Valentine's Day

Sicily

Sicily was a typical 22 year old living in the ever busy Acker. She worked a normal office job, answering emails and pushing files for a major newspaper company, Acker Daily. She liked to describe her job as a glorified office assistant. Always running back and forth between the editors with different messages for each. So much for that wonderful journalism degree she studied so hard for.

Today she was able to work from home since the editors were all off on a retreat. She took this chance to use the rest of the day to have some family time. Her sister was due to drop off her favorite and only niece to spend time with her and help her decorate for their annual Valentine’s Day “party” the following day.

Every year Sicily, her sister Ella, and her niece 13 year old Margo would take the day off from work and school and spend all day baking cookies and watching sappy rom-coms. They began the tradition a few years after Margo was born and her sister’s husband had passed. It was their way of coping with the pain of losing someone so special to their little family. Her brother in law had been a strong presence in her life, doing all he could to provide for her sister and taking Sicily in after the nasty divorce of her parents when she was 16.

As she finished the very long winded email to the lead editor, her doorbell rang. She couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips as she stood to answer the door. Ella had a key to her house but insisted on being let in. Something about even though having a key she still needed to be invited in. Ella was always the polite one of the two. She took after their grandmother. Tall and slender with the softest brown eyes. Freckles dotted her nose and just under her eyes giving her round face the most innocent of looks.

Sicily looked more like their mother. She stood at a proper 5 foot 2 with curves that reminded her of a fertility goddess statue. Her hazel eyes, she felt, were her only redeeming facial feature. That and her pouty lips that wore her signature dusty pink lip stain.

“Just let yourself in El!” she yelled as she made her way to the front of the house. She was properly confused when she didn’t hear the giggle of Margo or a smart ass remark that Ella normally called back with.

“Um, I don’t think I’m who you’re expecting.” a warm baritone voice said through the door.

Sicily stiffened unsure who else would be stopping by. Her closest friend, Tony, was currently on a vacation with this month’s “flavor” and wouldn’t be back in town until later next week. She did a mental run through to see if she was expecting any deliveries today. When she was sure there wasn’t supposed to be any, she opened her door a fraction to get a peek at the mystery visitor.

“May I help you?” she asked, a quizzical look on her face.

“Actually you can. You see I’m looking for someone. We worked together for a while when she was in college. We wou-”

Before he could finish his next sentence Sicily remembered who the man before her was. It was none other than Alexander Sebastian Seavolt. His family owned the golf course that she worked at to help pay for her bills throughout college. He wasn’t like the normal rich guys she catered to. His family believed in a strong work ethic and forced him to work for the golf course. He helped manage the bar and grill, learning all parts of the facility that he would one day take over. He was always there to handle all the overly flirtatious men and nasty rude wives that hated Sicily for her youth.

“Alexander?” Her voice held excitement that didn’t reach her eyes.

He smiled back at her though. The same boyish grin he’d give her when she would scold him about his language around guests. The same smile he’d use when anyone would ask him about his personal life because he loved to share about himself.

“It’s great to see you again Sicily.”

“I’d say the same but I’m expecting someone a bit more exciting.” she quipped. She couldn’t help the smile that began to spread as her sister and niece walked up behind him.

At first, Alexander was confused, unsure what he had done to receive that reply. But the confusion melted as he turned to see a spunky kid walk past him and into Sicily’s arms. He could see the resemblance between the young woman that was walking up and the girl and realized the kid was Sicily’s niece.

“Margo, manners! I’m sorry sir, my daughter seems to have walked through a vortex that pulled any home training out of her.” The woman had a look on her face that matched Sicily’s when she opened the door. He was quickly likening it to mortification.

“No, by all means. I’m sure I’m the one intruding. Sicily before I go, is there any way I can get your number? I’d love for us to catch up.” He held out his phone hoping he wouldn’t have to awkwardly put it away if she turned him down.

“Oh, um sure.” She grabbed his phone and typed her number almost mechanically. She wasn’t sure what else to do so she smiled at him and moved aside for Ella and Margo. Realizing where she was mentally, Ella gave him a polite goodbye and she closed the door as the trio walked into the house.

For the next couple of hours they pretended the interaction never happened and began setting up for their little party. Ella kept stealing glances at Sicily to see if her face would give anything away. Unfortunately for Ella, the only look that was on her sister’s face was a perplexed one.

“Auntie Sis, who was the hot business guy at the door earlier?”

“Hm? Oh Alexander? Just someone I used to work with or for technically, I guess.”

“That was the Seavolt guy!? The one that bloodied the realtor mogul at the Independence Day Festival last year?”

“Yeah that’s him. Odd, if they knew he was going to be back in town, I’m sure the gossip column would be blowing up my email.” She took that opportunity to check her phone but it had been radio silence for a while now. As she set her phone down her screen lit up with a text from an unsaved number

Unknown: Sorry to have just shown up like that. I would have emailed you but it felt too formal for old friends.

Sicily: So just showing up to my place was the next best option?

Sicily thought back to the Festival. She had cut back her hours at the golf course to take up an internship at the newspaper. As she got busier with finishing up her degree, she was there less and less. Margo had begged her to take her to the festival at the golf course and she gave in. While they were there, they ran into some of the editors she worked for and their friends. One of the big wigs got a little too drunk and was hitting on Sicily a little too much for her liking and he wasn’t getting the hint. Alexander had seen what was going on and lost it. Before anyone could understand what was happening, he had the older guy on the ground and was laying his fists into him. Sicily’s main concern at that moment was Margo. So she grabbed her niece and took her home. She wasn’t sure what to make of the whole ordeal so she quit her job at the golf course and cut all contact with Alexander.

In her mind, Alexander had crossed the line between employer/employee and more than that. It had caused her to over think and second guess all their interactions over the last three years and she didn’t like it. Sure she had thought of him in a different light at times. More so on the nights she was feeling lonely and her hands warm. But she never dared to do more with him. He was her boss after all.

Unknown: I guess I didn’t really think that one through huh? ._.

She didn’t know what else to say to him so she left him on read for the time being.

The next couple of hours flew by as they finished all the preparations for their party. Margo insisted on a pink floor runner at the front door for the Hollywood vibe this year. They hung pink streamers and dangling hearts all around the ceiling. Ella made sure all the heart shaped cake pan and all the cookie sheets were washed and ready to go for the next day.

“Alright Sis, everything is done and ready to go. Margo needs to go and finish up chores, we will see you tomorrow. I’ll bring coffee.” Ella was standing by the door watching her daughter grab her book bag.

“Okay I love you guys. Let me know when y’all get home.”

Sicily watched as they made their way down the driveway to her sister’s car.

Ella: Make sure you text Alexander back. I want all the details afterrrrr!!

Sicily laughed quietly to herself at her sister’s text message. It’s not that she didn’t want to text him back but she just didn’t know what to say to him. She hadn’t thought about Alexander in months and never expected him to show back up in her life. Instead of allowing herself to fester over what Mr. Seavolt could want, she showered and hopped in bed.