FanningtheFlames (2 page)

She studied the blueprint, nodding. "Ah, yes. I didn't think about that. You're absolutely right. This is much better."

Fanning the Flames - 9

While Simone hmmm'd and ahhh'd over his proposed enlargement of her domain, Barry perused the little shop, noticing a huge, Cupid-shaped poster that

proclaimed, "Sweethearts' special, two for the price of one. Let us spoil you and your sweetie."

What? Not just Adam, but him, too? Yeah, that'd

work. "Simone?"

"Mmmmm..." She squinted up from her position a full foot below him.

"That special, do you have to come in on Valentine's Day?"

"Since it falls on a Sunday this year, when many businesses are closed, most flower and candy deliveries will go out on Friday. We're issuing Valentine's Day passes, letting the customers set a convenient

appointment." She eyed him up and down, a lazy smile spreading across her face. "I've got an opening for Saturday. It's about time I got to meet your boyfriend."

She reached over the stack of papers, pulling a laptop closer and peering at the screen. "How does two o'clock on Saturday afternoon work for you?"

"Perfect," Barry replied, glad she'd clued him into that whole "celebrate two days early" thing. He'd have never known otherwise.

"We have several packages. Our bestseller is the full deal -- mani, pedi, facial, and full body massage."

Barry had never indulged in any of those options; it might be fun. Pat sure seemed to think so.

"Two full deals," he agreed, handing over his credit card without any regard to the price. Adam was worth every penny, and then some.

He left an hour later, finalized plans tucked under one arm, with a whistle on his lips and a spring in his step, imagining Adam's surprise. Their relationship might be new, but to Barry that didn't matter. He saw long-term
Fanning the Flames - 10

every time he looked at his blond-haired, blue-eyed professor.

A gray sky hung overhead, lowered clouds

threatening more snow. They did little to dampen Barry's mood. Suddenly, realization smacked into him and his elation fell. If Simone were right, all around the university Adam's colleagues would be celebrating on Friday, while Adam's spoiling appointment wasn't until Saturday. Maybe some small token of esteem to tide him over might be in order.

Barry entered the offices of Richards' General

Contracting to find his secretary wringing her hands, staring at her computer with a horrified expression that suggested,
It grew fangs and horns!

The gray-haired damsel in distress rushed to his side.

"Oh, Barry! I'm so glad you're here! I've got that blue screen again, and rebooting just doesn't help."

Barry huffed out an aggravated breath. Damn. He'd been meaning to call his friend Otis at Geeks 'R Us for over a week. Thank goodness that Estelle insisted on daily backups, minimizing the damage. "I'll make the call now," he said, disappearing into his office and closing the door. The poor, dear lady, as good a secretary as he could ask for, showed distinct signs of terror every time her temperamental computer acted up.

He'd put it off long enough; time for an upgrade.

A pleasant tenor answered on the second ring, "Geeks

'R Us, how may we slay your cyber-dragons today?"

instead of the rich, deep baritone he'd expected.

Barry laughed. "Hey, Garret. You and Otis been gaming again, haven't you?"

"How'd you know? I still haven’t been able to beat him yet." Garret snickered. "Although losing does have its advantages."

Fanning the Flames - 11

Oh, no! Apparently, they'd been playing "strip video games" again. Sweet, friendly Otis often overshared information.

"What are you doing hanging out with the geeks?

Too much of a good thing is bad for you, you know,"

Barry said. Garret made no bones about his penchant for computer nerds.

"I took the day off to come hang out. You want me to get Otis?"

On second thought, Garret might be the better one to ask. Otis, computer whiz extraordinaire, otherwise socially inept, may not even realize Valentine's Day loomed on the horizon.

"Nah, that's okay. I have a question for you, though, if don't mind my asking."

"Ask away."

"What are you getting the big guy for Valentine's Day?"

"That's easy. He collects comic books, and I found this sweet 1974
Batman
#258 on eBay. He's gonna love it, I just know it." If the affection in Garret's voice rang true, Barry had done good the night he'd changed Otis'

heavily enhanced (okay, so the whole thing lied) profile

on GetaDate.com. The real Otis, extra weight, uni-brow

and all, had matched Garret's checklist for the perfect mate. Garret, who openly adored a man others might overlook as physically imperfect, had stolen Otis' heart in a matter of days. Barry felt a smug bit of pride at having had a hand in their happily ever after.

That he knew of, though, Adam wasn't into comic

books or any other collectibles. "Any idea what Otis is getting you?"

"Me? Oh, man! I hope he gives me chocolate. There's this place at the mall that sells the best, and they'll custom-make a gift box." His words sounded a bit moist.

Fanning the Flames - 12

Was Garret drooling? "Their chocolate-dipped strawberries are to die for!"

Chocolate-dipped strawberries? Those sounded pretty good to Barry, too. "Thanks," he said.

"Don't mention it. I hope Adam likes them, if that's what you decide to get." Smart man, Garret. "Tell him he's welcome to share if he wants to."

About to hang up, Barry remembered why he'd

called. "Oh! Do you mind passing on a message? Tell Otis that the time has finally come to buy a new computer for my office. We've already discussed the particulars. Ask him to go ahead and place the order."

Garret snickered. "Otis would definitely approve of new hardware being the perfect Valentine's gift. I'll be sure to let him know."

Okay, diamonds, no, chocolates, yes. This wasn't going to be as hard as he'd originally thought.

Barry headed to the mall, a man on a mission. No time like the present, he figured, especially since Adam taught classes late that night. They wouldn't be getting together, darn the luck.

Directions weren't necessary at the seldom-visited-by-Barry mall; he simply followed his nose to the candy store Garret had suggested. Pink, red, and white streamers festooned the front windows, and heart-shaped banners proclaimed, "Valentine's Day, February 14th"

and "Happy Valentine's Day!" Trays of sinful treats beckoned from the display case, decorated with cutout Cupids.

Staring at tray after tray of confections, Barry's mouth watered. If Garret frequented this store, how did he stay in shape? And how could anyone work here without gaining weight from the thick, rich scent of chocolate alone?

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"Anything in particular you're looking for?" a young woman asked, hurrying to the front counter from some place in the back. Rock music followed her entrance, cut off when the door closed behind her: a lone warrior driving back the evils of mall music, if only

momentarily.

"Errr... I'm not sure," Barry began. The last time he'd bought a Valentine's present for a lover, he'd been in college, and pizza and a six-pack summed up Chuck's concept of the ideal gift, both for giving and receiving.

History professor Adam struck Barry as more

discerning. Besides, Adam preferred wine and Chinese food.

The girl beamed. "Let me guess, you're looking for something special for Valentine's Day, aren't you? Don't worry; I've been getting guys like you in here all afternoon. I promise we'll create something that'll make your lady very happy."

He thought it best not to correct her.

"Any idea what you'd like to include?"

Barry perused the display, stomach growling. "I think some chocolate-covered strawberries might be nice," he said, taking Garret’s advice.

The girl, who couldn't be more than eighteen, reached into the display with a pair of tongs to extract a strawberry, top half plain, with green leaves intact. A layering of dark chocolate covered the lower half. She dropped the prize into a little plastic cup and handed it to Barry. "Have a sample. We also offer these in milk chocolate and white chocolate," she said, waving a hand to indicate the mentioned treats, resting on a shelf beneath the dark chocolates.

Barry bit into the succulent strawberry, the ripe, juicy fruit mixing with the sweet and slight tanginess of the
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chocolate. He moaned. "Oh, this is good! This is
really
good!"

The girl smiled so widely that her cheeks had to ache.

"They're our bestseller." Her eyes took on a business-like glint. "What size box would you like?" She reached under the counter and brought out the biggest candy box Barry'd ever seen. "This is our large." She produced a slightly smaller box, declaring it "Medium," and then presented an even smaller one. "Small." All were heart-shaped. She frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Can't get enough in that one, if you ask me."

Pushing the small box back under the counter with one hand, she waved the largest under Barry's nose with the other. "This is our most popular size," she affirmed.

"And only the best for your lady, right?"

Man, what a natural-born saleswoman, even if Barry did wince at the word "lady" being used to describe his boyfriend. "I'll take the large." Nothing was too good for Adam.

The bright smile shifted into a grin. "Now, let's choose a cover." She handed a photo album across the counter, containing pictures of box lids decorated in ribbons, bows, and roses. All were entirely too frilly for a man.

"Do you have anything... well..." Barry glanced around, making sure the elderly couple who'd just entered the store weren't close enough to overhear. "Do you have anything less frou-frou?" He met the girl's eyes, willing her to understand.

"Ah..." she said, apparently getting the gist of his message. Returning the heart-shaped box under the counter, she pulled out a rectangular one, equally large.

The lid bore the name
Candy Kingdom
and the inscription, "A Gift for You." Much better.

"How many strawberries will it hold?" Barry asked.

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The girl shook her hair-net crowned head. "Oh, no.

You don't want to do all one kind. You'll want to include a variety."

Damn. Every time he thought he had the problem

whipped, it fought back. "What do you suggest?"

In the end, he followed the advice of someone who apparently knew her chocolate. A partition would segregate the largest part of the box for chocolate strawberries, dark, milk, and white. Cream-filled ganache, colorful petits fours, rich nougats, and chocolate-caramel bon-bons would fill out the box.

"Now, the strawberries aren't dipped until you need them, so unless you're planning to take them today, we can either arrange delivery or you can pick them up later."

Barry paid, arranging for pickup on Friday, and

hopefully, to impress his lover.

His confidence thrived until he arrived at work the next day. "Valentine's Day will be here soon. Are you getting your fella flowers?" Estelle asked, looking up from a spiral-bound ledger, resorting to the old-fashioned way of bookkeeping in the absence of

technology. Funny, she looked far more comfortable without the computer, peering at an open page over the top of her bifocals.

Flowers? Did Adam even like flowers? The woman

who'd kept Barry's life running smoothly for the past five years sighed. "My late husband used to send me flowers every year, God rest his soul. I really miss him, and them." She sighed again. "Don't get me wrong, I'm seeing a wonderful man now, but Frank just isn't the hearts and roses type like my James." Her wistful smile tugged at Barry's heartstrings.

On lunch break, Barry dashed out to the corner

florist.
Just to look
, he told himself. As in the candy
Fanning the Flames - 16

store, the flower shop nearly overdid reminders that Valentine's Day prowled just around the corner, ready to pounce on the unwary.

"May I help you?" A young man bounced up to the counter, continuing to bounce in place once he got there.

And how much coffee have we drunk today?
Barry wanted to ask.

All around the tiny space that Barry itched to enlarge (extending the outer wall six feet being his first choice), vases and colorful arrangements vied for attention. What could he get Adam that wasn't too feminine? He eyed a dozen red roses in a vase. Too overdone. Next he studied an arrangement of carnations. A tiny white Teddy Bear held a red satin heart that said, "Be mine."

Too teenagerish. The carnations also reminded him of funeral flowers, and he simply couldn't look at gladiolas without thinking of his late grandmother, who'd adored them. "I'm hoping to find something out of the ordinary," he said, deciding to rely on a professional -- a professional far younger than most of Barry's socks.

Without batting an eyelash, the young man asked,

"For a man or woman?"

Just as unflinching, Barry replied, "A man. A very special man."

The kid grinned. "I have just the thing." He led Barry into the workroom. Sitting in the middle of a table, surrounded by florist tape and baby's breath, was an absolutely stunning arrangement. A single, fully open stargazer lily sat in the base of a round, shallow bowl, with an opening bud climbing above it. A green stalk he couldn't identify, bare but for frilly ruffs every few inches, curved over the lilies. Baby's breath filled in the bare areas, and small yellow flowers that resembled pincushions hid the foam at the base of the lilies.

Simple, elegant, and understated. Just like Adam.

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"It's one of my own designs," the young man said, pride in his voice and in the squared set of his shoulders.

"My grandma owns the place, and lets me experiment every now and then." He leaned in and whispered, "This one is for her, but she doesn't know it yet."