Chapter Ten Ace
After getting a little too much sun the past couple of days, I decided a pair of shorts and a T-shirt were a good idea in the garden. Granted, my werewolf healing should have taken care of it, but there was just something about sunburn that bypassed that natural ability. It was pretty irritating, but my skin was already feeling better from the comfrey baths. Best to keep it that way.
I’d been up since dawn again, as always. However, today was less about wandering the garden and enjoying the sights. Tomorrow was market day and I had to have everything ready to go. The first thing to get harvested in the morning was greens before the sun got too high and hot in the sky. I picked as much as I dared, leaving enough to make sure there’d be some for next week as well. Then they went into the kitchen to be washed, bagged, and taken to the spare refrigerator I kept in the shed. After that, it was onto green veggies, roots, and then any early summer squash that might be coming in. It was still far too early for tomatoes, but in a few weeks I’d have more than I knew what to do with.
Tomorrow morning, just before heading off to the market, I’d cut a couple dozen bouquets of flowers to bring with me. I never planted the flowers with the intention to make money. They were purely for the bees and other pollinators. But they grew so fast and so big that I had to keep thinning them out so they didn’t shade out my veggies. And the flowers seemed to thrive on being cut. So I made a few dollars, and they got even bigger with fresh blossoms for the bees. It was a win-win situation.
I was about halfway through picking the green vegetables and starting to think about breaking for lunch when I heard the tell-tale crunch of gravel from my driveway. Grabbing the nearly full crate I was using, I headed back toward the house. The moment I stepped out from behind the apple trees, my eyes fell upon the absolute last person I ever expected to see on my property.
It was Matt. And he hadn’t even noticed me yet. In fact, he’d parked his bike up against my picnic table and was currently face-first in my flower beds, sniffing and admiring all the vibrant blossoms. I watched for a long moment, reveling in his enjoyment. There was something wonderful about him finding joy in something I’d created. Well, something I planted. The flowers made themselves.
Eventually, I knew I had to approach. Clearing my throat, I tipped my hat up and headed his direction with my crate in tow. The moment my voice sounded, Matt sprang up. His gaze fell on me and the smile melted away from his face.
Apparently, I was also the last person he expected to see.
“Is that Sam’s bike?” I asked, nodding toward the picnic table.
“Yeah,” Matt replied shortly. “He wanted me to make a delivery.” He paused. “He didn’t say who it was for though…”
“I wasn’t expecting anything.” I walked past Matt, carrying the crate toward the shaded side of the house. “Let me rinse these off and get them out of the sun real quick.”
“Okay.”
I walked away from him, trying desperately to act like everything was perfectly normal. In the shade of the house, I hosed down the veggies in the crate, trying to get through all of them without returning my gaze to Matt. It only took me a minute or two to clean them off, but it felt like a lifetime with him so close. I knew I shouldn’t act too excited to see him, but I wanted to sweep him in my arms and hold him for the rest of the day. I craved his scent. But I knew if I started being weird, he’d definitely notice.
Stay cool, Ace, I thought to myself. Don’t be a weirdo.
Once the veggies were washed, I leaned the crate up against the house in the shade to let them drain. They would be fine there for a little while. I headed back over to the picnic table where Matt was standing awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot with nervous energy.
“So, what did you bring me?” I asked, putting on a friendly smile. I took a deep breath through my nose. “It smells like Chinese food.”
“It is,” Matt replied. “And whatever this is.”
He gestured to a drawstring bag tucked into the basket on the back of the bicycle. I reached for it, surprised by the weight as I lifted it out. Setting it on the picnic table, I pulled it open. There was a bright glimmer of amber from inside. Reaching in, I pulled out a glass quart jar filled to the brim with warm golden honey. There was a piece of paper tied around the body of the jar.
“That was nice of him,” I said. “He knows how much I love honey.”
Untying the string around the jar, I pulled off the piece of paper and unfolded it. Inside was a handwritten note from Sam.
Ace,
I know you’ve been needing help on your farm. I’ve got all the hands I need at the hotel, so please put Matt to work at your place. He’ll be earning his keep by working for you a few days a week. And, if he doesn’t believe you, show him this note.
Good luck.
-Sam
P.S. Matt – being outside will do you some good. And going to the markets with Ace will help you meet the locals and make friends. Just give it a shot.
I looked up from the page, staring directly into Matt’s honey-colored eyes. Sam knew exactly what he was doing. I knew he’d try to meddle in things like he always did, but this was definitely the last move I expected him to make.
“Uh… I think you should read this,” I said, holding the note out to Matt.
“Okay?”
He took the note anyway and flipped it open. The moment his eyes grazed over the page, I saw his brows furrow in irritation.
“What?!” He looked up at me, absolutely furious. “He didn’t say anything about that! He just said I was making a delivery!” He glanced back down, reading through the post-script at the bottom. “Ugh… is he always like this?”
I nodded. “Yep. That’s Sam. He’s got good intentions, but he can be a bit blunt with them.”
“Great.” Matt tossed the note down on the picnic table. “So, what do you want me to do then? Dig a fucking hole or something? I don’t know jack shit about gardening.”
“I think we should eat first.” I pulled open the bag of Chinese takeout, finding a lot more in there than even two people could handle. “He sent enough for both of us.”
Matt just sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Help me move the picnic table into the shade.”
“Fine.”
I was surprised by Matt’s strength. He was small and skinny, but when those ropey muscles of his pulled taut, he could get some work done. We moved the table into the shade and I left him to get the food out while I grabbed utensils and plates from inside. I came back with that and two beers tucked into my right elbow.
“Do you like beer?” I asked, setting them on the table.
“I’m not old enough,” he said. “Not for another three months.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “That’s not what I asked.”
He sighed again. “Yeah. It’s fine.”
“Okay.” I handed it over to him. “But just one. I don’t need you getting sloppy drunk on your first day of work.”
Matt eyed me suspiciously.
“It was a joke.”
“Oh.” His shoulders lost a bit of their tension. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, gesturing for him to take a seat across from me. “I was once in your position. I know what it’s like.” I took a deep breath. “And… well, I didn’t make a good first impression on you either.”
Matt didn’t say anything, but that told me all I needed to know.
“I’m sorry,” I said at last. “It was wrong of me to do.”
“Why did you say it?”
The question caught me off guard. Although, in hindsight, I should’ve expected it.
“I… uh… don’t know,” I lied.
I got another suspicious look for that one, but Matt seemed unwilling to pursue it further. That I was thankful for. And, with our delicious-smelling lunch ready to be eaten, there wasn’t much need for further conversation. In fact, it was kind of nice to just sit there in silence, enjoying one another’s company. I wasn’t sure how much Matt enjoyed it, but I knew I was.
Without the need to speak, it didn’t take long for us to get through our lunch. Matt helped me pack the food up and take it inside, along with the dirty dishes. When I put them in the sink to take care of them later, he stepped up behind me and started washing. I just smiled and let him keep going. Standing on the other side of the counter, I took the dishes from him as they were finished and dried them off. It was a simple act, but it felt strangely intimate like we’d been living together for years, and this was just part of our daily routine.
Once everything was done, I led him back outside. I got him a pair of gloves, pruning shears, and both of us grabbed a crate. There was a lot to learn in a garden as big as mine, and it would probably take us the majority of the afternoon to get through all the harvesting and prep work I had to do for the market tomorrow.
But I couldn’t have felt lighter. Just having Matt so close was wonderful. And, when he caught sight of a butterfly or a flower that made him smile, my heart soared. I just hoped that one day, that smile would be because of me.