9. Delia
Nine
Delia
I haven’t seen Langdon since dinner on Sunday but my brain has been obsessing over him hourly. It’s infuriating. He clearly thinks he’s hot shit, but for once, I didn’t embarrass myself too badly, I think.
He looked downright defeated for a moment there before he left. He’s probably the town football star or maybe baseball player, and has girls drooling all over him. I mean, he’s hot, so I get it, but still, the hotness fades away if you’re a total douche bag to boot. I’m being super judgy and defensive and I know it. He sets me on edge for some reason. Like when he stares at me like he’s deciding which part of my body he’d like to bite first. Always sizing me up with those hazel eyes.
Heath showed me around the property a little the other day. Just the two of us. He was awkward and stiff. Not at all the way he was around Langdon at dinner in the kitchen. I think Mom was right. He doesn’t know how he feels, about me or Mom.
Mom on the other hand has taken me to the river to swim. A spot with a beaten trail through the tall grass all the way to the muddy bank. Some kids near my age were there, but Mom and I just waded in and swam around without talking to them, and I was glad because I just wanted some time for the two of us.
She went to Anna’s house yesterday, and although I was dying to ask her if she saw Langdon, if he said anything about me, I kept my trap shut and pretended I didn’t sort of wish I’d gone with her when she offered.
Mom climbed the bridge behind a couple of the guys at the river and jumped in after them. They whooped and hollered at her when her head popped out of the water and she winked at them as she swam back to me.
I wonder if any of them are in my class? That’d be embarrassing. The new girl with the hot daredevil mom who’s naturally more popular than she is. Ugh. Gotta go. Need to use the bathroom at Heath’s to get ready for work. I’m about to go to work. At Root Bound! The cutest little rare plant shop that ever existed. Wish me luck.
Heath’s truck lurches to a loud mechanical stop in front of RootBound. “Do you have everything you need? Lunch or anything?” he asks.
I smile warmly at him for thinking of those things at all. “I’m good. I’ll probably just grab lunch somewhere on my break. Thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He reaches into the center console and pulls out a crumpled five-dollar bill. “For lunch.”
I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that. I have money.”
“I want to. Now go on,” he shakes the bill at me, “take it. ”
I suppress my smile and take the five dollars from him. “Well, thanks, Heath.” I stuff the bill into my pocket, yank the handle, and shove the heavy door open.
“You can call me Gramps if you want.”
I stop my legs from swinging out and twist to face him.
“I mean, you don’t have to of course, but you can,” he says.
“Really?” I bite my bottom lip.
Heath nods. “Really. Only if you want.”
My eyes well with tears but I hold them back. “Thanks. I’d like that.” I hop out of the truck, shut the door, and wave Gramps goodbye.
With a pep in my step, I cross the sidewalk and push through the front door of RootBound. The bell chimes above my head and with the sound, the owner appears from the back. Her silver hair is wild and everywhere.
“Delia, hi.”
I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Hi.”
“Ready to get started? I thought we’d begin with a tour of the shop. Have you worked retail before?”
I nod. “Yes, I worked at an ice cream shop and a gift shop in the past so I know how to use a register and I’m good with customer service. Also, this is embarrassing but I didn’t get your name the other day.”
“Vivianna but most people call me Viv. Let’s skip the storefront for now and get you up to speed in the greenhouse.”
“You have a greenhouse?” I ask.
Vivianna grins. “Sure do. This way,” she says and starts hobbling toward the back.
We pass through the store, a small back room, and then push through a door into an expansive, sweltering glass greenhouse. It’s filled to the brim with plants and colors of all kinds and I am in awe. The scents alone make the corners of my mouth curl upward.
“Wow,” I breathe. “This is incredible.”
Viv plants her hands on her hips, taking it all in next to me. “It kind of is, isn’t it?”
I’m elbow deep in potting soil, sweating my tits off. My tank top is wet and stuck to me in uncomfortable ways. I lean over the tub of soil, arms still buried in it, and lurch down until my lips wrap around the nozzle of my water bottle for a long sip of water. It’s an awkward position, on my knees, teetering over a tub of soil, face down.
“What the hell are you doing?” A deep voice asks. The voice scares me and I lose my balance. Hands trapped in the soil tub, I can’t pull them out fast enough to catch myself and I end up face-planting on the dirt floor while my arms are tucked under my body now strewn over the tub of soil. An earnest laugh rings out.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Scrambling, I right myself and push back onto my knees, but now my wet tank is covered in dirt.
I look up to Langdon.
My forearms are covered in soil. My hands and fingers too. It sticks to my sweat and runs. Gross . “Langdon. What are you doing here?”
He stares at me, gaze trailing from my knees upward, hovering a beat too long on my chest before finally settling his eyes on mine. “I work here.”
I can feel my eyes go wide. Hell no. “What?” I squeak.
He smirks and stretches. His shirt tugs up revealing a tanned, toned stomach. I wipe my brow with the back of my hand before I realize it’s covered in dirt.
Shit.
“I said, I work here.”