by Ashe, Karina
Lauren heard bells. It was her timer, reminding her she still had a batch in the oven. “I’d better get that. Come around back and knock on the kitchen door when you’re ready.” She closed the door without waiting for his answer and ran to the kitchen.
The table was already set, so all she had to do was put the muffins in a basket and pour two cups of coffee. It seemed like only seconds had passed when she heard his knock at the back door.
He was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at her when she opened the door, like he was an old friend dropping by. As he stepped into the kitchen, she had the urge to urge to kiss him as if he were her lover, a soldier returning from war, and this was their reunion after several years. No, that’s the romance novel you just read, idiot, she silently admonished herself. Still, he looked awfully handsome, and it felt right having him in the kitchen with her.
“Please sit down.” As she motioned to the table, his cell rang.
“Hello.” A pause and Derek looked at her with guilty eyes. “Uh huh. All right. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
He put his cell back in his pocket. “I’m sorry to have put you to so much trouble, but I’m not going to have time for breakfast after all. My first meeting got moved up.”
Lauren repressed a sigh. “Don’t be silly. It’s your business.”
She opened a drawer and pulled out a small paper bag. “Here, let me wrap up a couple of muffins for you.”
Before he could object, she wrapped two muffins in napkins and stuffed them into the bag. She poured his cup of coffee into her travel mug, which was sitting on the counter and within reach. She handed both to him and opened the back door.
“I’m not going to take no for an answer, as you can see. You can return the mug when you come back later to check on your guys.”
Derek looked a bit rattled, but he took the bag and mug from her. “Wow. Thanks. I guess I’ll see you later.” Before he closed the door, he turned and smiled. “I really am sorry.”
Lauren waved him off. She tiptoed to the window to watch him as he walked away. His trousers hugged his butt, and she fanned herself as a wave of heat flashed through her.
“I must have forgotten to turn off the oven,” she said aloud and went to check. But she knew her sudden warmth wasn’t caused by the room temperature at all.
A little more than two hours passed, and Derek had yet to return. Lauren got tired of straining her ears for the sound of his car or the doorbell. She took one more look through her curtains and scanned up and down the street, but there was no sign of an oncoming vehicle. She decided to start working on some of the tax prep work she had brought home to complete for clients.
No sooner than she had sat down at the small antique secretary she had in the living room, the doorbell rang. She saw Derek’s SUV parked out front.
“Figures,” she muttered as she headed to the door. Even though she knew it was Derek on the other side, what she saw startled her.
Derek was dressed in work clothes, and he stood holding her travel mug in one hand and a bunch of wild flowers in the other.
“You’ve changed!” she said, and wanted to smack herself in the head. Duh!
“And ready to get to work.” He grinned and held out both hands. “Here’s your mug back. And some handpicked flowers to show my appreciation. That was one fine breakfast, even if I did have to enjoy it on the run.”
Lauren smiled broadly and accepted his offerings. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed.” She put the flowers to her nose and inhaled. “These are so pretty. Where’d you get them?”
“On the way here from my last appointment, I took some back roads to save time and saw a patch of grass with them growing along the side of the road, so I stopped and snipped a bunch.”
“Well, you’ve managed to arrange them quite nicely, too. All ready to be placed in water. Thank you!”
They stood looking at one another, seemingly unaware of anything else around them.
“Hey, boss,” one of the men shouted from the bed of the truck. “We’re ready to plant the hibiscus and ixora.”
“Coming,” Derek called back to the worker without turning around.
“I’ll check back with you once it’s all done,” he said to Lauren.
“I’ve got to get back to work, too. I’ve brought some paperwork home from the office,” Lauren said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my yard when you’re all done. Oh, by the way, I put out pitchers of water and lemonade on the patio table for your men. Help yourself, if you’re thirsty. No muffins left, though.”
“I’m not surprised—about the muffins, that is. Thanks for being so thoughtful. I’m sure the guys appreciate it, too,” Derek said.
Lauren watched as he turned and walked to the truck. She heard him directing the men as to where the place the plants as she closed the door. Once she put the flowers in a jar of water and set them in the center of her kitchen table, she returned to the living room and placed her desk chair so she could look out the window and watch Derek while he worked without being obvious about what she was doing.
It was rare that Lauren couldn’t focus on her work, but today it was useless to even pretend she had anything on her mind besides the handsome, muscular Derek working in her new gardens. She noticed he was totally absorbed in the job at hand and that he spoke to his crew with authority but in a kind way.
When the work continued into her backyard, Lauren decided it would be a good time to go into the kitchen and clean up the mess from the morning’s baking. Standing at her sink gave her another excellent view of yard, and she found herself at the sink long after the dishes were washed.
It appeared the work was finally done, and she watched as the workers started to clear away their tools. She heard them in the front again, loading the equipment and any remaining bags of mulch and soil that weren’t used. She didn’t venture into the living room to watch from the window because she didn’t want to be discovered or thought to be spying on them.
The sound of a motor starting and the truck pulling away sent her into despair. Had Derek forgotten his promise to show her the final product? Lauren headed toward the living room, but before she could see the yard, she heard the doorbell ring again.
“All done?” she asked when she opened the door, relieved to see him.
“Yes, Ma’am. Want to come out and take a look?”
“Oh, yes!” she said and joined him on the narrow front porch.
“Let’s start out by looking at the yard from the street. That will give you the best idea of how you increased the value of your property by improving the curb appeal of your home.”
They walked the short distance to the street and turned around. Lauren gasped. He was right. Replacing the scrawny hedges with new, flowering shrubbery improved the appearance of the small home. The beds of flowering plants along the short walkway made the entrance far more inviting. Her house no longer looked like just another row house on the street of homes with similar exteriors.
Lauren looked up and down the street. “What a difference the new plants make! I’m sure when my neighbors see this, they’ll want to know what service I used. You better leave lots of cards for me to pass out!”
“Sure, but let’s walk around the back and see the rest of it before you make such a generous offer,” he said with a smile.
As they walked, he pointed to every item they had planted, named it, and explained why he had chosen it. “I used plants and shrubs that will survive with little maintenance, but I recommend that you run your sprinklers every day for a week, and if you have time, hose down the flower beds daily, too. After that, you can cut back to three or four times a week with the sprinklers, depending on how rainy it is. I checked all the heads and reset them so they’re properly aimed and not clogged.”
“You certainly were thorough.”
“No extra charge for that, Ma’am.”
Lauren stopped walking. “Oh, I didn’t mean to imply I was concerned abou
t the price. I mean, of course, I’m concerned about price, but I’m impressed at what a good job you’ve done.” She groaned inwardly and wondered what it was about him that kept her sounding like an idiot.
“Well, we’re almost to the backyard. Let’s wait until we turn the corner to see if you still think that.”
Lauren stopped in her tracks once she saw the backyard. She had a far better view from here than the limited amount she could see from her kitchen window.
“If anything, seeing the back doubles my initial opinion of your work. You’ve made a remarkable difference out here!”
“I’m glad you’re happy. You know, you can easily maintain this yourself, or we can set a schedule for us to keep everything looking good for you.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely leave that to you. Not only don’t I have time, but I don’t have much of a green thumb, either.”
Derek laughed. “That’s why we stay in business. Do you have any other questions, or have you seen anything you’d like to change? I want you to be completely satisfied.”
I’ll tell you how you can leave me completely satisfied, but it has nothing to do with gardening, Lauren thought, but she said, “You know what came to mind as we walked around?”
“What?”
“Trees. I think I need a few more trees. What do you suggest?”
Derek looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Tell you what. I can think of several that would thrive here and look good, too. But, it’s a matter of what you would like. There are a few nurseries near here. How about you take a tour with me and pick out what you like?”
“Today?” Lauren asked, a bit too quickly, she thought, so she continued. “I work during the week, so weekends are the only time I have available, and I’d hate to have to wait another whole week.”
Derek looked at his watch. “Sure. They all close early on Saturdays, but we should have enough time if we leave right away.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah, if that’s OK with you. We can go in my car. I’ve got the Jeep, not the truck, so it’s clean, and you’ll be comfy.”
“Great,” Lauren said, a bit flustered at this new turn of events. “Let me go in and close up the house. I’ll meet you out front.”
Lauren hurried in and locked the back door. She peeked out the living room window before letting herself out the front door, just in time to catch Derek pulling a fresh shirt from his back seat and changing it out for the one he was wearing. She had caught a glimpse of his upper body the other day when he changed outside the truck, but he had been on the driver’s side and she hadn’t gotten a clear view. Now, even in the short time it took for him to pull off one shirt and slip on another, she had unobstructed visual access to his broad, tanned chest, well-formed biceps, and six-pack abs.
Mercy, she thought and backed away from the window before he turned around and would be able to see her in the window. She fanned her face and bosom quickly, then composed herself before walking out to meet him.
Derek congratulated himself on his good fortune. Step one of his plan had worked like a charm. Although this hardly counted as a date, it was an opportunity to be with Lauren. He had hoped to get friendly in a more personal way today, and it couldn’t have worked out better. Her desire to plant more trees gave him the perfect opening to suggest they go plant shopping together.
He waited for her on the passenger side and watched as she walked toward the car. She had a great smile and was even prettier than he originally thought. She looked cute the first time with the dirt streaked on her face and her hair all messed up, but today in that dress and heels, Lauren was a real knockout.
Derek tried not to look her up and down noticeably, and he had to drag his eyes away from watching her boobs bounce as she walked or she’d think he was some sort of sleaze. He forced his eyes lower and noticed her high heels. He probably should tell her to bring a more sensible pair of shoes to walk around the nurseries, but she looked so damn sexy, he decided to let it go.
“Thanks so much for doing this with me today,” Lauren said as he opened the door and helped her into the car.
“My pleasure, Ma’am.”
“May I call you Derek?”
“Sure.”
“Then please call me Lauren. Every time you say ‘ma’am,’ I feel like I should look around for my mother.”
Derek chuckled. “No, Ma’am, I mean, Lauren. Just my Southern up bring, I guess. I’m sure I’d never mistake you for your mother.”
Lauren threw her head back and laughed. “You have no idea how accurate a statement that is, Derek.”
She was adjusting the seat belt as he slipped into the driver’s seat. The strap pulled across her chest and lay snuggled up to her cleavage, which appeared to be uncomfortable for her because she kept pulling it away from her body.
Derek longed to slide his finger under the strap and rub the area for her, but instead told her how to adjust the belt for her height by moving the belt’s wall mount down a bit.
Lauren seemed relieved. “Thanks, that’s much better.”
Once she settled back comfortably in the seat, he pulled away from the curb.
She looked around at the Jeep’s leather interior. “I’ve never been in one of these that’s so elegant," she noted. “Do you have the truck and this SUV for the business?”
And a Corvette, for personal use, he thought. But he didn’t want her to know that yet.
“Yes, I use this vehicle when I go to client meetings, like today. The truck is pretty much for hauling equipment and the gardening supplies. But, don’t worry. If we see something today that you like, there’s plenty of room to fit a tree in the rear when I put the back seat down.” Or, to fit two people lying down together.
Derek silently reprimanded himself. Little head, shut up!
“I guess that means your business must be doing well if you can afford so many vehicles,” Lauren said.
Derek jerked his head to look at her. Was she counting his money already?
“I do all right,” he said. His tone didn’t invite further discussion, which apparently wasn’t lost on Lauren.
“I meant it as a compliment. Being an accountant, things like that occur to me. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Of course.” Derek glanced over at her. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
A long silence followed and he was desperate to change the subject.
“Before heading over to the nurseries, would you mind if I took you on a tour of some jobs I’ve done? You might see something you like and get an idea of how it would look in a yard like yours.”
Lauren nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love that.”
Derek drove around the city for about thirty minutes, weaving in and out of modest neighborhoods. He showed her the homes of some of the first jobs he landed when he started his business. He briefly considered taking her across town to the estate homes where most of his newer clients lived, but decided that might intimidate her because the properties were so much larger than in the community where she lived. And, of course, she didn’t need to know about how big his business was. Being an accountant, she could be adding up those dollar signs in a heartbeat.
Lauren appeared pleased with what he showed her. She asked a lot of smart questions and seemed to have a good eye for proportion and placement.
“You know, even though you keep saying you kill houseplants,” he joked, “you’ve got the instincts of a landscape architect. Sure you’ve never had any training?”
“Hardly,” she said and laughed.
Derek pulled up to a small home with attractive foliage. “It’s getting near closing time for those nurseries, so this will be the last stop. I wanted you to see this house because it’s one of my favorites.”
“It is pretty,” Lauren said. “But, I’m curious. What is it about this house that makes it so special for you?”
“It’s my house, and the first one I ever landscaped.”
It was true. He did own this house, but
it wasn’t ever his residence. He bought the home as a rental property and used it to hone his skills before he opened a commercial business. If Lauren thought this was his home and was still interested in him, he’d know she was for real.
Her face lit up. “This is your house? It’s lovely! And I love the foliage around the edges of the property. Was that there when you bought the place, or did you plant it?”
Derek was convinced she was sincere. She looked truly excited that this was his home.
“There were trees in the back, but almost nothing in the front. I added the trees, shrubs, and flower beds myself.”
“I love it! Will any of these work in my yard?”
“We could plant oaks in your backyard. You wouldn’t want them in front because eventually they’d overshadow the whole yard. The red maples are nice, and I’d like to see at least one flowering tree.”
“Now I’m excited to get to the nursery and pick some out. Derek, thanks for stopping here. It’s my favorite of all the ones you’ve shown me, too.”
Derek noticed that when Lauren got animated, her blue eyes shone and the little dimple on her right cheek flashed when she spoke. He wondered what she looked like when aroused. Would those blue eyes heat up with passion? He wanted to trace her cheek with his finger and circle that cute dimple, but he instead he started the engine, hoping she wouldn’t notice the growing bulge in his shorts.
“All right, then. Let’s get going and see what we can find today.”
The first nursery was closed on Saturday.
“Damn, I should’ve called first.” Derek looked over at Lauren. “Sorry for my language.”
Lauren brushed it off. “In my profession, I mostly work with men, so I hear far worse than that. They must think me hard of hearing or perhaps I’m invisible to them, because sometimes they get pretty raunchy when gathered around that water cooler.”
Derek felt a flash of anger. “They have no right to talk like that in front of you.”
Lauren smiled, but seemed surprised. “That’s sweet of you to say. Mostly I pretend not hear, but once in a while it’s so crude, that I’ll clear my throat and then they’ll stop.”