Dangerous Games

A LITTLE DISRUPTION, A LITTLE CHAOS

After a day as an official couple, Kali was settling into the new turn of her relationship. Of course, they were taking things slowly. She kept to her side of the bed all night, but they didn't sleep as far apart. There was no doubt they were doing things backwards, dating after they were already married, but there was nothing wrong with that. Their life was one big series of oddities, so what was one more? Like with any relationship, she would take things one step at a time. Nothing was drastically different from what it was a day ago.

She got up before Samuel to prepare for the day. As she worked, the maids handled the cleaning and other chores around the house. Kali rarely let them cook unless she was out of time or too tired to do it herself.

"Ma'am?" She turned to the door as the youngest girl, Vella, walked in.

"Yes."

"There is a delivery for you at the door."

"Delivery?" Kali wondered to herself, snapping the lids on the shut.

"It's at the door."

"Alright. I'll see what it is. Put these in the boxes and add some drinks for me, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"A delivery for Miss Kali Hastings?" The man at the door announced, reading from the pad he held.

Any thought that the gift was from Samuel or anyone she knew quickly went out the window with that statement. Kali could barely remember the last time anyone referred to her by her maiden name.

"That's me, but I go by Kali Madden now." She corrected.

She signed the POD, and he instructed the men at the gate to bring the goods.

"Who's that?" Samuel called from the stairs as he began to jog down to meet her.

"A delivery for me. I thought it was from someone I knew, but now I don't know."

"Oh." Samuel kissed the back of her head, and she smiled, looking back at the gate.

She watched the men walk back in, hoarding a barrage of flowers in their arms. They stepped aside to allow the men in, and the last employee handed her a card she proceeded to pass to Samuel. The flowers seemed endless. Once the men put the first batch down, they would return with more and more bouquets.

"To a beautiful woman." Samuel read aloud. "Forgive me that I couldn't make it to your birthday party. I didn't forget about you, but I didn't want to cause a stir. I hope this makes your day as much as you make mine. Jim."

Her neck snapped around. "Jim? Who the hell is Jim?"

Samuel shrugged, walking over to the table covered in flowers. "Should be asking you."

She snatched the card from him and read it for herself. There was no one in her life, past or present, named Jim. Kali remembered the names of everyone she interacted with at the office and her male clients through the years, even ex-boyfriends, and no one was named Jim.

"Hey." She stopped the last man from leaving, pointing back to the flowers in her living room. "Did you see who ordered this?"

"No, ma'am. I only deliver. I don't handle taking the orders."

"Alright. Thank you.'

Samuel gave the man a tip before he left, and together, they eyeballed the card and the flowers. Kali was fighting between being annoyed and being embarrassed. There was no way for this letter not to be misinterpreted as an intimate one. Why else would whoever it was feel the need to state he didn't want to cause a stir by appearing at her birthday party? And why would he send them with her maiden name when the entire city knew she was married?