A Rose in Bloom

“Yes, of course. He’s got money and influence. And this Jaxon’s a nobody, right?”

“Aunt Lauren! I can’t believe you said that! I don’t give a flip about money and influence. And Jaxon’s not a nobody. He’s a business owner, like me. And he works hard. He hasn’t had everything handed to him, like Baron, but that doesn’t make him a nobody.”

“But Baron could really help your business with his connections. Isn’t that what’s most important to you?”

“No, that’s not how I feel at all.”

“Well, I trust your judgment. The way Jaxon’s taken advantage of you and used you and played with your emotions. Why it’s despicable! What a jerk!”

“Jaxon’s not really a jerk, Aunt Lauren.”

“He sounds awful.”

“Don't say that! He’s not awful.” Elyssa struggled to control her anger. Why is Aunt Lauren attacking him? “Sure, he’s a typical guy who thinks I need someone to help run my life. But he’s actually really sweet and thoughtful. I didn’t even tell you about how he warned me about my deadbolt and gave me a place to stay until I got the lock replaced. And he may not have a lot of money, but he makes up for it in other ways. He actually fought with that creepy guy who broke into my apartment. And he was the one who called the police. And then he stood up for me against Scotty, and he worked all day at the wedding after going all night without any sleep. And after I had coffee with Baron… Well, it wasn’t really his business, but he was just being protective because he knew Baron’s history.”

“I see.” Aunt Lauren let her mouth widen until her lips formed a smug smile.

“What do you mean, ‘you see’?”

“I mean I see that you like Jaxon, just as I suspected.” Aunt Lauren lifted her cup in her dainty hand and sipped her tea.

“No, I don’t!”

Aunt Lauren arched a single eyebrow.

“Really, I don’t.” Elyssa lifted her hair and fanned her neck. “My gosh, Aunt Lauren, it’s burning up in here.”

“Elyssa, isn’t it possible Jaxon likes you? Maybe even loves you?”

“No, it’s not possible. How can you say that?”

“It’s just that in my experience, handsome young single men don’t go around offering to marry girls they don’t love. They don’t even joke about it. They don’t even mention it. Now you tell me… Why do you think he would say what he said about the ‘Rose-McCall’ wedding? What could possibly be his motivation?”

“I think he was desperate to keep me from dating Baron. He hates Baron Carrington.”

“So let me get this straight. Jaxon hates Baron so much he wants to marry you in two weeks so you won’t go on a date with Baron?”

“Yes… I mean, no… When you say it that way, I guess it doesn’t really make sense.” Elyssa sipped her tea, rattling the saucer as she set her cup down with trembling fingers.

“Then you admit it’s possible he might actually care for you?”

Elyssa’s vision swam as her eyes filled with sudden tears. “Even if he cared before, he doesn’t any more. That happened on Saturday night. It's Thursday, and he hasn’t even called me or come over to A Rose in Bloom to talk to me.”

“Maybe he’s been out of town.”

Elyssa took the paper napkin Aunt Lauren offered and blotted her eyes before wadding it into a ball inside her tight fist.

“He’s not out of town. I’ve seen his car parked in front of the gym every day.”

“Well… you did tell him to butt out of your life.”

“I know.” Elyssa grabbed another napkin a

nd blew her nose. “So it doesn’t matter. None of this makes any difference. It’s over. If there was ever anything—and I guess there wasn’t—it’s over now.”

“Elyssa, look at me.”

Despite the inevitable discomfort, Elyssa obeyed. Her aunt was as unrelenting a force as Niagara Falls. Resistance was futile. A tear rolled down Elyssa's face to splatter on the table.