger thank you?” I lean in close to whisper in her ear. She trembles ever so slightly as my breath dances across her neck. “You know you can’t resist my lips on that spot just below your ear… Underneath that adorable floppy part of your lobe. You know where I’m talking about, don’t you? Right here, maybe.”
I plant a soft kiss in that area. She starts to squirm. “The spot that makes you want to pull away because it’s so sensitive, but you pull me closer instead.” Jess locks her arms around me.
“I do not.”
I lean back a little, shifting my gaze between her eyes and the way her arms are cinched tightly around my waist. She releases me. “Well, you didn’t have to let go. I was just saying…”
She smiles. “I’d like to see my flowers now, please. Remove thy lips.”
“But I was just getting started…” I protest.
Her hands on hips position lets me know playtime is over for now. Strong woman. I love it. “Ok, let’s sit.”
We walk to one of the benches by the slide. Jess pulls out the card. I forgot that was even there. “Get well soon?”
I scrunch my nose while she continues reading. “Grandma Jess. Steps can be tricky. I wish you a speedy recovery! Love, Jagger.”
Jess puts the card in her lap, then we both burst out laughing.
“I said your name to the lady at the flower shop by accident. It was the only thing I could think of quickly. You’re the most beautiful grandmother in the world, though,” I say while leaning in to go for my secret spot again.
“Jagger. Someone could see us.”
I will not be deterred from my target. As mentioned, I’m persistent. I mumble against her neck. “At night? At the playground? Who would be here?”
In between, “hmms,” she says, “Well, we’re here.”
My lips and I mourn the loss of her skin as I reluctantly pull away. “Where, then? I don’t know what’s worse. Not being with you all these years or seeing you everywhere without being able to touch you.”
“Well, our apartments are out. There are too many guys from the team around. Plus, Dax comes over all the time.”
She says it leisurely like it doesn’t register that he’s a good-looking professional hockey player. “Why?”
“Why what?” she asks.
I shake my head. Jess also forgets she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman that any man would love to be with given the chance. “Why does Dax come over all the time?”
“Toilet paper.”
I’m not sure where to go with that explanation, but at least I know now I don’t have to have a little chat with him. If he was hitting on her, he was going to see quickly how much I resemble my “Thunder” nickname he gave me.
Deep breath.
This is exactly the reason Coach said Jess is off-limits. My brain automatically goes into overdrive when I hear about any guy wanting to be with her. If I was able to tell the team we’re back together, it would all be different. Dax, Brooks….
But I still haven’t said anything. I’m sure the entire team assumes I must know her, but they don’t ask. If I tell them we’ve dated in the past, they’ll start watching us more closely, and we can’t have that. It will definitely get back to Coach.
Man, I just thought about the actual games. I never cared about any woman ever wearing my jersey to them before. But now, I have this vision of Jess in my Montana Hawks jersey with West on the back. I want to see that, to know she’s in the stands and she’s mine again. It would make it real.
That finally everything in my life is where it should be with hockey and her. Well, this isn’t where I want to play long term hockey-wise, but it’s fine for now. If I can help turn this team around, it will look great to Miami, seeing how much good I can do for them, too.
Jess moves on from the toilet paper, like it was a normal thing to say. “What if we take a trip on your day off on Sunday. Tina says I have to see Glacier National Park, that it’s a must living in this area. What if we go there? I’m pretty sure the animals won’t say anything if they see us—”
“Kissing,” I finish her sentence, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers trail down her delicate lobes.
Jess closes her eyes at my touch. I love knowing I can finally do something that makes her feel good after all this time, instead of the memories of hurting her.
I am not a man who hangs out in the wilderness. I don’t even know what Glacier National Park is, never heard of it. But if I get to be with her, sign me up.
“Sure, let’s do it.”