Chapter 10
10
Juni
“I’ve been given no choice.”
The door opens wider. “I didn’t catch the ultimatum.”
“Oh, there’s no ultimatum. I’m just quitting my job before there is one.”
“Are you not going to walk Rascal anymore?” Mr. Clark asks, scratching his head. Rascal whimpers at my feet. “Do you want me to pay you more money, Juni?” He ducks into his living room, leaving me standing in the doorway with the leash in hand. “I have a two-dollar bill around here somewhere.”
“I didn’t even know they made those anymore?”
He laughs to himself as he pulls the urn off his shelf. “I used to get them at the club.” Looking back at me, I’m given a mischievous grin. He waggles his thick eyebrows, and then adds, “The ladies’ club, if you know what I mean.”
“Unfortunately, I do know what you mean.” It’s an image I’ll spend the rest of the day trying to rid from my brain. I continue, “I don’t need more money or any money for that matter. I walk Rascal for free, remember?” Rascal yaps. “I was talking about my day job. Also, put the urn back. You don’t want to spill Mrs. Clark on the rug again.”
He holds up a finger. “Right.” Standing in front of the shelf, he kisses it, and says, “You always did like the sunshine, my darling,” before placing it in a spot of sunlight. My heart melts as I hold my chest. Ninety-three years young and was lucky enough to be married to the love of his life for seventy of those.
When he comes back to the door, he asks, “How’d Rascal like his walk?”
I smile. His memory may be fading, but his heart is always in the right place. “I’m taking him now. We’ll be back in a little while, Mr. Clark.”
He’s already lost interest and is settling into his recliner. “Thanks, Marion.”
I never correct him when he calls me by my grandmother’s name because for a moment, I can feel her with me again. She’d get a kick out of the sweet mistake. I shut the door and then kneel to have a chat with Rascal. “Upstairs today or to the park?” I release his leash, and he legs it for the elevators. “The park it is.”
Gil will be gone, done with his shift for the weekend, but seeing Pete sitting behind the desk makes me wonder if I should run my idea by him.
“Hey, Juni, it’s a beautiful Saturday.”
“It sure is.” I keep walking, thinking it’s best if I don’t put a damper on his day with my issues.
He pops out of his chair and opens the door wide for us. “Where are you and Rascal heading today?”
“I think a quick stroll around the park and maybe some ice cream from The Barkery down the street.”
“I was just there on Thursday. Picked up some peanut butter treats for Enzo. He devoured them. I bet Rascal would like the nutty nibbles.”
Pete spoils his pit bull like a kid. It’s really sweet. “We’ll have to try them. Have a great day.”
He’s right. It’s a beautiful day. The sun’s shining, a blue sky is overhead, and flowers are blooming. Spring is just magical as the earth reawakens from the dormant winter.
Rascal tugs on his leash. He’s only ten pounds, so I can handle him, but geez. “Slow your horses. Well, paws in your case. We’re almost there.”
Just as we enter the park, I freeze. Tensing my lips, I give Rascal my best evil eyes. “You little traitor. You tricked me.”
I look down the path to where Andrew’s stretching—sweaty hair with glistening skin and biceps he’s been hiding under too many clothes since we met. “Oh my.” I fan myself, and then ask Rascal, “How about Central Park today?”
He yaps his approval. It’s so cute when he replies.
“Juni?”
Okay, maybe not so cute when he draws unwanted attention, though . . .
I head back down the path to the sidewalk, my pace rivaling Olympian speed walkers if speed walking is a thing in the Olympics. I’d probably win. I’d better. There’s no point entering a competition to lose.
What am I talking about?
“Juni, wait up.”
I turn back to see him actually jogging after me. Shit. I’m never going to outwalk his pace. Seeing the edge of the landscaping, I’m left with no other choice. I duck behind the shrub and lower my head. It’s not the most mature reaction to seeing someone you totally embarrassed yourself in front of the night before, but it’s the only answer I have right now.
“What are you doing, Juni?”
I remain silent. Not because I don’t think he can see me, but because I have nothing to say. And with the sun above, I don’t want to be tempted by those warm brown eyes to say the wrong thing, like I’m hiding from you .
His feet come closer, and he squats down next to me. “What’s going on?”
I’ve wanted to see these shrubs up close for a while now, so I don’t regret the decision to duck inside. His white shirt clings to him, soaked through with sweat. The scent of a forest by the ocean fills the air between us, making me realize even his sweat smells good. His hair is free of gel and hanging down after a hard workout, causing the wet tips to stick to his forehead.
It’s the tint of his cheeks that I find irresistible, the slightest red from his body’s heat. He’s incredibly good-looking and makes my mind go fuzzy. I rattle off the first thing that comes to mind. “Enjoying the weather?” I’m tempted to bury my head in the dirt to give him time to realize he would have been better off if he’d kept walking.
Rascal’s not hearing of it and tugs me sideways. Traitor. Anything to get to Andrew.
Petting Rascal’s head, he replies, “I am. I went for a run and was just cooling down when I saw you. Other than running away from me for some unknown reason, what are you doing in there?”
“Did you know,” I say, taking a green leaf between my fingers, “that a large swath of the population confuses the doublefile viburnum for a small, non-concealing tree? It’s actually a shrub and can spread easily if not managed. Not as bad as bamboo if we’re looking for comparisons, which we’re not.” Shut up, Juni.
“That is interesting.” For a second, I’m not sure if he’s being truthful, but the sincerity in his eyes relieves me and causes me to smile.
“I always thought so.” But then I remember I do not want to have a conversation with this man, at least not right now, so I clap my hands together. “Well, this bush looks healthy.”
He stands, but his eyes remain on me. “Are bushes and shrubs the same thing? I’ve always wondered that.” He’s cute when he wonders too.
“To a layperson, yes.”
“What if you’re not a layperson?”
Botany was never sexier than when Andrew is talking about plants. My heart patters against my rib cage, and I rest back on my hand. “No. One’s denser than the other.”
“A bush has denser branches. Is that right?”
“Yes,” I reply, suddenly content spending all day hiding behind a shrub if I get to talk botany with him.
He takes a step back to give me space. Offering his hand, he asks, “Would you like help up?”
I’m already hating the distance, but I shake my head. “I don’t feel comfortable accepting charity.”
He scoops Rascal into his arms, making me jealous of the little guy, and then sits down where the sidewalk meets the dirt. “Then I guess I’ll have to join you. That is, if you don’t mind the company.”
“I don’t mind.” And that’s the truth.
As he scratches Rascal’s back, Andrew says, “As a New Yorker, why do you know so much about plants?”
I laugh. “What does me being a New Yorker have to do with my knowledge about plants?”
When he shrugs and lets his shoulders drop, I notice how relaxed he is. No coat hanger posture in sight. “I figured most people live in apartments without gardens.”
“Ah. Well, that is true, but once upon a time, I lived in the Berkshires.”
“I’ve heard it’s beautiful there.”
I love that New Yorkers walking by see us in the bushes but don’t say a thing. It’s like we’ve seen it all. A woman sitting in a bush? Okay. Just another day in this vibrant city. “So beautiful. It’s been years since I’ve been back.”
“What’s stopping you?”
I pluck a leaf from the plant and study the skeletal structure, running my finger along the spine and turning it over in my hand. “Myself.” I glance up at him. There’s a soulfulness that comes with this more laid-back side of him. I like it.
“I used to surf with my brother almost every morning before high school. We’d come rolling in just as the first bell would ring. Two kids from Beverly Hills?—”
“You’re from Beverly Hills?”
I bet not much embarrasses him, but for some reason, this does. Dipping his head down, he runs his fingers through his hair. It’s dried messily, but not any less sexy. It might even be more so. God, I’m so shallow. And apparently sexually deprived.
He replies, “Yeah, don’t hold it against me.”
“Why would I do that? Is it an awful place to grow up? I thought it was always fancy when I saw it on TV.”
Chuckling, he pulls a weed and then looks up at me again. “No. It’s a fine place to grow up. I had a great childhood with few complaints.”
“What few do you have? Maybe you should get them off your chest.”
When he stands, I can tell the winds of his mood have shifted. “I think I’m good. You still want to stay down there?”
I hold my hand up. “I think I’m ready to stop hiding.”
His laughter is heartier than usual. He takes my hand and helps me to my feet. “Do you want to talk about what you’re hiding from, or should we keep things light?”
“Light. Definitely light.” I tap the side of his leg as we start walking. “Nice shorts, by the way.”
“Thanks.” His laughter carries us the next block until we reach the corner.
I say, “I promised Rascal doggie-safe ice cream.”
His arms cross over his chest as he looks at me. “Can’t disappoint the little guy.”
“No.”
“Hey, Juni, before you go, I wanted to talk to you about last night.”
Here it comes . . .
My face is already heating, just thinking about it.
I look down the street. I’m not sure what he’s about to say, but it sounds serious from his tone. I mentally brace myself.
“I think,” he starts, “I could use a friend. If the offer still stands.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He shifts to the side, looking down, and I recognize his awkwardness in the slight movements.
Forget the heat of my cheeks. It’s my smile that I have to worry about. I think it’s about to expand right off my face. “I’d like that.”
“You would?” he asks, sounding hopeful.
“I definitely would.”
Satisfaction fills his smile, and his eyes shine brighter. It might be the sun since he squints right after, but I’ll take it because it’s a good look on him. “Okay, we’ll be friends then.”
“Friends.” I stick out my hand again, but this time when he grasps mine, we shake on it.
Our gazes linger as long as our hands stay connected, which is at least long enough for me to wonder if maybe there’s something— No .
Friends.
That’s all.