Chapter Seven
CHAPTER SEVEN
PARKED IN THE lot outside Magnolia Nursery for seven minutes and counting, Everly is still sitting inside her car instead of getting out and walking into the main building as she is supposed to. Like a normal person.
But Everly’s mind keeps jumping back and forth—she’s not ready, she’s ready, she’s not ready. If she procrastinates too much longer, she’ll be out of time and they’ll have closed. It’s times like this that she wishes she could just shake herself and stop overthinking everything. Maybe it’s time to consider anti-anxiety medication again.
Everly starts to go over her hype speech again, when her phone chimes a text. Everly gave her sister a cute little bells ringtone so she doesn’t miss it if Addison contacts her. It’s been over a week now since she left to go back to California, but they’ve been doing their best to keep in touch.
Addison: Hey sis, it’s been a couple days so wanted to check in and see how things have been going. What are you up to?
Well, that timing couldn’t have been better. Maybe a small distraction is what she needs to calm her racing heart.
Everly: Oh you know, just sitting in my car outside the garden center trying to ward off a panic attack. The usual, how about you?
Addison: OMG!
Addison: You’re finally doing it!
Addison: YES. Okay. You can do this, Ev. Talk me through the plan, what’s the first step?
Everly: I suppose getting out of the car, or even turning it off and opening the door would be a good start.
Addison: Ha. Ha. Your snark isn’t working on me.
Everly: Well I planned to go in and shop around, pretend like I needed a plant or whatever, and see if he actually works here or just does deliveries.
Addison: I like it. I’ll be over here sending you all the brave, successful, you can do this vibes. Shoot me a “help” text if you need an emergency out!
Everly: Why would I need an emergency out?
Addison: I don’t know. What if it turns out he has rotten breath or hates animals or something? No one’s perfect.
Everly cracks a smile at that, because she can’t imagine him having rotten breath or hating animals, but she appreciates what her sister is trying to do. She sends her a quick thanks and lets her know she’ll send an update later. The distraction did help, and she feels a little more calm now than she has the last fourteen minutes since pulling up. Everly shoots into action before her anxiety hijacks her again .
It’s now or never.
~~~
The first thing she notices as she walks up the front path toward the building is the sound of tinkling water. There’s a whole section of water fountains outside to the left of the path along the building, tucked in amid vibrant flowering vines, sculpted shrubbery, and potted trees, all waiting for their new homes. She loves how peaceful it sounds, and Everly huffs a soft laugh under her breath at how magical it feels when she spots a lazy yellow butterfly flapping around.
The door is already propped open, allowing fresh air into the main building. To her right is the checkout counter, along with some indoor displays and a staircase with a chain across it. Further to the left, the building opens up through a large, rolling garage door into a flourishing greenhouse. That looks like a bit much, so she decides to start at the displays here in the main shopping area.
Everly wanders, starting to relax a bit, even enjoying her time looking around at all the different plants, garden decorations, and cute pots. She runs her fingers over the leaves as she passes, feeling the different textures and shapes as she does so and marveling at the variety.
As she circles the next display, she feels a little spark on the back of her neck and Asim walks up to her, brushing his hands off on a small towel that he tucks into his back pocket.
“Everly,” and there’s that voice she can’t get enough of, extending the first syllable of her name as though he’s savoring it.
“Hi, Asim.” Everly smiles up at him, unreasonably pleased that she got the words out without her voice betraying her, and she’s also managing to keep the panic at bay.
“I’m so pleased you’re here,” he says, and she doesn’t think anyone has ever said those words to her before. She likes the way he speaks. “Are you here for anything in particular? ”
She wants to say she’s here for him, but manages to refrain from embarrassing herself just yet.
“I’m just looking around. This place is beautiful.”
“Thank you. I’ve put a lot of work into it,” he replies.
Everly’s jaw falls open, and his eyes crinkle in the corners. “You… own this place?” she has to clarify if that’s what he meant, because that’s a far cry from being a delivery driver.
“I do. Built it myself, and I live here too, right upstairs.” He gestures to the staircase in the corner.
“Wow.” Everly is impressed, to put it lightly. She knows how much work that takes. Inheriting and building upon something like she did is one thing, but building an entire business from the ground up is another entirely. “That’s amazing.”
“Thank you, it’s a lot of work, but it’s what I love to do.” His eyes wander over the various plants, a small smile curving his lips, clearly proud of the space he’s created. “Well, let me know if I can help you with anything.”
He can’t leave yet! She only just got here and found him.
“Yeah, actually…” Everly rushes to reply, then pauses, unsure what to say to keep him here. So much for those plans and backup plans. They’ve flown completely out of her head.
Asim raises his eyebrows in question, and she blurts out the first thing she can think of.
“I was thinking about doing some re-landscaping, and wanted to purchase some plants for the… terracing.” She holds up the plant in her hands; one she picked up at random with a tag that reads “ monstera siltepecana ”.
Asim gives her what might be an inquisitive look, glancing down at the plant, then back up at her face. He might also be trying not to smile, but he can’t hide those twinkling eyes. She can tell he knows. Everly has absolutely no idea what she’s doing, and he sees right through her. Instead of calling her out on it, he offers to help instead.
“Can I show you what I have in the native flora section? They’d be much better suited to the dry Arizona climate. ”
“Oh, sure, that’d be great.”
He gently takes the potted plant from her hands, and while it takes both of hers to hold it, one of his nearly wraps around the whole thing. She thought there wasn’t anything else about him that would turn her on, but she should have anticipated those hands. Strong hands, working hands, hands that he clearly knows how to use. Asim sets it back onto the display, next to a sign she hadn’t noticed before that reads “tropical indoor plants.” Right on cue, her cheeks heat up; so much for not embarrassing herself this time.
“Wait here.” His voice is a gentle command that she’s happy to follow.
Asim returns moments later pulling a cart behind him unlike any cart she has seen before. It’s long and flat, without sides, and fat rubbery wheels, which makes perfect sense for a plant shop now that she sees it. Instead of going left into the greenhouse, he leads her through a double door in the back she hadn’t noticed initially.
“Oh, it keeps going.”
Immediately, her eyes widen and she tucks her lips into her teeth as she looks up at him. What a stupid thing to say. Why doesn’t she ever think before she speaks?! If she was alone, she’d facepalm again at how lame that was.
“I never realized how big it was, or that there was more back here. It’s very impressive.” She explains, trying to save face.
“Yes, it keeps going.” He quirks a sideways smile at her. “Would you like a tour?”
Everly’s heart thumps in her chest.
“I’d love that.”
Anything to spend more time with him, especially since it’s actually going well this time.
Or, as well as can be expected when you’re a bumbling ball of anxiety.
They leave the cart by the back door for now, and Asim walks her around the property, bypassing the “employees only” signs. He points out three more domed greenhouses in the back, as well as a large outdoor area with potted plants in place of a fourth one, explaining that each greenhouse is temperature regulated with fans and humidity control to create the right climate for each group of plants he has growing in them. He has some tropical and subtropical plants that he propagates and grows himself, like the one she was admiring inside, he says with a half smile and a little elbow nudge to her arm, causing Everly’s cheeks to pink again, but she takes it in stride and smirks back at him with a one shoulder shrug. She’s caught, and she doesn’t care one bit because look where she is now.
Asim points out the other areas, plucking weeds out of pots and snapping off dead leaves as they go, and honestly, she’s just happy to keep listening to his voice. She doesn’t even care what he talks about, Everly just wants him to keep talking. Although, she reflects, she does find it fascinating how much he knows about plants and how much care he puts into them. She’s more interested in it than she would have expected, but it’s hard not to be when he speaks with such passion.
They wander back toward the public area and he snags the cart again as he leads the way to the native plants section for her landscaping.
“Many of the more popular plants used for landscaping are actually invasive to the area,” he informs her, describing the detrimental impact it can have on the environment as a whole.
“Wow, I had no idea. Guess I came to the right place for help then.” Everly grins up at him, biting her lip when his eyes sparkle in reply.
They slowly walk up and down the local flora aisles. She keeps sneaking glances at Asim, noticing his muscles flex and shift under his shirt as he picks up various plants to show her. Asim points out different varieties, commenting on the leaf colors, textures, shapes, sizes, how much or little water they need, what animals they attract or repel, and any other random fact that comes to him. He offers advice and suggestions based on the limited amount of information she’s given him on the conditions of her terrace.
Everly feels so much more comfortable than she has the last two times they spoke, reaching out to touch the plants and ask questions about ones that catch her eye. Any she asks about or that he notices her looking closer at, he picks up and places onto the cart.
It’s at this point that it starts to sink in what she’s doing. Everly wasn’t actually re-landscaping, but apparently now she is. She also has no idea how to do any landscaping or take care of plants in general, so now she needs to find a landscaper to figure out what to do with all these plants that are quickly filling her cart.
“You really know a lot about all this,” Everly says, gesturing around as they weave through the aisles back toward the main building. He’s pulling the cart along behind them and her eyes are drawn to him, glancing up and down his body as they go. Once or twice, she thinks she catches him doing the same to her.
“It’s what I love.” Asim’s reply is simple, and it makes her both happy and sad. She doesn’t have anything like that in her life, but she’s glad that he does.
“Who is doing your landscaping?” he asks. They’ve just walked through the double doors to the indoor section, and luckily he isn’t looking at her so she has a moment to decide how to answer him. She decides on the truth, or at least a partial truth.
“I haven’t actually hired anyone yet,” Everly says, looking down at her fidgeting hands. “I was only just starting to think about the project, but it looks like it’s really happening now.”
She isn’t sure if she smiles or grimaces at the cart of plants, likely it’s a weird combination of the two.
“I know a couple people who could do it for you.” He stops for a moment, looking at her while he appears to be debating something. “Or… If you want, I could help with your project.”
This is beyond what she dared to imagine or hope for. Of course she wants his help. Everly manages to wrangle in the crazy though, and thinks she does pretty well at remaining composed.
“That would be amazing!” She smiles up at him, and he instantly returns it, lighting up her insides. His smile is stunning. Asim was already attractive, but that look of pure joy transforms him into something else entirely.
He steps behind the counter to ring up her purchases and pulls out a business card from below the register. Asim writes down a number on the back, informing her it’s his personal cell, and to call so they can arrange the details. Everly tucks it safely into her wallet as he snags a folded towel from under the counter as well, before grabbing the cart handle again and walking her out to her car.
As Everly opens up the back, Asim unfolds the towel and gives it a quick flick, spreading it down in her trunk.
“So your car doesn’t get dirty," he says in reply to the question she hasn’t asked yet.
“Oh,” she tilts her head at him, “thank you, I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
He gives her a quick little wink, or did she just imagine it, as he turns back to the cart. Next thing she knows, he’s picking up two plants at a time and placing them into her trunk for her. Again, those muscles. Flexing and shifting underneath his shirt, it should be illegal for anyone to look that good. Everly could offer to help, but truthfully she would much rather watch, and Asim doesn’t seem to mind. He glances over at her watching when he puts down his current armful, and she catches a glimpse of a smile as he turns back to grab the next ones.
Asim straightens once they’re all in, dusting his hands again and wiping them off on the small hand towel he carries with him, which he tosses onto the empty cart when he’s done. He closes up her trunk for her, then leans a hip against it.
“I’m really glad you stopped by," he says. This man is so direct, she’s not sure what to do with it.
“Me too," she replies.
Good one, Everly.
Asim reaches out a hand and gently brushes along her elbow where it hangs by her side. She wants to lean into that touch. Before she can, he skims his fingers up the outside of her arm to her hair and tucks back a strand that has fallen out of place, then steps back, taking hold of the cart handle again. Everly is pretty sure he’s just turned her into a statue; her whole body is tingling and she can’t move an inch after that touch.
Asim tilts his head down, those unique green eyes piercing straight into her soul .
“Hopefully I’ll see you again soon. Let me know if you end up wanting help with those plants.”
At this point, she thinks she would do anything he tells her to. He gives her trunk a quick tap with his hand, and it snaps her out of her strange fever dream, allowing her to rummage in her bag for her keys.
As she’s turning out of the lot, Everly takes a quick look back to see him leaning against the entryway watching her, massive arms folded across his chest. Everly waves, and he tips his head up, nodding goodbye. Her entire body heats, and she wouldn’t be able to stop the giddy grin from taking over her face if her life depended on it.
~~~
Everly catches one last glimpse of Magnolia Nursery in her rearview mirror before her smile slowly fades and reality sets back in alongside her anxiety, and she begins to question everything. Did she imagine his flirting? Surely not, those smiles weren’t fake, and she is sure he winked at least once, maybe even twice. No one winks unless they’re flirting. But what if it’s a nervous tic? Two winks seems like a lot, so it might make sense if it was a tic, or just a thing he does. Maybe the attraction is one sided and he simply doesn’t want to be rude to her, or he could just be a flirt. He might flirt with everyone, and she’s sure he would have no problem snagging anyone he wanted.
Outside the candy shop he asked to see her again, but he didn’t say anything about a date or ask for her number. Is she too awkward? Everly knows she’s physically attractive, but maybe after that last disaster he decided she’s not worth it. He did write down his number for her, even though he said it’s for the landscaping. Maybe that’s just a side gig for him, and since he doesn’t have a full landscaping business he gave her his personal number so she won’t have to play phone tag with him via the garden center phone.
Her mind is spinning more and more the further away from him she drives, questioning the entire encounter, and she can’t decide if that’s because she’s out from under his spell and seeing things more clearly, or because her anxious thoughts have taken over again—or more likely, a mix of both.
Everly tries her best to ignore it all when she gets home, unloading the plants with much more difficulty than Asim had loading them in, and lining them up outside on the driveway. Not sure what else to do, she retreats inside to make one of her favorite cocktails, deciding it’s a good night for self care. Her jacuzzi tub and hockey romance novel make for an excellent distraction.