Pretty Poison

His face was shadowed, but there was laughter in his voice. “And here I was fooling myself all day that you thought I was attractive and you couldn’t wait to go out with me.”

Peggy was glad for the shadows as she felt a blush come over her face. She searched in her pocketbook for her keys and told herself to calm down. “Speaking of the dog, how is he?”

“Were we talking about the dog? Okay. I can take a hint. The dog seems to be fine. He’s undernourished and needs to gain some weight, but he mostly looks bad. His body is basically sound. I think he needs a good home.”

“I’m willing to provide that until I can find his owner. I’m going to print up some flyers tonight and put them out tomorrow. He’s an expensive dog. Somebody must be missing him.”

“Maybe,” Steve said. “But did you notice that his ears aren’t cropped? If he was pedigreed, the chances are his owner would’ve taken care of that. He’s definitely not a show dog. He doesn’t recognize any commands. If you’re going to keep him, you’ll have to have him trained.”

She finally got the front door open. “I don’t plan on keeping him that long. As you noticed, I’m pretty busy. I don’t have time for a dog.”

“Then you plan to nurse him back to health so you can give him to the pound and they can put him to sleep?”

“Are you always so absolute?” Peggy let him walk by her, then shut the door.

“Are you always so optimistic?”

She turned on the lights in the foyer.

“Wow!” He looked up at the blue spruce. “Are you getting ready for Christmas?”

For a moment, Peggy panicked. How could she do this? Everything that meant something to her and John was around her. How could she let another man into her life? How could she explain all those things she and John thought were special? Steve, or any other man, would probably think she was crazy. She could argue with herself that she wasn’t attracted to Steve that way. But she knew it wasn’t true.

“I planted it here when I moved in thirty years ago,” she explained.

Her heart was racing as he walked around the tree. She didn’t know what to expect from him. She promised herself she wouldn’t give up on moving forward in her life, even if he acted like a jerk. Not everyone could like or appreciate her for what she was. John did, but he was exceptional. Maybe she was greedy to think she could have more than one exceptional man in her life.

“It’s great!” Steve looked back at her. “I wonder if I could get one to grow in my foyer.”

5

Hibiscus

Botanical: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Family: Malvaceae

Common Name: Queen of tropical flowers

Hibiscus is native to Asia and the Pacific islands. It signifies peace and happiness. The red hibiscus is worn behind the ear by women of the Pacific islands. If she wears it behind the left ear, she is desirous of a lover. Behind the right ear, she is already spoken for. But if she wears a flower behind each ear, she has a lover but would like another.

PEGGY MADE SCRAMBLED EGGS and toast for dinner. She apologized to Steve for not realizing her cupboard was bare. “I only shop when there’s no food in the house.”

“Yeah, me, too. Don’t worry about it. This is great. What kind of herbs are in the eggs?”

“These are green scallions that I grow myself. They’re a little sweeter than the ordinary ones. I’m glad you like them.” She poured them both another cup of orange spice tea.

He sat back in his chair. “I like your house, too.”

“It was built in the 1920s. It belonged to my husband’s family. He was a direct descendent of Robert E. Lee.” She took a sip of her tea and smiled. “Of course, since you aren’t from the South, that doesn’t mean anything to you.”

“That’s not true. I’m very impressed. I grew up in Cleveland, but I came down here over the summer every year. My uncle and my mother were the only ones left of their family. They were pretty tight. Now both of them are gone. I always loved his house and this neighborhood. So when he died, I moved my practice down here.”

“How is it you and your uncle both had the same last name?” She turned her back and took out two strawberry tarts she bought last week at Harris Teeter. They smelled all right. No mold spots. Praying they weren’t stale, she gave one to Steve on a napkin.

“Thanks.” He put the tart on his plate. “My mother never married. I never knew my father. I don’t know why she moved to Cleveland instead of staying here where her family was. But that’s my life story.”

She smiled as she tasted the tart. It wasn’t too bad. “I’m sure there’s more to it.”

“I suppose. Let me see. I’m forty-five years old. I have all my own teeth and hair. I graduated somewhere in the middle of my class at the University of Ohio. I’ve never been married. I can’t tell you exactly how much money I make because only my accountant knows that. I’m afraid to ask.”

“You’re very honest.”

“And obnoxiously absolute.” He saluted her with the tart, then ate it. “Pretty good. What about you?”