SNOWDOWN (SCARLETT)

[lennox]

LENNOX HADN'T SEEN SCARLETT FACE-TO-FACE SINCE THAT FIRST DAY WHEN HE'D BEEN ASSIGNED TO SOOTHE HER AND THE SITUATION SURROUNDING HER FLOWER SHOP. HOWEVER, HE HAD DISCRETELY BEEN AIDING HER IN THE REBUILDING PROCESS. HE'D SEEN HER FROM AFAR, EVEN WAVED AND OFFERED HER A SMILE, BUT THEY HADN'T ACTUALLY SPOKEN. IT WAS AS IF THERE WAS SOME AWKWARD SORT OF TENSION BETWEEN THEM NOW THAT SHE WAS NO LONGER THE INNOCENT VICTIM OF A CRIME, AND HE WAS JUST SOME GUY. BUT HE REALLY WOULD NEVER JUST BE 'SOME GUY' WOULD HE? HE WOULD ALWAYS BE COMPLICIT IN THE VERY CRIME THAT HAD ALMOST RUINED HER NEW LIFE IN SAPPHIRE BAY, AND HE COULDN'T LET GO OF THAT. UNLIKE HIS OLDER BROTHER, LENNOX HELD ON TO GUILT AND COULDN'T LET IT GO. CONNOR THOUGHT IT MADE HIM WEAK, AND IT PROBABLY DID, BUT HE WASN'T REAL WORRIED ABOUT BEING A SOLDIER, AS HE NEVER HAD BEEN. HE'D ALWAYS SEEN THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE SHADOWS OF THE MURDERS HIS BROTHER AND FATHER AND UNCLE COMMITTED.

SHAKING HIS HEAD SLIGHTLY TO CLEAR HIS THOUGHTS, HE PICKED UP HIS CELLPHONE AND DIALED THE NUMBER OF THE NEWLY REBUILT SHOP. THE PHONE RANG MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO ANSWER, AND HE SIGHED AUDIBLY TO HIMSELF. HE NEEDED TO SEE HER. HE COULDN'T QUITE EXPLAIN IT, BUT HE NEEDED TO. IT PROBABLY HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT GUILT, THAT CONNECTION TO THE CRIME, THAT MADE HIM NEED TO SEE HER SMILING FACE; TO RECONCILE HIMSELF. IF HE SAW HER SMILE, IT WAS AS IF SHE'D FORGIVEN HIM FOR WHAT HE'D DONE, SOMETHING SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND BECAUSE HE KNEW SHE DIDN'T KNOW, EVERY TIME HE WAS AWAY FROM THAT SMILE, THE GUILT FLOODED RIGHT BACK IN. STANDING FROM THE WINDOW SEAT IN HIS ROOM ON THE TOP FLOOR OF THE MANSION, SETTING HIS UNREAD BOOK DOWN WHERE HE'D BEEN SEATED, HE GRABBED HIS LONG COAT OUT OF HIS CLOSET AND MADE HIS WAY TO THE OUTDOORS. THE SNOW HAD KEPT MOST OF THE MANSION'S INSANE DENIZENS LOCKED UP WITHIN FOR FAR TOO LONG, BUT IT HAD BEEN LESS TIME SINCE LENNOX HAD BEEN IN THIS SORT OF WEATHER THAN MOST OF THEM. AS HE PASSED THE LIVING ROOM WHERE CONNOR AND JETT CHEERED LOUDLY OVER SOME STUPID AMERICAN FOOTBALL GAME, HE SKIRTED IT EXPERTLY SO HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO FACE EITHER OF THEM. NEXT WAS THE SPA NEAR THE REAR OF THE HOUSE THAT REGAN AND ELI HAD GOTTEN REFURBISHED SO THEY COULD ENJOY THE STEAMY PLEASURES OF SUMMER IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD. AND THEN THERE WAS THE SHOOTING RANGE WHERE HE PAUSED FOR THE BRIEFEST OF MOMENTS TO SEE ASHER PRACTICING HIS SKILL WITH THE HANDGUN. THE SIGHT DISAPPOINTED HIM, BUT HE KNEW HOW BADLY ASHER WANTED TO PROVE HIMSELF TO CONNOR, AND HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

SIGHING ONCE MORE, HE SLIPPED OUT THE BACK DOOR AND INTO THE SNOW, HASTILY MOVING FOR THE GARAGE WHERE ALL OF THEIR CARS WERE STOWED, SAFE FROM THE BLIZZARD. HIS BREATH FROSTED ON THE AIR AS HE HURRIED INTO THE SHELTER OF THE GARAGE, HIS NOSE TURNING RED ALMOST INSTANTLY FROM THE COLD. SLIDING THROUGH THE NUMEROUS CARS CONNOR OWNED AND PAST JETT'S MOTORCYCLE, LENNOX REACHED HIS SUBDUED (COMPARED TO CONNOR'S FLASHY CARS) MG MIDGET SITTING QUIETLY IN ITS STALL ON THE END. CRANKING THE ENGINE, HE HIT THE BUTTON TO OPEN THE DOOR BEHIND HIM, AND THEN HE WAS GONE INTO THE SNOWSTORM.

DRIVING IN CALIFORNIA WAS SO MUCH EASIER THAN DRIVING IN IRELAND IN MANY WAYS. FIRST OFF, THE ROADS WERE IN BETTER CONDITION THAN WHERE HE HAD LIVED WITH HIS MOTHER IN THE COUNTRYSIDE FOR A TIME, AND SECONDLY, THERE WEREN'T HERDS OF SHEEP TO CLOG THE ROADS. HE'D BEEN VICTIM TO HARDHEADED MUTTON BEFORE, AND IT WAS NO PICNIC, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAD SOMEWHERE YOU NEEDED TO GO. GRANTED, NO ONE IN SAPPHIRE BAY KNEW HOW TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW, BUT THAT ALSO GUARANTEED HE WOULD BE ALONE ON THE STREETS AT LEAST UNTIL HE REACHED THE DOWNTOWN AREA. TO HIS RELIEF, WHEN HE SLOWLY CRESTED THE HILL OVERLOOKING THE CITY, HE COULDN'T SEE MANY VEHICLES, BUT HE COULD SEE SCARLETT PETALS, AND THERE WAS A VEHICLE PARKED OUT FRONT. SO SHE WAS THERE. THIS HADN'T BEEN ALL FOR NAUGHT.

TEN MINUTES LONGER THAN IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HIM IN NORMAL WEATHER, AND LENNOX SLOWLY SLID HIS RED CAR IN BEHIND SCARLETT'S AND CLIMBED OUT. THE STREETS WERE EERIE AND SILENT AS ALL STREETS TEND TO BE WHEN IT SNOWS, ABSORBING SOUND SO DIFFERENTLY THAN WHEN THE PAVEMENT WAS BARE, AND LENNOX TURNED AWAY FROM THE DESERTED ROAD AND WALKED INTO THE SHOP. IT HAD ONLY RECENTLY BEEN REOPENED FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, AND DUE TO THE WEATHER, THE FLOWERS MEANT FOR OUTSIDE CLUTTERED THE INSIDE OF THE SHOP ALONG WITH A RACK OF CARDS AND REFRIGERATORS HOLDING THE COOLED FLOWERS ALONG THE WALLS. AS HE ENTERED, THE MODEST BELL ON THE DOOR DINGLED AND ANNOUNCED HIS ARRIVAL. AS HE PULLED OFF HIS GLOVES, HE GLANCED THROUGH THE RACKS OF FLOWERS THAT WERE ON DISPLAY, HE CAUGHT SIGHT OF HER AND HE SMILED AS HE ROUNDED A DISPLAY OF ROSES AND CAME INTO VIEW.

"I WAS AFRAID YOU WOULDN'T BE HERE IN THIS DREADED WEATHER, LASS," HE COMMENTED AMIABLY, STUFFING HIS GLOVES INTO HIS POCKETS AND RUBBING HIS COLD HANDS TOGETHER. "A GIRL WHO WORKS ON A SNOW DAY... NOW I KNOW YOU'RE NOT A CALIFORNIAN." HE WINKED AT HER AND CHUCKLED SLIGHTLY.

[scarlett]

RUMOR HAS IT, RUMOR HAS IT I'M THE ONE YOUR LEAVING HER FOR

Yawning, she found herself glancing out the window before looking back at her bed. The snow was just beginning to fall and she had no desire to go in and to work. But, because the snow storm was so unexpected, Scarlett knew that the flowers she had put outside the shop would die in only a couple of hours. Her eyes continued to flirt back and forth between her bed and the closet before she sighed. It was time to get a move on, because she was well aware that it would take twenty minutes walking in the snow to get to the shop. Slipping on a pair of jeans and combat boots, Scarlett simply threw her hair into a pony tail before putting on a baggy old shirt. She did the necessities of the morning before making herself a cup of coffee (her addiction) and packing a small bag. Coming from the south, Scarlett oddly knew a lot about snow and was packing a little bit of food and drinks. She had an oven in the back of the shop and could cook a cup of soup if needed. Packing a sweatshirt and some more miscellaneous stuff, she decided she was ready for the venture outside and shivered at the thought. She would surely freeze to death.

Flinching as the cold hit her face; she suddenly wished it wasn’t snowing. Snow was something she loved, but not in this weather. She was so used to the warmness that California offered that this made her rather uncomfortable. But Scarlett stumbled down the streets, feeling her nose turning red and then freezing. Fifteen minutes later, she got to her shop and entered, greeted with a less numbing cold. Turning the heat up, Scarlett proceeded to pull in all of the flowers outside and stuffed them where they would fit in the small inside. A couple of bouquets had to be finished as well for a wedding and some Valentine’s Day orders. It took almost an hour for Scarlett to battle the wind and the cold to bring in all of the displays and when she finished, she looked around. A few chairs were left open in case someone needed to escape the cold, but she was pretty much crammed in. Biting the bottom of her lip, she pondered if she should go home now and leave the work for when the wind and snow stopped, or if she should work. And considering there wasn’t much at home waiting for her, she decided on the later and took out her bank statements. The business had been doing well with the holidays just finishing and Valentine’s Day just a day or two away. There was money, but she needed to hope that the shop would do well in the future. After the tragedy that had struck it only weeks before, Scarlett knew she couldn’t deal with another mishap like that. Sighing, her eyes glanced out the window and saw that her car was piled with snow. It seemed like a good idea the night before to walk home in the warm weather and now she was regretting it. Her car would be frozen, but at least it had four wheel drive and could get her home safe and sound.

The poor jeep, she was hoping, would work later that night. If not, she would be stuck at work in this horrible weather and it would suck. Scarlett tossed a sweatshirt on and began looking at the calculations, figuring out how much she owed for rent and how much she could spend on flowers for the next month. As of now, things were looking up. Hell, her payments for her own little house could happen on time, which was something she needed. The last thing Scarlett wanted was to be kicked out of Sapphire Bay for having money due.

Biting her lower lip, she heard the rumble of a car and glanced up, slightly confused. Who would be an idiot and drive in this weather. But she felt her heart soar as she noticed a familiar brunette in the driver’s side. Lennox. Her heart, when she thought of the name, went faster. He had helped her when she needed it and it had made a dent in her heart. Lennox was attractive, and familiar. There was something he wasn’t admitting, she knew, but Scarlett wasn’t going to push. The brunette would open up with time. Quickly getting up, she scurried towards the bathroom and took her hair down out of the ratty pony tail and ran her fingers through her loose blond curls. Pulling the sweatshirt down, she hoped it showed off her figure, even though there wasn’t time for her to really look nice. Had she known the man that created knots in her stomach would be stopping by, she would have dressed differently. Scarlett stepped out of the bathroom and began walking towards the door, the flowers obstructing her view. Rounding a display of roses, she felt her cheeks warm up a little but knew she would blame it on the burst of coldness he had brought with him.

”It’s just another day…and I live only ten minutes away, although twenty in this weather” she said, stepping towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him in greeting, the coldness of his jacket greeting her skin. But she wanted to warm him up and smiled when she let go and took a step back. ”Georgia gets a lot of snow sometimes, so I was prepared. I didn’t think I would need my winter clothes, but apparently I did!”

Scarlett’s mind wondered why he was here. It was snowing and Lennox had come all the way out to see her maybe? ”Want a cup of tea? Coffee?” she asked as she started the coffee pot in the back. ”And what brings you here? Seems like a cold day for wanting flowers” she shot him a teasing smile.

OH ALL THESE WORDS, WHISPERED IN MY EAR

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