Piper sighed as she pulled into the parking lot of her practice. She hadn’t slept well the night before, and it was already beginning to affect her. Dean had plagued her dreams all night, and even now she couldn’t get him out of her head. As she put the car in park, she could still remember those dreams vividly. The memory of the warm, soft feeling of Dean’s touch on her skin lingered with her, and she closed her eyes, trying to recapture the moment.
No! Her eyes flew open, and she hit the steering wheel out of frustration. She could not afford to let him get to her, not when she was about to become a wife in three weeks. Emerson. She had to concentrate on her future husband. He was kind, dependable, thoughtful, and the complete opposite of Dean. With that thought in mind, she crawled out of her car and locked the doors.
“Morning, Piper!” She looked across the parking lot to see Sam walking towards her. Seeing her assistant’s familiar smile helped her to push Dean to the back of her mind and concentrate on the day ahead.
“Good morning!” Piper called back as she unlocked the office door and stepped inside. She made her way into her personal office and stuffed her pocketbook into a drawer. She put on her lab coat and walked back out to the lobby to meet Sam. When she reached the main desk, she picked up the appointment book and scanned over her list of patients. “How are you this morning?” she asked.
“Oh, wonderful,” Sam smiled as she put on her own lab coat. “Robert made me dinner last night, and we had the best time.” She leaned on the desk and took a good look at her boss. “Are you feeling all right?”
Piper glanced up at her surprised. “Yeah. Why?”
“You look tired. Did you sleep well last night?”
Piper looked back down at the appointment book and grinned. “Not really. I guess I’m just worried about the wedding.”
“Are you sure it doesn’t have anything to do with that guy that showed up yesterday?”
Piper tried to look as innocent as she could. “Why on Earth would I be worried about him?”
Sam just shrugged and began to straighten up her desk. “I don’t know. It’s just that you had a pretty odd reaction to him yesterday, and you were so irritable when you came back from lunch.”
“I was not,” the veterinarian chuckled as she set the appointment book down.
“Yes, you were. Even the big dogs were scared to go near you.” Sam stopped cleaning and looked her boss directly in the eyes. “Who was he?”
Piper looked away and gave another nervous chuckle. “Nobody. Just some guy I knew a long time ago.”
“Oh, come on. That reaction couldn’t have been for someone you barely knew. Who was he?”
Piper sighed and leaned on the desk. “His name is Dean Raymond, and I once dated him.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide. “You did? What happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Come on. We’ve got thirty minutes before we open, and our first patient doesn’t arrive until nine-fifteen.” Sam sat down in the leather chair behind the desk and leaned forward. “Start at the beginning. How did you meet him?”
Piper walked around the front desk and sat down in another leather chair. She made herself comfortable and launched into her story. “Dean and I met five years ago through mutual friends. My flatmate Julia had been dating the famous Josh Tambini for a month.”
Sam nodded. “I know who he is. I loved his Techno, Techno, Techno CD.”
“Well, this would be the first time she and Josh would be alone, and she wanted me out of the flat. Instead of letting me go out on my own, she got the bright idea that Josh should set me up with his friend Dean. I kept telling her no, but she finally talked me into it.” As she continued to tell the story, the memory of that first date came back to her, and Piper couldn’t help but smile at it.
******
“Piper! Will you hurry up? They’ll be here any minute!” Julia called from the living room. Piper could hear her rustling around, nervously straightening things.
Piper put the finishing touches on her lipstick and checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Calm down. I’m almost done.” She stood there looking over her bulky sweatshirt and jeans. She wore her hair down and cascading past her shoulders. The look was just right.
When she was satisfied with how she looked, Piper emerged from the bathroom to find Julia running around the flat like a mad woman. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a bright green, tight-fitting dress and her black hair swept up into a bun. When she spotted Piper, she immediately began to fuss.
“You’re not going out like that, are you?” she asked, horrified.
Piper looked down at her outfit. “What’s wrong with it? It’s very comfortable.”
“A first date isn’t about comfort. It’s about looking feminine. You’ve got to go change.”
“No. I’m going like this.” Piper crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Besides, this isn’t a first date. We just got stuck together and chances are I won’t like him anyway.”
Just then the doorbell rang, and Julia began to flutter nervously again. “Oh, God, they’re here. How does my hair look?” she asked as she patted it into place.
“It looks fine. Josh will love it.”
“Are you sure?” The doorbell rang again.
“Yes.”
When Julia didn’t make a move to answer the door, Piper sauntered over to it and opened it. Two handsome men stood on the other side. The bored-looking one on the right she knew was Josh. The one on the left, who looked like he hadn’t washed his hair in days, had to be Dean. She looked the scruffy guy up and down and inwardly groaned. This was going to be a long night. She let them in, and Josh and Julia immediately started to kiss.
When it looked like they weren’t going to stop any time soon, Piper took Dean’s hand and lead him outside. She closed the door and turned to him. “You must be Dean. I’m Piper. It’s nice to meet you.” She held her hand out to him.
Dean took it and smiled. “Well, Piper, looks like we’ll be spending the evening together. Any ideas?”
Piper arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Do you mean to tell me that you don’t have a plan?” she asked with a grin.
Dean shrugged. “What can I say? I don’t believe in plans.”
Piper chuckled. She was just about to retort when the kissing noises on the other side of the door escalated into moans. The noise caught their attentions, and they both turned to stare in disbelief at the door. They looked at each other.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Piper said.
“Yeah. So, how do you feel about roller coasters?” Dean questioned as they walked away from the apartment.
Fifteen minutes later, Piper found herself atop the tallest roller coaster she had ever been on in her life. Before she could even muster up the breath to scream, she was sailing down a steep hill, the cold wind biting at her face. She gripped the bar and squeezed her eyes shut. She usually hated roller coasters. How did Dean ever talk her into getting on this one? Her stomach dropped as they whipped around a curve and plummeted down another hill.
Daring to open on eye, she glanced over at her date. He looked like he was having the time of his life. His head hung back and a permanent smile graced his face. The smile even reached his eyes. Underneath his toboggan, his shoulder-length hair thrashed in the wind, but he didn’t seem to care. For one split-second, she saw the sweet guy underneath all of the grunge. He was beautiful. Before she could think about it, though, they dropped down another hill, causing her to scream and shut her eyes.
When the ride was over, Dean led a woozy Piper over to a bench. She sat down and leaned over. As she concentrated on trying not to throw up, she felt a warm hand rubbing her back. This was followed by a hearty laugh.
“I told you not to eat those hot dogs before we got on the ride,” he chortled.
Piper just groaned. “Well, I didn’t realize how fast it would go.”
“Just how many roller coasters have you been on?”
“One. The kiddy one when I was seven. I got sick on it and swore to never ride another one.”
Dean laughed again. “Well, you broke that promise.”
When she thought she had gotten her stomach under control, Piper sat up. That movement alone caused her stomach to protest again. Without thinking about it, she leaned on Dean and let out a sigh. They didn’t say anything for a long time, and then Dean broke the silence.
“So, you want to do this again next Saturday?” he asked.
“As long as you promise not to take me on that roller coaster again.”
“Is that a yes?”
Piper looked up at him and prepared to answer him. Before she could get the words out, her stomach shifted and her eyes widened. She sharply leaned over towards his shoes.
* * * *
Sam burst into a fit of giggles. “You threw up on his shoes?”
Piper nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“And he still wanted to go out with you again?”
“Oh, yeah. That was the beauty of Dean. He never judged you on your appearance, nor did he hold a grudge because you threw up on his shoes.”
When her laughing fit calmed down, Sam leaned forward in her chair. “So, what happened? It sounds like he was a great guy.”
Piper stood up and checked the clock. They had a few minutes before they opened. “Well, even though he had a lot of good qualities, he did have one glaring flaw. He was a drug dealer, and he broke a lot of dates because of that.” She walked around the desk and picked up the day’s schedule again. “Each time he would tell me he was done with it, and each time he’d make another sale and get the crap beat out of him. After a year, I couldn’t handle it. So I left.”
“That sounds so sad,” Sam commented as she turned the chair and rolled up to the desk. “Maybe he’s changed?”
Piper shook her head and walked over to the door. “No, I’ve heard that entirely too many times. I don’t think Dean will ever change.” She unlocked the door and started back towards her office. “Besides, I’m going to marry Emerson in three weeks so it doesn’t matter anyway.”
Sam made a face, but didn’t answer her. Piper just ignored her assistant’s reaction to her fiancé and continued on to her office. Before she could close the door, the bell rang over the main door. She looked out to see a man holding a large bouquet of sunflowers. He stopped at the desk and exchanged a few words with Sam. Her assistant then looked towards her office door.
“Piper, these are for you,” she announced.
Puzzled, Piper strolled out of her office and looked at the flowers. Who would be sending her flowers, much less her favorite kind? She thanked the delivery man and picked up the card from where it was nestled in the bouquet. She opened it and became even more confused.
“What does it say?” Sam asked.
“It says, ‘Please’.”
“’Please’? Please what?”
Piper just shrugged and turned the card over. Nothing was written on the back. “Nothing. All it says is ‘Please’.” She looked up at Sam to see her wearing a matching look of confusion.
“Do you think it’s Emerson?”
“It doesn’t sound like him, and he would usually sign his name,” the veterinarian answered as she placed the card back into its spot.
Sam wiggled her eyebrows and leaned in close. “Maybe it’s Dean.”
Piper narrowed her eyes and picked up the bouquet. “Maybe you’re delusional.”
“Well, you never know.” Once again, Piper ignored her assistant and disappeared into her office.
An hour later, the same delivery man appeared again, carrying an identical sunflower bouquet. This one was also meant for Piper, and she thanked him just like she did before. She once again picked up the card, and she and Sam peered at it.
“’Come’? Well, that’s an odd note for a bouquet,” Sam observed.
“It’s in the same handwriting, and there’s still no name.” Piper replaced the card and picked up the flowers.
“This is getting creepy. Maybe we should phone the police?” Sam suggested.
“No, we’re just going to wait and see if this person shows up. It’s probably nothing to worry about.” With that, she took the second bouquet into her office and then went to greet the next patient.
By the fourth hour, Piper was expecting the delivery man. Just like he had done the three previous hours, he appeared in the doorway, carrying a large sunflower bouquet. She met him and thanked him, then quickly plucked the card from its bouquet. This one simply said, “Cornwall”.
“I was right,” she declared. “All of these cards are making a sentence.”
Sam quickly agreed. “So far it reads, ‘Please come to Cornwall.’ Who do you know in Cornwall?”
Piper shrugged. “I don’t know anybody in Cornwall.”
“Okay, I think we should phone the police now.” Sam made a move for the phone, but Piper stopped her.
“Not yet. Let’s see how many bouquets this person is sending. Once we get the complete sentence, then we can make the call.”
Reluctantly, Sam agreed and moved away from the phone.
After they closed for the day, Sam and Piper spread the cards out onto the front desk. The last card had revealed the name, and Piper thought she would scream. All together they read, “Please come to Cornwall and see my surf shop. Dean.” A local phone number followed his name.
“I can’t believe he would do this. I told him point blank that I was getting married. Doesn’t he ever listen?” Piper ranted. She dropped her head into her hands and groaned.
“I think he just wants to talk. It wouldn’t hurt to phone him,” Sam offered.
Piper just shook her head. “I can’t. I broke it off clean.”
“Well, it has been four years.”
Piper glanced at Sam. “You’re not helping.” She then looked at the cards again. “I’m just going to ignore them,” she decided. “If I don’t answer then maybe he’ll go away.”
Sam just shrugged and leaned back into her chair. “Maybe,” was all she said.