~ Now And Forever ~

by

Lori Libby

One

Becca Maginty stared at the blood red roses encased in a smoky black vase. The roses sat on the cement steps as if they were cobras ready to strike. She froze. Her breath hitched in her chest.

"I’m not going to let this bother me," Becca said with more authority than she felt. Her gaze swept the empty parking lot. She scanned the beach to her left. Only the pounding waves against the beach broke the tomb-like silence.

Becca yanked the envelope from the pronged holder and a thorn caught her finger. With trembling hands, she raised her wounded finger to her mouth. The metallic taste of blood served as a reminder of her new reality. She read the small card.

Roses are red, violets are blue, I’ve told you twice, I love you.

She closed her eyes and inhaled a slow, calm relaxing breath. She exhaled through her mouth. She laced her hands and pulled them to her chest to stop their nervous shaking. The card’s message didn’t sound threatening, but her nerves prickled with danger. This made the third time roses appeared at her door with an unsigned card.

Becca snapped up the roses as anger replaced fear. She marched to the dumpster a short distance from her dance club, Maginty’s on the Beach. She slammed the roses into the big steel trash bin with as much vehemence as she could muster. If he were watching, maybe he would take the hint. Sliding the card into the pocket of her faded jeans, she turned toward the bar and her apartment above.

None of the people she knew had sent the flowers. Yet, this was the third time they had appeared on her steps, the same roses with the same vase and mysteriously unsigned card. She pulled her eyebrows together in concentration and chastised herself a bit for the foolishness. Someone must be trying to cheer her up. The message didn’t sound threatening, but then why did her nerves prickle with danger every time she saw the roses?

Tanner sent her roses once. A dozen white ones, an apology for having to end their fledgling romance. Her heart skipped a beat as Tanner’s memory ran through her mind. A fleeting glimpse at what had been and a longing for what could have been if fate hadn’t been so cruel.

Entering Maginty’s On the Beach, the bar she inherited from her father, she looked at the watch on her left arm, ten o’clock. She climbed the stairs. There were two doors; one lead to her office and the other led to the apartment she had grown up in and now raised Drew. She opened the one for the office and stared at the phone.

"I guess it’s not too early to call, although Dylan hates for anyone to wake him up," she said aloud and reached for the green phone styled like the ones from the forties.

Dylan Cooper was her first attempt at dating since Tanner’s death. He was tall, muscular, and crazy about both Becca and Drew. His blonde hair was longer than Becca liked, but fit perfectly into the musician’s lifestyle he made for himself. He’d answered an ad in the paper for a DJ at Maginty’s. He poked and prodded her into one date then another. A smile pulled her lips apart at that memory. The two of them had never been on a traditional date. Drew was always included, for he was the man of the house and whatever they did would affect the seven year old.

Dylan hadn’t sent the flowers, but asked her to notify him of any more deliveries. She pushed the buttons made to look like a rotary dial, chuckling because she remembered watching the dial spin as a child. She had dialed Korea once playing with the phone.

The phone rang and rang. Becca sighed. Dylan was asleep after all. On the eighth ring, she almost hung up, but frowned knowing to hang up now would add insult to injury. Maybe he was in the shower. She hoped, no, she wanted that to be true.

"What?" Dylan’s voice stretched out in a yawn.

"Hi Dylan, its Becca. Sorry to wake you." All thoughts of a shower disappeared.

"Hey, Becca," he replied waking a bit. "What do ya need? I’m going to get those new speakers today. I’ll install them as soon as I can."

"I’m not worried about the speakers. I called to let you know I found more roses on my steps."

"What flowers? Becca? Ya got more flowers?"

"There was another dozen roses on my steps when I got back from dropping Drew off at the YMCA. You know how he loves his Saturday’s at the Y." She tried to gloss over the concern sitting on her chest.

"I want to know whose sending ‘em. Are ya sure ya don’t know? You can’t think of anyone who may think you’re still on the market?" Dylan’s voice lost more of the southern accent as he came awake.

"Sorry to wake you," she apologized again trying to divert the direction of his thoughts. "I still love your southern accent."

"I’m glad someone likes the damn accent. I sound like a hick. No one takes me seriously and don’t worry about waking me up, Boss Lady."

"I take you seriously."

"Well, the banks don’t and it’s obvious our flower guy doesn’t," he complained. "I know we’ve only been dating for a little while, but that should be enough for anyone at the club to take the hint."

"I told you banks are funny," She assured him. "If Dad hadn’t started Maginty’s, I’d never be able to expand now. It’s too risky for the bank. You’ve got to have three years capital before they’ll even look at you."

"Starting a new record label should be easy. This is LA for crying out loud." His voice dropped a bit with the force of his words. "The income potential is limited only by my imagination."

"There is a lot more to it, trust me. I’ve been doing the books here since I was twelve. Amazing things can happen to the bottom line." She tried not to pour water on his enthusiasm. She allowed her mind to wander to his sandy blond hair and hazel eyes with a few flecks of brown. She wondered what he wore to bed and blushed at her brazenness.

"I don’t need you to lecture me."

"I didn’t mean to." Becca waited for him to break the silence.

"I know, sorry, Becca," he answered, finally. "I guess I’m more bugged than I thought about the flowers. I’m not real good about sharing my lady."

"There isn’t anyone to share me with," she replied cheerfully and winced with the silence that followed.

"No, I suppose not. Tanner doesn’t count, I guess, although he still comes between us."

"Tanner’s dead. He isn’t coming back," she said forcing the sadness from her voice. She didn’t want to hurt Dylan and she missed Tanner desperately.

"But he is your son’s father and you loved him."

"But he’s dead." She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as Dylan.

"I’d stand a snowballs chance in Hell if he was alive."

"But he’s not," she insisted, exasperation biting her words. "Worry more about the flower guy."

"Gee thanks, that makes me feel much better."

"I hope you aren’t always this grumpy in the morning." She changed the subject.

"Want to find out?" he teased his usual disposition rising from the ashes of grumpiness.

"I told Drew this morning that we were..." she couldn’t put her finger on the right terminology. Going steady sounded childish. "Officially dating."

Silence greeted her. Her heartbeat quickened. She expected some sort of reaction not the absolute mind deadening stillness. Her palm, glued to the phone, started to sweat. Had she done the right thing? They decided to wait to tell Drew until she was more comfortable with their possible future. She forgot the nervousness that came from not seeing the other person, couldn’t read the body language or the face.

"Wow, I’m... I’m not sure what to say. I’ve wanted this for two months. I’d almost given up and with the flowers..." his voice heavy with emotion. "I’m sorry. I’m... cool. That’s real cool."

"You don’t sound very happy."

"Rebecca Maginty, you couldn’t make me happier than if you agreed to be my wife. Not that I’m asking," he added quickly. "I don’t want to rule it out, but let’s take it one step at a time. What did Drew say?"

"Nothing. He’s reasoning things through in his own way. I think Drew feels he’s betraying Tanner. I guess I can identify with that a bit myself." Relief flew into her bloodstream as they talked.

"We have to keep Drew in mind with everything we do. He is the one who stands to gain or lose the most. We’re the adults. We’ve both been hurt, life tends to do that," he added quickly before she could respond. "You have done a fantastic job with him. I’m glad I found you. I’m so substandard when it comes to parenting."

"It takes practice and lots of patience. I didn’t become the smooth, confident, wonderful parent I am overnight. It took almost eight years. You’re a smart guy, though, I’m sure it will only take you half that time."

"Good. Thanks for the confidence. I guess I don’t need to worry about my ego inflating while you’re around." His burst of laughter went straight to her heart. "But seriously, we’re heading down the marriage road, right? Damn, I’m sorry. I said we needed time... sorry my brain is still too foggy."

"A step at a time, but yes, I think so."

"Becca, I love you."

"I know. It shows. We have some things to work out before trying to blend into a family," she replied more cheery than she actually felt. "Don’t worry, we’ll get there."

They said their goodbyes and hung up.