In the morning, I got a call as I was getting dressed.

“Pale?” Shake said, uncertain.

“Yep, it’s me,” I replied.

“You aren’t leaving today, are you? I wanted to talk with you more, and I have most of the morning and afternoon free. Maybe we can go somewhere? Take a walk?” She sounded eager to see me again, and I smiled in return.

“That sounds great. I wasn’t sure if you wanted some time to think things over,” I said.

“No, I’ve had plenty of time to think things over. I want to spend as much time with you as I can, until you are sick of me!” She laughed merrily. It was a good sound, very lyrical.

“Well, I do have to get back to San Francisco soon, but I can spare a day. I would love the time to talk, too,” I reassured her.

We arranged to meet in a park near both of us within an hour, and I notified the hotel that I would be staying another night. It was still a shock, walking up to someone who looked so much like myself. We fell more easily into conversation, starting with last night’s performance. I complimented her on her dramatic moves and good nature with the crowd. She accepted my compliments gracefully, and described some of the background and history of knife throwing acts, as well as what originally drew her to it in the first place.

We talked easily about culture and illusion, our mutual restlessness, our ease with men over women, and a myriad of other things we discovered in common. The hours flew by, and soon we were laughing more naturally. My heart soared, adrift on a playful wave of Fate, high above my previous worries. We decided to get some lunch together, and the more serious topics looped back around. My playful wave came down a bit as we discussed Jeffrie’s sudden death, and I opened up about Felix and his steady presence in my life.

It was during the gossip about Felix that my cell phone chimed urgently. I paused and she nodded, encouraging me to answer, so I picked up on the last ring.

“Hello?”

“Daisy, have you run away and joined the circus, or did you forget the gas pedal is on the right?” Felix teased me.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I meant to call you this morning.” I gestured to Shake that it’s Felix, and she gave me a wink and gestured that she’s going to the bathroom. I nodded to her, telling him, “I got caught up today talking with Shake. We’ve had a great day together.” I couldn’t keep the beaming out of my voice, and he heard my happy tone.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Well, I’m delighted to hear it. But tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and unless you get in that car and haul ass right now, you are going to miss what I have planned for us.”

“Oh NO! I’m so sorry! I had no idea you were doing anything…” I started to stammer.

Felix interrupted me mid-sentence, “-which is WHY I took the precaution of including a secret present in your glove box, in case such an eventuality were to take place.” He was grinning through the phone, the smug bastard. Always thinking of everything. Still, a present!

“What kind of present?” I asked, fake suspicious. “Is it a box of exploding glitter?”

“Tsk, tsk, I can’t tell you that. But I will tell you that you will want to open it alone.”

I gave him an abbreviated version of the day’s events, and promised to call from the road.

Shake made her way back to the table, and I told her about Felix’s call. She smiled warmly.

“I’m so happy you have someone in your life who seems to truly care about you. I want you to know that you are not alone. I’m interested in being in your life as much as I can be, considering my gypsy lifestyle. I’m never going to be a mother in the traditional sense, but I would like to be your friend.”

I took her trembling hand.

“That sounds like a start.”

¤ ¤ ¤

I headed back to the hotel, the list of the circus’s planned route in my hand. Shake had promised to write me at every other city, so we could get a semi-familiar writing relationship going. It was bizarre to me that she handled correspondence this way, but when I suggested email, she just shook her head No.

I got to the car to check for Felix’s present, and as expected, there was a brightly wrapped box, sitting on top of the registration and user guide.

I sat in the passenger seat, running my hands over the paper. I smiled to myself that he had gone to the trouble to do this. I hadn’t even noticed what day it was, truthfully.

I tore the paper off the box, and flipped open the lid gingerly. There was a bracelet inside, made from opals and bluish pearls, set in a beautiful silver chain. I gasped involuntarily, holding it up to the late afternoon light. From inside the lid of the box, a note fell onto my lap, and I glanced down and opened it tentatively.

‘To the lovely Pale,

I’m not a man of many flowery sentiments. I get things wrong, I am impulsive. But when it matters, I can be very direct. So let me be direct now. You are the kind of woman that hides her strength to her advantage, uses grace in front of buffoons, and spends her love wisely. I tried to fight it, but am helplessly in love with you. This token is a small gesture, meant to say, I want to dance with the one I came with. Will you dance with me?

Hurry home,

Felix’

A rush of desire and love overcame me as I held the note, shaking in my hand. I dropped the bracelet and box in the car, and ran to the hotel lobby. At the desk, I asked the clerk if they have my credit card on file, and he responded yes, bewildered. Running out the door, I shouted, “Put it on my card, I have to go!”

I sprinted back to the car, climbed in, and snapped open my phone as I roared out of the parking lot, racing to the freeway.

I dialed Felix’s number, hitting 75 mph.

“Yes?” he answered in a drawl.

“I got your note. Put out the lanterns, I’m coming home.” I said, in a voice choked with desire.

For once, Felix was not joking. “I love you, Daisy. Hurry back.”

I nodded in agreement, then started laughing, remembering he couldn’t see me. “I…I love you, too. See you soon.”