Chapter 3
Laida
It had been three days since I’d seen Jesse. He never did visit that weekend like he said he would. I tried not to bug him, but I’d be lying to myself if I said it wasn’t nice having him around. He could have at least called.
Even though I was annoyed with him when we first met, he quickly grew on me.
Faster than I realized. I felt a little crazy since we had only hung out for a week, and that wasn’t anything.
At the same time, it was everything. It was nice having someone around, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how he remembered seeing me come into the firehouse with the gift basket. Maybe I wasn’t such a loner after all.
I spent those few days by myself getting so much done.
When I first arrived in Whispering Pines, I hadn’t brought much with me.
I didn’t want to bring anything from my old life that I had shared with my ex-boyfriend with me.
So, I left most things with him and only moved only the things that were mine.
Everything I could get into the car was packed tightly, with all my plants sitting up front with me.
The only new items that I purchased were a new mattress and bedding, so I couldn’t wait to set up a place for me again.
Fixing and organizing the barn was an important part of that.
A dedicated space for my stock of herbal ingredients was finally in order.
I made some homemade salves with Calendula flowers and Dandelions that help with burns and inflammation that I thought the firefighters could use.
Next, I planted some flower beds and set up plant stands so I could begin restocking my shelves.
Plants are just like people. With the right care and attention, they will give back to you so many times over.
Then, I cleaned up the kitchen, purging it of old shit, and getting a chopping, bottling, and canning area set up. Eventually, I wanted to paint the kitchen a sage color and fix the cabinets.
Reactivating my defunct website for Dok Champa Apothecary was a big step.
I’d brought it up to speed with new product photos and a small photo of the new location…
the barn. I named it, Dok Champa, after the Champa flower, which is the national flower of Laos, where my family is from.
It symbolizes sincerity and joy in life, which is what I’m always trying to strive for, even in my sadness.
The apothecary is the deepest way for me to feel connected to my family.
I was in the backyard clearing brush away from the old beds when my phone went off with a text. It was Jesse, bringing an instant smile to my face, and I could feel myself blushing.
Jesse: Herbalist, you there?
Me: Yes, Firefighter. I’m here. Just clearing away some dead brush in the back.
The three little waiting dots kept popping up on my screen and then they’d disappear. Finally, I get a response…
Jesse: I’m sorry that I haven’t been by to visit. Things have been completely crazy here.
Me: You could have called and let me know.
Jesse: I know. I wanted you to have some time alone to make the place your own, and then I got so wrapped up in the job that I kept forgetting to call with the little time that I had. It won’t happen again. You can stick a note on my forehead if you want.
Me: It’s okay, really. Just send me a text next time. I won’t lie, though. I miss the company. I um… also had a favor to ask.
Jesse: Ask away.
Me: I can’t seem to get the attic door open. The front porch also has some issues. Do you think you can help me with a few more things?
Jesse: Of course. My schedule should settle down a bit more now. I’m finally off this weekend. How about I come by and look at what you need?
Me: That would be great! Thank you. I’ve made so much progress out here.
Jesse: I can’t wait to see it all, Herbalist.
How was it possible that he could make me blush so hard? One week. That was all the time we’d spent together. Just one week.
Me: See you this weekend, Firefighter.
After shoving my phone in my back pocket, I went back to work clearing the dead weeds away.
When I finally finished, I was covered in dirt, and drenched in sweat, even though it wasn’t hot outside.
I was ready to take a shower and call it a night.
My muscles were so toasted, I dragged the rake to the barn to put it away.
***
The weekend came and Jesse was back. We were skirting around each other as we worked.
I’d catch him looking at me. Every time I looked up and caught him, he looked down.
He caught me staring a couple of times, too.
His arms are muscular and he was wearing a dark blue T-shirt.
With everything he lifted and every way he moved, his muscles flexed, testing the strength of the seams on his T-shirt.
The T-shirt stretched against his tan arms was so damn sexy. I told myself, Focus, Laida.
The first thing I showed him that day was the porch, pointing out different areas where it was either broken or crumbling. “Look at the steps. What happened here? I’m surprised my grandmother let this go on like this. Maybe it’s time for some brand-new steps.”
Jesse walked over to the steps and inspected them. “Yeah, I mean, the steps alone are probably another week or two of work.”
Laughing, I said, “So you’ll be coming around for another two weeks?”
He was squatting next to the stairs and looked up at me before saying, “No, I’m going to have someone else fix them.”
The way I gasped should be studied. “What? Why? Who?”
He stood with a shit eating grin on his face and said, “I’m kidding.
Yes, I’ll be fixing the steps for you.” He walked over and stood in front of me, wiping his hands on a rag he pulled from his back pocket.
He’s so tall. Jesse is quite beautiful with a chiseled, prominent jawline that I wanted to reach out and run my hand along.
I tried not to grin, but I was beaming. “What are you smiling about?” He asked.
“Oh, nothing. Thank you for helping me fix the steps. Can I show you the attic door? Maybe that one is an easier fix?”
“Lead the way, ma’am.” Once we got inside, he was shocked at how much the place had changed while he’d been away. “Laida, it looks incredible in here. It’s like a completely new place.”
Glowing with pride and excitement, I said, “I needed to make it mine, ya know? I purged a lot of unnecessary things to open the space up a bit. Added some new paint to the kitchen since that’s where I spend most of my time and it really is starting to feel like home.
” Adding the paint was a last-minute decision and I had just finished it the day before.
“Well, you’ve done a fantastic job.”
“Thanks!” I smiled at him and continued to the hallway where the attic door was. “Here, look. I pulled the cord and it won’t come down.” Jesse tried to pull it, too, and nothing happened.
“Ok, don’t worry about it. I’ll work on it. I also noticed a corner of the fencing out back that has a hole. I’ll get that fixed up too.”
We stood staring at each other for a moment. “Thank you, Jesse. You know, you’re not so bad to have around after all.”
He chuckled and teased, “Well, you aren’t such a brat after all.”
I feigned shock and said, “A brAT!!! Me?? Never.”
***
Jesse and I worked well together and our personalities complemented each other.
At first, I didn’t want him around, and then I did, and I was finding little reasons to keep him coming back, fixing this or that.
Before I knew it, it had been a month and he’d fixed the barn doors, the attic door, helped me clean up around the property, and started working on the front porch.
The attic was far worse than either of us expected.
When he got the door open and went upstairs, it was a mess.
There was mouse crap everywhere, and only God knows what kind of other rodents had taken up residence.
The biggest shock of all was the hive of bees at one of the vents leading outside.
He didn’t mess with that, and neither did I.
In fact, I didn’t go up there at all. Jesse is a blessing because he cleaned up the entire attic once the professionals took the bees away.
He also laid traps to keep any rodents out and sealed up any holes.
It was June and everything was in full bloom. Summer was acting like summer and scorching everything, including us. I walked out onto the porch where he was working on the bannisters. “Jesse, I made us some tea.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. Thank you.”
“How’s this thing coming? Is it giving you a tough time?” He’d been working so hard at it.
Smiling, he said, “No, it’s coming along just fine.
I just want to make sure I only need to cut this wood once and not waste any of it on mistakes.
I’d say I’ve got about another week of work on this, but it’s going to look gorgeous after it’s painted.
I figured I’d go ahead and repaint the entire porch, so it matches. ”
“Oh my god, you don’t have to do that. You’ve done so much for me already.”
He waved me off as he took another drink of his iced tea. “No, it’s fine. It’s going to look incredible.”
“Thank you, Jesse. Would you like to stay for supper?”
“Actually, that sounds great. Can I shower here? I always keep a change of clothes in the truck.”
“Of course!”