They stopped next to a bright flash of Gerbera flowers. Ace slid two fingers over a neon purple flower, caressing it as he listened to her response. He belonged on a calendar with his shirt off.
Emma rushed the thought away and tried to answer him honestly.
“I am a very anxious person, as you may have noticed,” she said, scoffing. “I assumed that something like that would translate into taking care of stuff because of the obsessiveness, you know?”
Ace looked at her like she was speaking another language. Still holding the flower, he raised an eyebrow at her.
“I don’t know, really,” he said.
Emma squeezed the handle of the shopping cart, afraid their topic of conversation was heading somewhere more serious. But she dove in deep, rather than fleeing like she usually did.
“You’ve never wanted to take care of anything?” she asked.
Ace let go of the flower and shoved his hands back into his pockets like she had seen a truth in him he wasn’t ready to reveal.
“Only for the family," he said, staring ahead. “Nurturingis not a word I would use to describe myself.”
Emma took the cue and pushed the cart forward, nodding at him, unsure how to respond. They walked in silence for a bit, her heart hammering in her chest like a drum.
Ace stopped at small pots of aloe plants and another burst of colorful chrysanthemums.
“Aren’t these good for anxiety?” he asked, picking up an aloe plant.
It was Emma’s turn to raise her eyebrows, her lips quivering with amusement. “I thought you didn’t know anything about nurturing?” she quipped at him.
She was glad to see him smiling back at her rather than recoiling. “I never said I didn’t know anything about plants, my dear,” he replied.
They both laughed, and a comfortable warmth seeped through Emma’s bones and body. Her heart calmed as they settled into easy banter about the plants and what it took to actually keep them alive.
Emma found it endearing that Ace knew a lot more than she did about plant care. They ended up buying a few aloe plants and chrysanthemums that she could keep next to her bed, encouraging relaxation and ease.
The trip felt like a date more and more to Emma, although she wouldn’t allow herself to accept it. She wanted him more than ever, especially now that he had begun to loosen up.
Ace took them to a cute cafe nearby, and they sat on the patio. They ordered ice coffees and sat in the sun while the city whooshed by.
“Let me know if you get too hot,” Ace said. “We can move into the shade if need be.”
Emma had put on her sunglasses, so he couldn’t completely read her expression when she responded to his sweetness. Their drinks came by, along with two muffins they ate while they chatted.
“So you haven’t been in the mob game for long, have you?” Ace asked.
Emma nodded, placing little bits of muffin into her mouth. Is now the right time to tell him about her past and why she has no control over her own life?
“Not until I was eighteen,” she said. “Before that, I knew about it, but not really the details. It seemed more like a fairy tale to me.” She swallowed hard. “I was 18, and I killed someone. Uncle Don cleared it with the police, and, in return, I was the designated supply holder. I waited for the two men Don sent. They would come into my apartment, get the boxes and leave other boxes. I never had the courage to confirm my theory on what was inside the boxes.”
Taking another drink, she closed her eyes and said, I knew shit could go down at my place anytime, and I also knew no one would help me. I was on my own.”
Ace leaned forward and quietly said, “they used you because of what you did?”
Emma shook her head, “What I did was a crime. I am meant to be reminded of my guilt every day.” A single tear started to fall down her face.
Ace, too, wore sunglasses, looking cool and sleek, sitting opposite her. “Was it an accident, or did you mean to kill that person?”
Emma’s single tear turned to more of a sob, “It was an accident. I would never intentionally kill anyone, especially a cop.”
“Emma, listen to me. It was an accident. I don’t need to know anything else. You needed help. You were young and innocent and had just experienced a traumatic event. Instead of having family support and love, they used your accident to their benefit.”
Ace didn’t want to ruin this day any more than he had, so he quickly changed the subject to something he knew she loved. He needed to get that beautiful smile back. “I’m guessing from the book you were reading earlier that you are a big fan of fairy tales?”