Bonnie’s day was unbelievably busy. She wasn’t sure if people actually wanted paint, or if word had gotten out about the roses. She told a few of her closest customers who they were from, the rest she played coy and said she must have made a customer happy. Tony was going to be her little secret for as long as possible.
Tuesday was her early day. She had never been happier to go home. She locked up, set the alarm, and headed out to her car. It was fifteen years old and falling apart, but she owned it outright. She didn’t want a car payment, so she continued to fix it. Someday she’d have to give in and buy a new car…or truck. She’d always wanted a pick up. As if, she thought to herself sighing. Not with the prom and college coming up.
Bonnie sat at the traffic light, drumming her fingers on her steering wheel. She still had to go shopping, but not tonight. Tonight she had a date with the pizza delivery guy and a bottle of wine. Lexie was going out for the evening and she was off tomorrow. Getting a good buzz tonight seemed like the right thing to do!
She carefully pulled in her driveway. She carried her roses inside placing them on the foyer table. Lexie came running downstairs to greet her.
"Hi sweety!" Bonnie said warmly. "How was your day?"
"Not nearly as good as yours I see. Those are gorgeous! Who sent them to you?" she asked excitedly.
"Oh, just an old friend I ran into yesterday at Bobby’s funeral." She said walking into the kitchen. Lexie was right on her tail.
"An old BOYfriend maybe? Who was it?" Lexie was not giving up.
Bonnie sighed. "They’re from Tony, the driver I dated in high school."
"Tony Stewart sent those to you? No shit! That’s awesome!" She said, hugging Bonnie.
"He’s just a friend Lexie. Don’t read anything onto it. We haven’t seen each other in twenty years. He was being nice." She said.
"Uh huh, right. No guy sends a dozen roses just being nice. Do you know the meaning of the color of them? They’re very different." Lexie asked.
"I was super busy today and never got a chance. I’m curious. Look it up on Google."
Lexie all but ran into the living room. Bonnie could hear her clicking away on the keyboard. She was silent for a moment as she read it, the squealed loudly.
"Oh my God! It says red tipped, yellow roses mean ‘friendship, falling in love’. Mom, he’s still in love with you!" Lexie said wide eyed.
"No he’s not Lexie. I told you, we were together a long time ago. We are only friends." Bonnie said as she popped the cork from her Merlot. Suddenly she needed a glass of wine.
"If you say so. Pretty soon I’ll be seeing you on television, kissing him in Victory Lane, looking up at him all googly eyed." She teased.
"Alexia Rose McAdams, that’s enough. He’s the George Clooney of NASCAR. He’s not marriage material. He can’t love two things at once, trust me." Bonnie said softly.
"Give him a chance, Mom. You guys aren’t kids anymore. Things happen for a reason." She said, hugging Bonnie from behind.
"When did you get so grown up?" she laughed. She was so going to miss her when she left in the fall.
Lexie helped her mom straighten up the kitchen as they discussed her plans for the night. She only had a half day of school tomorrow. Bonnie was calling her out so they could have the day together. Lexie was going to a late movie with a group of friends. She said she’d be home by one, which was fine with Bonnie.
Once Lexie had left, Bonnie changed into a t-shirt and her flannel pants. She called in her pizza order, a large bacon and onion. She grabbed her wine and a blanket, snuggling into the couch until her pizza came. Binky promptly joined her, never missing an opportunity to sit on his mommy’s lap.
She flipped through the stations looking for anything to watch. Even with three hundred channels, there was never anything on. It was ridiculous. She finally found a show on HGTV she hadn’t seen about gardening. She took a gulp of wine and got comfortable.
Twenty minutes into the show her doorbell rang. Bonnie dislodged the cat and bounced up, grabbing her money off the coffee table. She was suddenly starving.
"Who is it?" She always asked before opening the door.
"Pizza delivery." A male voice responded.
Bonnie opened the door to a grinning Tony.
"Tony? What? How? What in fuck’s name are you doing here? Come in!" Bonnie said, clearly flustered. Was Lexie right about his intentions?
"Well, my day was done early for once and I thought well, I have no one to have dinner with…" he said with a sheepish grin.
"So you hopped in your airplane and flew here. Nice!" Bonnie said laughing.
"Surprised?" He asked, placing the pizza on the coffee table.
"Ya think? What happened to my delivery guy?" she asked.
"Oh him? I paid for your pizza and threw him a hundred dollar tip. He left happy." Tony said laughing.
"Holy crap! You made his day! Sorry about my jammies, it was only supposed to be me and the cat tonight. I just popped a bottle of wine. Would you like a glass?" she asked.
"Absolutely. Sounds good." He replied.
Bonnie went into the kitchen to get Tony a glass. She pressed her forehead against the cabinet door, trying to ease her jitters and slow her racing heart. Why was he here again? It was totally obvious he was serious about his feelings. There’s no way he would have flown up here for no reason. Fuckity fuck fuck. She took a deep breath and exhaled, heading back into the living room with his glass.
Their eyes met from across the room as she approached him. He smiled at her warmly. She felt herself blushing in spite of herself. At that moment she gave up trying to figure out how she felt for him. She was going to enjoy tonight with. There would be plenty of time to over think things later. She sat down next to him on the couch. He handed her a slice of pizza.
"What time do you have to leave?" Bonnie asked in between bites of pizza.
"About ten thirty. We still have plenty of time to hang out." He said.
They ate quietly. It wasn’t awkward by any means. It seemed like any other night. Bonnie peered at him over the edge of her wine glass. He caught her staring and smiled.
"What?" he asked her softly.
"What are you looking for? What do you want from me?" She asked pensively.
"I…don’t know. I know how I feel. When we’re together it’s amazing. I’m just so afraid I’m going to fuck this up again. I couldn’t stand to lose you twice." He said softly, staring at his feet.
"Where’s the super confident guy talking smack in the chase last year?" Bonnie asked, giving his shoulder a gentle shove.
"In racing? I’m the champion. In love? Not so much. I’m not good at this. I’m so afraid I’ll hurt you again." He said with sadness in his eyes.
"Stop being so afraid. Life is about taking chances. Even through all the hurt, I never stopped loving you. I’ve watched your entire career unfold. When you won last year I was so proud of you. I’m so glad you’re back in my life." She said as she ran her hand through his hair.
"But what if…" She touched her fingers to Tony’s lips, shushing him.
"Come here." She whispered, opening her arms to him. Bonnie held him, not saying a word. Tony pulled back, rubbing his scruffy cheek over hers. He kissed her softly.
"I love you Bonnie. Can we try again?"
