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THE NEXT DAY AJAY PULLED into the parking lot of Charlie's florist shop and saw a familiar truck. He parked his Jeep and entered the small shop. Jags stood at the counter holding two bouquets of flowers.
Ajay approached. "Black roses? I can see white but black? They for Star?"
"What are you doing here?" Jags asked, not a sliver of his usual cheery temperament traced in his tone.
"It's a florist shop. Take a wild guess." Ajay inclined his head at Charlie. "Got any tulips?"
A small smirk crested Charlie's wrinkled lips as he gazed at the bouquet of orange tulips set in the crook of Jags' arm. "I have orange, green, purple, red, salmon, violet, cream—."
Ajay held up a hand, shushing the elderly gentleman. "Whatever you recommend is fine."
Charlie turned to the glass refrigerator behind him. He pointed. "These are the pink tulips I carry. As you can see they're quite lovely." The man pointed on the next shelf down. "And these are the salmon—."
Ajay held his hand up. "Pink is fine."
"Alrighty then. Would you like to purchase a vase?" The man disappeared behind the counter and reappeared a moment later with a green vase in one hand and a clear in the other. He placed them on the counter. "These are two of the more popular vases I carry."
Ajay pointed to the green vase. "That one is fine."
"Alrighty then." Charlie removed the pink tulips from the glass cooler and began arranging them. "What kind of greenery would you like? We carry Tree Fern, Blue Eucalyptus, Seeded Eucalyptus, Lemon Leaf, Emerald, Myrtle—."
Ajay held up a hand. "Whatever you recommend."
"Well," Charlie said, "Tree fern is one of my favorites but the Eucalyptus—."
"Tree fern is fine." He inclined his head, gesturing to the black roses in Jags' hand. "Who are the flowers for? The second batch for your other girlfriend?"
"You know Star's the only one for me. Don't be a jerk."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Neither is for Star and I'm going to ask you to leave this one alone."
"Oh I see." Ajay snorted. "The world is open book for you but you don't play by the same rules."
"The world is empty now. A closed book. Remember? My sixth sense is gone."
"We're supposed to lay it all out there for you but you don't have to reciprocate?"
"No. I don't. I gotta go."
"You want real?" Ajay yelled to Jags' back. "You're a coward."
Inches from the glass door, Jags turned. "Excuse me?"
"You're afraid to let others in when, at the same time, you all but force your way into any and everybody else's life."
Ajay walked toward his brother, bringing them toe to toe. "There are few people in this world that you don't love. I get that and some part of me is jealous of your ability to love so freely because there are few people in this world that I give a shit about and, honestly, I have no desire to increase that number. But you," he jabbed a finger at Jags' chest, "Are one of those people that I give a shit about. I give you a say in every part of my life. What I do for a living. Who I fall in love with. But you're allowed to keep me out? Are you kidding me?" Ajay started back to the counter. He glanced over his shoulder. "What's good for the goose isn't good for the gander, hmm?"
Jags rose a slow and deliberate middle finger. He turned and strode out of the shop.
––––––––
AJAY PAID CHARLIE AND dashed after him. He kept two or three car-lengths behind Jags' truck as he followed him to the outskirts of town and into Oak Creek Cemetery.
Ajay shifted to park. He leapt over the driver's door and jogged after his brother.
He found Jags standing in front of a granite headstone. A carved angel holding a heart.
His life a beautiful memory
His absence a silent grief
Ajay approached. "Who's Keith Hammond?"
Jags dropped to his knees. He set the black and white roses across the front of the headstone. "He's a boy I used to go to school with."
From the moment he met Jags, over ten years ago, the guy had been an open book. At times, to a fault. TMI took on a whole new meaning. But apparently, even Jags had secrets.
"Why are you bringing him flowers?" Ajay asked.
"Just let it go."
"Not a chance in hell."
Jags blew out a breath. "He was beating on another kid. I only wanted to stop him. Not hurt him. But I killed him." His hands covered his eyes. "I didn't mean to. I swear it."
His brother was fallible, Ajay thought. What a fucking relief. "How old were you?"
"Twelve."
"Why haven't you ever told us?" When Jags said nothing, Ajay asked, "It was an accident?"
Tears slid down Jags' cheeks. "Killing somebody is not a mistake. It's murder."
"As much as you like to play one, you're not a god. You fuck up just like the rest of us."
Silence lingered for several minutes before Jags spoke. "I shouldn't be dumping this on you."
"First, dumping is what brothers are for. I'm just sorry it took you so long to feel you could confide in me. Second, I'm not you. I don't hate violence. I like getting the bad guy and giving him what he deserves."
"Keith didn't deserve it."
Ajay thought back to the summer before they both started their senior year of high school.
Ajay was in a parked car about to get wildly fucked by Lucy, a cute redhead he'd been trying to land for months. Finally, the moment was upon him, when the driver's door flew open. Jags whipped Ajay from the car. Standing in a shirt, with no pants, no boxers and a condom on his shriveled dick, Ajay gawked at Jags, wondering what the hell his problem was. It was then that Jags proceeded to methodically, beat his fucking ass.
For a week, every breath Ajay took was excruciating, thanks to some majorly bruised ribs. Broken nose. Two black eyes. Holy hell, that was one long fucking night.
And all because Jags had overheard Dad on the phone with an irate mother complaining about Ajay bullying her son.
If there was a God, he did have a sense of humor . . . pairing a kid who agonized over accidentally killing a bully with a guy like Ajay.
No.
Not a guy like Ajay.
A bully like Ajay.
Shit.
Ajay clapped Jags on the back. "You got to let this go."
"Gee, wish I thought of that. Thanks."
So, this was how Jags was gonna play it. Fine. Ajay was all about keeping it real. "Get off your cross, build a bridge and get the fuck over it."
His expression one of boredom, Jags picked up the wilted black and white roses. He pushed past Ajay and walked back the way he'd come.
"You want a future with Star?"
Three plots away, Jags stopped and turned.
Ajay strolled up to him. He snatched the wilted flowers and tossed the dead roses into the air. "You can't have a future with anyone . . . much less Star, until you deal with the past."
"Deal with the past, huh? How would suggest I do that? Just shrug it off. Murder. Eh, no big deal."
Something about this didn't sit right. There's no way Jags killed anybody. Even unintentionally, it just didn't seem likely.
"How did you kill him?" Ajay asked.
"Ugh, you are a sick fuck. You want details?"
"Absofuckinglutely."
Jags sighed. He moved to lean against a tree, his hands clasped behind his back. "I punched him in the nose."
Ajay's eyes widened. "And?"
"Drove his nose into his brain. That's it. He died."
Ajay smiled tightly. "Won't kill a person. It's an urban legend, you dumb ass" He shook his head. "You call yourself a martial arts expert."
"I'm not an expert in anything!"
Ajay slid a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of his jeans. He lit one and took a long, hard, wonderful drag. "So, the kid just dropped dead. Right then and there?"
"Not exactly."
Ajay snickered. The fucker was dodging. "Well, how exactly did the kid keel over?"
Jags gave him a hard look. "He died later that day. At first, they thought it was meningitis."
"And the autopsy said otherwise. My guess? Brain aneurysm."
Jags frowned. "How did you know that?"
"Because if he died of meningitis you wouldn't be blaming yourself. The symptoms for meningitis and a brain aneurysm are similar." Ajay dangled the cigarette from the corner of his mouth. He slapped the heel of his hand against Jags' forehead. "Brain aneurysms are something a person is born with. They're not caused from a blow to the head." Although they can rupture from a hit to the head. But chances were if this kid had a brain aneurysm, he was a walking corpse anyway."
Regardless, whether Jags killed the kid or not, time for the fucker to let it go.
Jags' brows lowered. "It's not my fault?"
"Had some medical training in the Army." Ajay grinned. "I'm full of surprises." He wrapped an arm around Jags' shoulders. "So, let Keith the fuck go and move the fuck on. Okay fucker?"
Jags sighed. He nodded.
"Good man." Ajay clapped him on the back. "Let's deliver our tulips and grab a beer at Critter's." They began their walk back to their vehicles.
"You never told me who the tulips were for."
"Maggie."
Ajay snickered. "You too?"
Jags mouth fell open. "Emily! No way."
"Ah huh. So, Star did you good?"
"Ah huh."
Ajay laughed and gave his brother a squeeze. "Let's go give Maggie her flowers. Then we'll go to Critter's and make a toast to Keith, Maggie and to the women we love." Ajay winked. "And a toast to getting more of the same from them."
Jags released a short laugh which brought a wicked smile to Ajay's face. For the first time, since he'd known Jags, he was able to give to Jags instead of the other way around. And he would never admit it out loud but it was a damn good feeling. Sometimes it was better to give than to receive.
Sometimes.
––––––––
CAM TURNED INTO THE office. Two vases of flowers were set on top of his desk. A tag in the pink flowers read, "Thanks, Maggie." And signed with one large 'A'. The tag tucked into the orange flowers read, "You're the best. Love Jags."
He should probably be irate and jealous but something told him that there was a perfectly good explanation as to why both his brothers had sent flowers to his wife. He leaned back against the desk and wracked his brain for a logical explanation . . . but came up blank.
Sliding his cell phone from his back pocket, he dialed.
Maggie answered on the second ring. "Hi babe."
"Come to the office."
"Already? Again? Someone's feeling frisky."
"Get your skinny ass in here now."
"Geesh. No reason to get all snippy. I'll be right there. Just let me finish restocking the line with plates."
––––––––
MINUTES LATER, MAGGIE entered the office. Immediately taking notice of the flowers, she smiled and sighed. "Awwww."
Cam leaned back on the desk, his fingers curled under the rim, his legs stretched in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. "Explain why both my brothers gave you flowers."
A mischievous smile crept along her way too innocent expression, which prompted alarm in Cam's psyche.
She closed and locked the door. Maggie stepped over his crossed ankles, straddling his legs. "I'll do one better." She unsnapped his jeans and slid her tongue along his rigid lips. "I'll show you."