We cleared the south part of the ridge and loaded up a big-ass truck that was headed across the state. The driver of the truck stood there with a clipboard and cut a check for Jerry with a grin on his face. Jerry held the check with a surprised look on his face. He was a terrible business guy. It was the biggest check Jerry had ever gotten since being in business.

Jay, Tommy, and Bo insisted we all go get a drink and celebrate what we had accomplished. Jerry offered to buy the first round. It was just after one in the afternoon, a little early to start drinking, but then again, who set those fucking rules, anyway? The guys were all single, not a care in the world other than making their rent and truck payments. Me? What the fuck did I have? The cabin was paid for. The land was paid for. All I was on the hook for were taxes and utilities. Lucky for me, when I got rid of everything, I invested all the money with my last few functioning business brain cells.

“Come on,” Jerry said to me. “We all deserve this.”

“I’ll meet you all there,” I said.

The bar was quiet for the early afternoon.

Just a handful of people were sitting there. They were all separated by space, nursing their glasses and mugs, reflecting on what the fuck went wrong in life.

Everyone grabbed a beer, and Jerry tried to say something uplifting like some tech CEO, but it was a jumbled mess of words. We finally just started to drink. Jay, Tommy, and Bo eventually huddled up and began their conversation of who fucked the hotter woman over the last weekend. Showing each other pictures, telling stories that were definitely exaggerated.

I minded my own business, Jerry next to me.

He nudged me and motioned for the front of the bar.

“What?” I asked.

“Let’s go have a smoke,” he said.

“You don’t smoke.”

Jerry winked.

Right.

“Smoke break it is,” I said.

Outside, Jerry reached into his pocket and took out a folded up check. He handed it to me.

“Here,” he said. “A promise is a promise.”

“What the fuck is this?” I asked.

“Open it.”

I opened the check. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“Syi, you did the work,” Jerry said.

“I told you-”

“I told you,” Jerry said. “This is your cut.”

“Anyone else getting a cut?” I asked.

“Yeah. I have checks for the other guys. Not nearly as much as this though.”

“You need this for the business, Jerry,” I said. “For the machines.”

“No. People first, Syi. You’re a monster out there. Christ, without you around, I would have shut down by now.”

I nodded. “This means a lot, Jerry. But I don’t need it. I’m okay.”

“I didn’t say you needed it. You earned it. It’s yours.”

I ripped the check into pieces without hesitation. I put the pieces into Jerry’s hand.

“Consider it an investment into the company,” I said. “When you get a new machine, name it after me.”

I started to turn.

Then Jerry said, “Or maybe you come in on the business with me.”

I froze. “What?”

“You heard what I said. I’ll keep this. You help me like you’ve been doing. We get a few more big jobs. Negotiate that deal on the new machine. Expand the land a little. Come up with a way to maximize our resources without hurting anything.”

I swallowed hard. “That’s an old life for me, Jerry.”

“Old life, huh? The one you ran from?”

I gritted my teeth. “Don’t think me working hard as I do means I like you, Jerry. Or that you can talk to me like we’re friends. You don’t know a thing about me.”

“Right,” Jerry said. “Well, this is your investment. Your first.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Hey, I’m going to take off.”

“What? You barely had a beer.”

“This isn’t my scene, Jerry.”

“Okay,” he said. “I think I’ll finish my drink and go home. Surprise the wife early. Make sure she’s not having an affair.”

I laughed. “Who would ever cheat on a guy like you?”

“Fuck you, Syi,” Jerry said.

“So, if I’m investing in the business, then I’m no longer an employee,” I said. “Right? You’re not the boss of me anymore.”

“Fuck you,” Jerry said again. “Your ass better be at work tomorrow morning. Bright and early.”

I walked away, smiling.

It was a strange feeling, but it felt like little pieces were coming back together.

I got into my truck and decided to surprise someone with a visit.

* * *

I walked into the flower shop and felt very out of place. Not my scene at all. There were bouquets everywhere. All kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. A large glass case against the right side of the store. It had a comfortable feel to it. You could tell it was family-owned.

“Can I help…you?” a woman asked as she walked from behind the counter.

I recognized her from the night I helped Lara out of the bar.

“Kim,” I said.

“Osiris,” she said. “Damn.”

She was eyeing me up and down in a way I wasn’t sure a best friend should have been doing.

“I was passing through and thought I’d surprise Lara.”

“Of course,” Kim said. “She’s over there at the glass case, getting flowers together for more bouquets.”

“Wait. Did she make all of these?”

“Yeah,” Kim said.

I looked around. “Wow. Impressive.”

“Yeah, impressive,” Kim said. She was still looking at me with those crazy eyes.

“Hey, Kim, you need help?”

I saw a guy standing behind the counter. Arms crossed. Eyebrow raised. Some geeky-looking guy with attempted spiked hair like he was trapped in eighth grade.

“Percy, I’m fine,” Kim said. She then whispered to me, “That’s my brother.”

“All family here, huh?” I asked.

“Yeah. Want to meet my mom and dad? Or are we not there yet?”

I shook my head. “I’ll go find Lara.”

I took a step and Kim grabbed my shirt. “Hey. You know everything?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I know what she’s told me.”

“Okay. She’s my best friend. She’s my sister. I’m flirting, but only because you’re really fucking sexy. I would never hurt her, though. But I would cut someone with scissors if they hurt her.”

“Then I guess I’ll make sure to hide all the scissors,” I said.

I winked at Kim and shook her away.

My eyes were set on something else: Lara, bent over, gathering flowers. She had a red shirt on that rode up, showing the creamy skin of her back. The dimples on her back drove me insane. My fingers ached to touch her there again. Pulling her, feeling her body against mine, grinding that sweetness against me, feeling her climax over and over.

Fuck, she was killing me.

“Excuse me,” I said.

Lara stood and turned. “Yes…?”

She smiled. An instant smile.

She was happy to see me.

“How are you, sugar?”

“What are you doing here?”

Lara looked around.

I looked around. “What’s wrong? You have a boyfriend you don’t want me to know about?”

“Stop,” she said. “I thought you would be working.”

“Got done early. Guys went for a beer. I came to see you.”

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Yeah. Wanted to see where you worked. Your friend Kim said you made everything in here.”

“I did,” she said. “Helps me to pass the time when it gets slow. They have a TV in the back, but if Calvin or Percy are here, they watch sports.”

“Percy is Kim’s brother, right?”

“Yeah. And Calvin is their father. Their mother is Cindy.”

“And you just fit right in,” I said with a smile. “Do you have…”

Was I really asking her about herself? About her life? I cared?

“Not really,” Lara said. “Calvin and Cindy were more of parents to me than my own. I never had family, Syi. I was kind of always on my own.”

“Damn. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” she said. “It is what it is. What about you?”

I was taken aback for a quick second. “Well, I spent my life trying to get attention. Only got trouble instead. My old man worked himself to the bone, and his heart gave out way too early in life. My mother just about the same. Do we really want to talk about this shit?”

“I don’t know,” Lara said. “Is it all that bad to talk about?”

“Honestly, no. Weird, huh?”

“I guess we just fit together,” Lara said.

She smiled again.

I grabbed her hand. “I guess we do. What time are you done here?”

“Six.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Feel like taking a ride?”

“Where to?”

I curled my lip. “Really?”

“What?”

“You should take a ride to the cabin.”

“Sleepover?”

“I don’t really plan on sleeping, sugar.”

Her face turned as red as the roses behind her.

I liked it. I liked her.

“When I get out of here, I’ll grab some stuff and drive up there,” she said.

“Good. I’ll be there. I’ll make something for us to eat.”

“So, is this like, a date?”

“This can be anything you want, sugar.”

“Syi…I’ve never did this kind of thing since…I mean, Thad was kind of the only guy I ever dated. We had times when we weren’t together, but it never opened the door for anything serious.”

“Is this serious for you?” I asked.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Neither did I,” I said. “I just wanted to stop by and say hey. And if you want something to eat later, you know where to find me. That apartment bothers you, Lara. Anyone can see it. I don’t blame you for keeping it, though. Nobody knows how long it takes a wound to close up. Fuck whatever everyone else thinks. Right? Isn’t that why this works?”

“This,” she whispered. “Right. This. Us. You and me.”

I reached out and touched her face. “I don’t want to make things complicated here, sugar. I’ll be as open as I can with you, I promise. I like you, Lara. You have a sense of calm about you.”

“And you have a sense of crazy about you,” she said. “I like it.”

“Good.”

I leaned forward as though I was going to kiss her, but I skipped the kiss. Instead, I reached for a bouquet of roses from the glass case. Without another word, I walked to the counter.

“Just these,” I said to the guy behind the counter. Percy.

He just stared at me. He looked over at Lara a few times, though. It was pretty obvious he had a thing for her. They were probably too close for anything to happen, though. Sucked to be that guy.

I paid for the roses.

Percy eyed me like he wanted to say something.

I just grinned and winked.

He could watch his sports and play in his parents’ flower shop. I cut my teeth by working on the top of a mountain, earning everything I had.

I walked back to the glass case gave Lara the roses I just bought.

“What…”

“For you,” I said. “I don’t know how long it’s been since someone bought you flowers, but I’m sure it’s been too long.”

“Really? Syi…I work with flowers all day…”

“Yeah, to sell. These are yours. I’ll see you later, sugar.”

I leaned in and kissed her cheek.

As I left the flower shop, I shook my head.

I was either going crazy or falling in love.

Whichever it was, it was trouble.