13. Mae

13

MAE

" S o, I walked away and told him to leave me alone." Spearing two olives onto the end of my fork, I popped them into my mouth while leaning around the door to keep one eye on the party that was in full swing just inside. "Does that make me an asshole?"

"No," Denise replied, and her sharp yet warm voice instantly soothed all the tumbling worry in my mind. "What makes you an asshole is that it took you over a week to call me and tell me all of this!"

"Okay." I chuckled, tracking my mother as she hurried toward one of her old friends. "Things have been insane. I got here and within a few days, I'd met Rocco. There was the funeral and the shooting —which by the way, it's so freaky how no one here seems to care. Like they did care for five minutes, and now it's like it never happened! I don't understand."

"Criminal power," Denise scoffed.

"And then I was trying to process that while planning my mother's birthday and keeping Zack under control," I added. "I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. Honestly, I feel like I've been in a daze since the cemetery. "

"No wonder." Denise sighed deeply. "And you never had to talk to the police?"

"Nope. Not a word."

"Damn."

"I know, right? This whole situation is so fucked. And then…" I lowered my voice as two rambunctious partygoers danced their way past with wide smiles on their faces. "To make things weirdly worse, Rocco and Zack met one another, and I just…"

I trailed off, unable to even word my excuse as to why I didn't tell him the truth. Right now, watching my mother surrounded by friends as she celebrated amid my carefully constructed party, there was a strange pang of sorrow in my chest. Zack was seated near the buffet table with his nose buried in a book, not caring for grown-up parties— his words. He was content, though, and he never left my sight.

"Do you think I'm doing him a disservice?" I asked softly, lowering my fork. "Maybe I should tell Rocco the truth."

"Okay, before you go ripping up your life, let's think about this for a second. He left you. He fucked you and left you, and I don't care about this shit with his family because if family was so important to him, he would have stayed with you."

"I wasn't family," I reminded her. "I was a drunken fuck at a graduation party."

"Whatever." Denise chuckled. "My point is, you've only known him a little over a week and in that time, you got shot at and learned he's part of some vast, shady organization. As things go, I think you've helped Zack dodge a bullet."

"You think so?" I ran my tongue over the front of my teeth. "Being in that graveyard, seeing my father's headstone and watching Rocco bury his own… I got this strange guilt like I'm denying Zack a bond that I can never give him. "

"Honey, you're all the parent he needs, okay? Don't let some old, unresolved crush uproot your life because when you come back to the city, what happens then?"

"You're right," I sighed, unsure why the thought of going back home left me with the strangest tingle of apprehension in my gut. Was I disappointed by her advice? "Though part of me is enjoying the attention. Rocco and Dino trying to get into my pants is like some old dream come true."

"We need to get you a boyfriend."

"Oh, speaking of." I slipped through the door and finally re-entered the party, though I immediately missed the cool air of the kitchen. "How goes the wedding planning? Still committed to spending the rest of your life with a boy ?"

Denise groaned long and low, then spilled into a rapid description of everything that was happening with her wedding. From having to rebook the venue, alter her dress, and find a new bridesmaid, to arguing with her mother-in-law to be and almost losing her engagement ring. It was quite a stressful fiasco, and even though the wedding was still a few months away, it sounded like nothing was done. Suddenly, I was very glad I hadn't bothered her sooner with my boy drama. I didn't want to be another reason her hair was falling out due to stress.

As she talked, I wandered the party and checked with the gifts to make sure nothing had been swiped. At a glance, I didn't know my mother knew this many people, but it seemed in a town like this one, any birthday was a great excuse for a wild party like this. Presents glittered in one corner, alcohol flowed, and the buffet table emptied regularly. With the main floor filled with dancers and my mother surrounded by bright, smiling people, she looked happy.

Not a surprise, though. Being the center of attention, she was in her element, and I was enjoying the peace for as long as it would last. Tomorrow, I was certain she would have a list of things I could have done to make this party even better.

My wandering brought me right back to Zack's table just as Denise finished filling me in on how she'd switched caterers three times and was contemplating having no food at all.

"Honestly, I could move the date to next year and there still wouldn't be enough time for me to do anything." She sighed, exasperated, and my heart went out to her as I sat down and ruffled Zack's curls.

"I'm sorry, babe. I wish I were there. Once all of this is squared away, I should be back two weeks after next, and then I can help you get back on track," I replied.

"Is that Auntie Denise?" Zack's head snapped up from his adventure book, and I nodded. "Can I talk to her?"

"Sure, kiddo," I whispered. "Denise, got a little someone who wants to talk to you."

Denise's voice was eerily clear as she yelled Zack's name while I passed the phone over. His face immediately lit up, and he began telling her all about the adventures he'd had at the lake and near the forest. Denise had taken care of Zack plenty of times when I was sick or had been forced to work late at the office. Watching his eyes sparkle and his smile widen as he talked, I was suddenly reminded that my fears of Zack not having a fulfilling family circle around him were misplaced.

He had me, Denise, and Denise's soon to be husband, plus all of his school friends. Zack's circle was wider than mine was as a child. Maybe I was projecting a little too much.

"Mae?" A hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to face one of the waiters who flashed me a small smile.

"Yes? Everything okay?"

"There's been a delivery and we're not quite sure where to put it. "

"Just set it with the rest of the gifts," I replied, then I turned back to Zack, but the waiter stopped me once again.

"We can't."

"What? Why not?"

"Uhm…" He straightened up and glanced over his shoulder. "It's best if you come to see for yourself."

"Oh, alright." I stood and ruffled Zack's hair once more. "You stay here, kiddo, and keep Denise on the phone, okay?"

Zack nodded, waving me away with one small hand. Even as I left, I kept one eye on him as I crossed the hall and followed the waiter through the swinging double doors and out into the foyer.

There, I stopped dead in my tracks. "Oh, my God."

The entire foyer was filled to the brim with bright orange roses. Mandarin Sunset Roses, to be exact. My favorite flower. There were bouquets, baskets, and potted plants draped over every inch of the foyer. On seats, on tables, and the front desk was covered. Walking forward, I plucked one of the roses from a basket and brought the soft, sweet petals to my nose. Breathing in, I was instantly transported back to college and spending one summer in the florist begging for more of these flowers. One year, they were as dark and as vibrant as my hair, which I adored.

"So you see." The waiter cast his hand wide. "We don't quite know what to do with them."

"Who are they from?" I asked, although suspicion was already growing in my mind. My favorite flower? I didn't even care how he found out.

"There's a card." The waiter approached the desk and rummaged through some of the greenery, then he passed me a sleek black card embossed with gold .

‘ I'm sorry. Love from Rocco and Family. '

"The Adamis?" The card was suddenly snatched from my fingers by my mother who appeared at my shoulder like some kind of spirit manifestation. "They sent me flowers?"

My lips parted, but I immediately changed my mind and nodded. "Yeah, it looks like it."

As apologies go, this was a pretty fucking grand gesture. Almost too grand. What the hell were we going to do with all of these flowers?

"But why the apology?" My mother's eyes snapped up and narrowed. I could see the gears turning. She'd already been unimpressed that I even let Rocco in the house. The last thing I needed was her judgment about my conflicted feelings.

"Probably for missing the party since most of the town is here," I said, offering an excuse. "After all, you said the Adami family was big on things happening here, so I bet he would have wanted to make an appearance and couldn't."

My mother, much more interested in thinking the flowers were about her, accepted my weak excuse with a wide smile. "That makes so much sense. Oh, Mae, you've really outdone yourself this time."

"You're welcome." I pressed a brief kiss to her powdered cheek.

"Sorry to interrupt." The waiter pressed his hands together and his lower lip curled slightly into his mouth. "What should we do with all of these?"

I glanced around the room, twirling the rose stem between my fingers, until an idea struck me.

"Give one to each guest as they leave. And make sure they know it's from the Adami family," I decided.

"What?" Mom's face opened in shock. "Give them away? "

"There's more here than you could ever take care of," I pointed out. "Set aside what you like, and the rest can be party favors."

She wanted to argue with me. I could see it in her eyes. Luckily, she was house proud, and this many flowers would be a nightmare to care for.

"Fine." Even at this age, she pouted like a teenager, and I suddenly felt like the parent to two children.

Rose in hand, I wandered back into the party and headed straight for Zack. Try as I might, I couldn't shake the excited bubble that settled just beneath my ribs, nor the giddiness in my step. The flowers were sweet. Over the top, sure, but so sweet.

"She's back!" Zack held up my phone and yawned. "Denise wants to say goodbye."

"Thanks, kiddo. Here." I offered him the rose, and he took it with a slight frown, then set it down on the table and returned to his book.

"Oh, my God," I gasped the moment I pressed my phone back to my ear. "Guess who just sent an entire room load of my favorite flower with an apology card."

"What?" Denise screeched, then burst out laughing. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said he wouldn't leave you alone. Although we do like flowers."

"Yes, we do," I agreed, walking a few feet away from Zack so he wouldn't overhear. "What am I supposed to do? How do I respond?"

"Do you want to respond?" Denise asked. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like I'm a teenager who's been asked out on a first date. This is how it happens. I feel lonely, and he does something like this or just appears, and I can't resist him. Even though…" My attention landed on Zack. "I know he's dangerous, and having him around isn't worth what could happen to me or Zack, but… I'm lonely. That kiss with Dino was like the first taste of sugar after a cleanse. "

"Well, I know what you have to do," Denise replied, her tone firm. "You need to get laid."

"Is that what I'm trying to avoid?" I remarked as Dino and Rocco popped into my mind.

"To an extent. You need to fuck the guy from the store."

Suddenly, that sweet guy from last week burst into my thoughts. "Really? I don't even know if he's in town anymore. He said he was only passing through."

"I don't care. Find him and fuck him, Mae. He's the perfect distraction."