Jamie had iced her hand off and on for the past hour and it was feeling a bit better. She knew she needed to go to the Leafing, but she was loathe to leave Dani. She had neglected her plants though and they needed her, too. Unless…
"Hey, Dani?"
"Yeah, Jamie?
"Say, I need to go to the shop, tend to my plants and all. Any chance you fancy coming with me? I could use a hand."
"Oh sure, Jamie! I'd love to!" Dani said, happy to be asked.
Jamie waved her injured hand around. "And, I literally mean that I could use a hand. I'll be putting you right to work."
Dani smiled. "It's the least I can do."
It was about a 10 minute walk to the Leafling from Jamie's flat. Jamie opened the door and instantly set Dani to work watering the flowers and pruning any dead parts. Jamie came by to inspect her work.
"You're a natural, it seems."
Dani smiled. "I like taking care of things."
"Probably why you're such a good teacher," Jamie replied.
"You know, I was thinking. Since I'm going to be sticking around, I should look for a teaching job here. But, maybe something on a smaller scale, like just a few children. Back in the States, my classes were so big that I didn't feel like I could really make a difference."
"I think that's a brilliant idea, Dani. I'm sure we can find you some wee English gremlins to take care of."
They both laughed.
"Seems first though, maybe you better call your mum." Jamie gently slid the phone on the counter over towards Dani.
Dani bit her bottom lip and looked up tentatively at Jamie. "Can we just skip that part?"
"'Fraid not. You'll feel better when it's done."
"You're right." Dani hesitated.
"I'll give you some privacy. I'll be in the back, if you need anything."
"Thanks, Jamie."
Dani came looking for Jamie in the back room a few minutes later.
"That was fast," Jamie said, surprised.
"I didn't want to get into too much with her over the phone. She's going to meet us at the pub at 7:00 tonight."
"Us, huh?" Jamie raised one eyebrow, playfully.
"Oh gosh, I hope that was okay! I just assumed!"
"Relax, Poppins. I told you I would be with you, whatever you need, and I meant it. Can't say your mum will take too kindly to me though, you know, on account of me punching your fiancé in the face just this morning."
"Ex-fiancé," Dani clarified.
"Right. Well, at least we'll be at the pub. We'll need plenty of alcohol afterwards, I'm betting."
"That's for sure. I'm glad you'll be there with me. I know it's going to be really awkward for you," Dani said.
"Don't worry about me. Tonight is about you working things out with your mum. Plus, maybe if I'm lucky, you'll hold my hand under the table."
"Oh, I think there's a 100% chance of that happening," Dani said without hesitation.
"Sit on my left then," Jamie said, winking.
Jamie and Dani finished up the work that needed to be done at the Leafling and walked back to Jamie's flat to change and get ready for their meeting with Dani's mother. Jamie arranged for Owen to reserve a booth in the back corner of the pub, one that would offer them privacy but also give Owen and Hannah a good view from the bar in case they needed rescuing.
They were getting ready to go downstairs, and Jamie could tell that Dani was getting nervous. Jamie recognized the signs of a panic attack coming on.
"Hey, Poppins," she said walking over to Dani and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just breathe with me, okay? In for 5 seconds, hold it for 5 seconds, that's right, and now exhale slowly for 5 seconds. Good girl. Keep doing that."
Dani got her breathing under control and looked into Jamie's eyes. Jamie put her hands on either side of Dani's face, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You've got this, Dani. I'm with you. I know you're worried about disappointing people. I've never had anyone to worry about disappointing, but I just want you to know that I recognize how hard this is for you."
Dani nodded. It broke her heart a little bit to hear Jamie say that she'd never had anyone to disappoint. She deserved so much better than the hand life had dealt her. Dani would spend every minute making up for it, showing her how special she was. Jamie interrupted her thoughts.
"Do you know what you want to tell her tonight?" Jamie asked gently. "Do you want to go over it before we head downstairs?"
"I have an idea, but so much of it will depend on how she reacts. But mostly, I want her to understand that I'm not flying back with them, and I'm not marrying Eddie. I don't want her to hold out hope that I will go back to him."
"Ok, that's good. Those are all good points to cover."
"And, Jamie? There's one more thing. But I want to run it by you first."
This made Jamie a little nervous. She had no idea what Dani was going to say next. "Go on, what is it?"
"I want to refer to you as my girlfriend, if that's okay. I know it's really soon, but—"
Jamie cut her off with a kiss. Jamie was surprised by the request and also elated. Of course, she wanted to be Dani's girlfriend! The fact that Dani was the one to initiate the label meant the world to Jamie. She wanted to take things at a pace that was comfortable for Dani, and this was a huge step.
Jamie finally pulled back from their kiss, out of breath. She rested her forehead against Dani's.
"So, was that a yes?" Dani asked.
"I thought I was communicating pretty clearly, but yes, Dani, that was a yes!" Jamie said with mock exasperation.
Dani laughed and pulled her in for another kiss.
"We keep kissing like that and we'll be standing up your poor mum downstairs," Jamie said.
"Right," Dani laughed. "Let's go."
The women got there a little early so they would be ready when Karen arrived. They sat on the same side of the booth, with Jamie sitting closest to the wall. They had a view of the front door, which Dani was watching intently. Jamie was watching Dani intently. Jamie wasn't as much concerned about impressing her girlfriend's mother tonight as she was taking care of Dani. She knew this would be emotionally exhausting, and it had already been an emotionally exhausting day.
"I hope she doesn't bring Judy with her," Dani said nervously.
"Well shit, I hadn't thought about that," Jamie said.
"Oh wait! There she is, Jamie! She just walked in. Oh good, looks like she's alone."
"You've got this, Poppins. Remember I'm right here. You just hold on to me if you need to."
Dani nodded quickly and stood up from the booth to greet her mother.
"Hey, Mom," she said, giving her a quick hug and then gesturing for her to sit down with them.
"Hello, sweetheart," Karen said as she slid into the booth across from Dani and Jamie. "And, I see our florist is joining us? Hello again, Ms. Taylor." She nodded towards Jamie. Her tone was even but her eyes were full of questions.
"Mrs. Clayton," Jamie said, nodding in response.
"Mom, Jamie isn't here for professional reasons. We'll get to that, I promise. But first—"
"Eddie," Karen stated.
"Yes, we need to talk about Eddie." Dani's hand reached blindly under the table for Jamie's, never taking her eyes off her mother. Jamie grabbed her hand and squeezed, her own eyes locked on Dani.
"What is going on, dear? He said you broke up with him. None of this makes any sense. Your wedding is in three days," Karen said, the words spilling out quickly.
"I'm not marrying him, Mom. Not in three days, not ever. I should have never let it get this far. This was never right."
"Danielle. You're not making sense. This is nothing but cold feet. It happens to lots of brides," Karen said dismissively.
"It's not, Mom, and you know it. There's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago, but it's just taken me awhile to figure out. And it's something I needed to figure out on my own," Dani said quietly, now looking down at the table. Jamie rubbed her thumb along the back of Dani's hand for encouragement.
"Is this about Eddie's behavior, dear? We've gone over this. That's just men being men. You just need to work harder to keep him happy and it will all be fine," Karen stated.
Dani could sense Jamie stiffen next to her. She had stopped rubbing Dani's hand and was completely still.
"Ok, first of all, Mom, that's really messed up. I'm sorry, but it is," Dani replied, the words pouring out in frustration, tears stinging her eyes.
Karen was frustrated now, too. "Well then, Danielle, tell me what is really going on! And, for God's sake, will someone please tell me why the florist is here for this mother-daughter conversation!"
Dani looked over at Jamie, who nodded once in solidarity.
"Ok Mom, here it is… I like women!" Dani exclaimed, throwing the hand not holding Jamie's up in the air for dramatic affect.
Karen Clayton was not amused. She shook her head, her penetrating gaze moving between Dani and Jamie.
"Jamie is here because she's my girlfriend," Dani offered softly.
"The florist? Who you met last week? Is your girlfriend?" Karen asked disbelievingly. "Danielle, are you on drugs? Are you having some kind of mental break? This is not you. Let me help you. None of this makes any sense."
"See, this is why I didn't want to talk to you about any of this! You make me feel crazy!"
Karen changed the tone of her voice to try to soothe her daughter. "Look, if the stress is getting to you, we can postpone the wedding. Eddie will take you back. I'll talk to him. We can still fix this, honey."
"Mom, what I'm trying to tell you is that I have always been attracted to women, but I was too scared to act on it until now. I'm not marrying Eddie or any other man. And I'm certainly not going back to a man who treats me the way he does. I love Jamie. She makes me laugh and makes me feel safe. I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"Ok, we'll sort this all out when we get home, Danielle. When you are away from all this," Karen staid, locking her disapproving gaze on Jamie. Her head snapped back to Dani when she spoke.
"I'm not going home, Mom," Dani said weakly.
Karen started to cry.
"Please, Mom, don't cry," Dani pleaded.
"You're breaking my heart, Danielle, and I don't know why. I would like to speak with you alone. Ms. Taylor, can you give us a minute please?"
"That's up to Dani," Jamie replied. "I'll go if she asks me to."
"Jamie stays," Dani said with finality, squeezing Jamie's hand. Jamie squeezed back.
"Ok then, Jamie," Karen said, drawing out Jamie's name, "What do you have to say for yourself? Do you take enjoyment in breaking apart a family?"
"Mom, that's not fair!"
"It's okay, Dani, I'll answer it," Jame said calmly. "No ma'am, I take no pleasure in any of this. I take no pleasure in seeing someone as smart, talented, and beautiful as your daughter having her light snuffed out by everyone in her family. Having her sanity questioned. Having her safety in jeopardy. Having her hopes and dreams extinguished. You don't even see what a gift you have in front of you. None of you do. She's right there but none of you see her. Do I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now because Dani Clayton chose me? Yeah, I do. So, what I have to say for myself is that I promise to take care of her, to support her, and to dream with her. Because that's what she deserves."
Jamie leaned back in the booth. She spared a glance towards Dani and saw that Dani was looking at her with tears in her eyes, so full of love. It was overwhelming.
Karen seemed to have lost her voice. Gathering herself, she spoke again.
"Danielle, you know there's no future with her. Even if this thing between you two, whatever it is, lasts, you know you can't even get married. This isn't going anywhere. It's just a phase."
"I know we can't get married, Mom, and I don't really care. Maybe one day we'll give each other rings, and we'll wear them, and we'll know. That would be enough for me, if it's enough for her."
Jamie's heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. She hung on every word Dani said. A few tears silently slide down Jamie's cheeks.
"It would be enough for me, yeah," Jamie said softly.
For a moment, they both forgot that Dani's mother was sitting across from them. They just stared at each other, a silent conversation, a silent promise flowing between them.
"I can see we are not going to be resolving this tonight," Karen said curtly. "And what exactly is your plan for staying in London, Danielle?"
"I'll get a teaching job. You know I never wanted to give up my career for Eddie."
"And, until then? What, is the florist going to be able to support you?" Karen scoffed.
Jamie replied, "I'm actually a very successful businesswoman, ma'am. I can take care of everything while Dani's looking for that perfect job."
"Oh, you poor, dear. She'll leave you, just like she did Eddie. Don't you see that?"
"Mom—!"
"It's okay, Dani." Turning to Karen, Jamie said, "I'll be by her side as long as she'll have me. Any amount of time with your daughter will be worth any pain."
Dani's heart felt like it might burst. She was so in love with this woman. She squeezed Jamie's hand even harder under the table.
Karen ignored the comment. "Danielle, will you at least go visit Eddie before we leave? He fell this morning and broke his nose, right after you left. He was just so upset from you coming to get your things."
"I've said everything I need to say to Eddie. Wait— he told you he fell?!" Dani asked incredulously.
"Yes, he had to go to the hospital and everything," Karen said with concern.
Jamie snickered.
"You find that funny, Jamie?" Karen asked.
"Jamie, don't—" Dani warned.
"I'm sorry, Dani, but I have to. Yes, Mrs. Clayton, I do find it funny seeing as how I'm the one who sent him to the hospital."
"Oh Jamie," Dani said, face palming.
"Excuse me?" Karen's mind was spinning.
"Yeah, I punched him. And it's important to me that you know why. You see, your precious Eddie was about to hit your daughter. In the face. And, I couldn't let that happen. So, I stopped him the only way I knew how. I don't regret it. In fact, I would punch him a thousand more times more if it meant that he never touched Dani again. Eddie has done some real messed up shit, and you should not be okay with it. Eddie knows it, too. It's why he didn't tell you the truth."
Karen was silent. Jamie let go of Dani's hand and moved her arm around Dani's waist, pulling her into her side. Dani put her hand on Jamie's thigh. They were a united front.
Karen broke the silence. "Well, this has all been very enlightening. Danielle, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in all of this. I don't know what I'm supposed to tell Judy."
"Tell her whatever you want. I don't really care. I appreciate everything Judy has done for me, Mom, but I can't marry her son just because she's nice to me and she's your friend."
"I can't believe I'm going home without you." Karen was sad now, resigned. "I still love you, you know."
"I still love you, too, Mom."
"Jamie," Karen said, "I don't like this one bit, but you take care of my girl, you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am. I will," Jamie said seriously.
"Goodnight, Danielle. We'll be here for three more days if you change your mind and want to come back. Otherwise, I will call you when I get home."
"Thanks, Mom."
Dani and her mother both got up from the booth. Karen gave Dani an awkward side hug and then turned and left. Dani slid back into the booth next to Jamie, exhausted.
"I can't tell if your mum likes me or not," Jamie said teasingly, bumping her shoulder against Dani's. She got a smile out of Dani, which was her only goal.
"I think she'd like you better if you were a guy."
Both of them laughed.
"You wanna get out of here?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah, I do. Let's go."