Chapter 11
B en arrived at Nell’s house for their dinner date with a bottle of wine and a bag of rocks. She’d said Marco liked the geode, so he’d brought a few others, just in case.
Her house was part of a short row of attached rental townhomes. The chipped gray exterior paint could use a touchup, and it appeared no one had mowed the lawn yet this spring. The grass had grown to ankle height, and weeds lined the sidewalk.
Her front door opened and she greeted him with a smile. She was barefoot, wearing dark jeans and a white T-shirt, her usual high ponytail swinging as she walked down the path to meet him. He’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“You found us,” she said.
“It wasn’t too hard.” He shut the car door and locked it with the fob.
Her eyes widened as she took him in. “You’re not wearing a suit.”
“I do own other clothing. Mostly, I wear suits for work.” He’d chosen the white button-down and black pants in the hopes he’d look more relaxed.
“Well, I’ve never seen you not wearing a suit.” She ushered him in the front door. “You look good this way.”
“You look nice, too.” His eyes caught hers and held, and he was right back where he’d been on Saturday. Tongue-tied, and a few seconds away from kissing her.
Footsteps thundered down the steps, and Marco skidded around the corner. He stared at Ben for a long moment, then directed a meaningful look at Nell.
“Marco wants us to show you what we found at the park on Sunday. Marco, I’m going to show Ben around the house first. Then, we’ll show him your rocks. Do you want to go up and get them?”
Marco rolled his eyes, turned, and ran back up the steps.
Nell gave a little laugh. “He’s so excited to show you these rocks we found. But I don’t have the heart to take them into the rock shop and cut them in half. What if there’s nothing inside them? He’ll be so disappointed.”
Ben’s chest tightened. “He wanted to look for rocks?”
“He didn’t talk about anything else for two days.”
“I brought more to show him.” He held up the bag. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. He’ll be thrilled.” She took the bag and the wine bottle and set them on the dining table, which was covered with a dinosaur-print tablecloth. Ben scanned the small room. Plants covered one half of the dining table. More plants lined the windowsill and hung from hooks on the ceiling. A brief glance into her small kitchen revealed greenery in tiny pots on the countertops. In the corner of the dining room stood a couple of the pots they’d taken from the hardware store last week.
“They weren’t dead.” He tipped his head in the direction of the plastic pots, sitting on the floor by the window. The formerly dried-out husks now sported dozens of new leaves.
She flashed him a brilliant smile. “I told you they weren’t dead. Just under-watered and too much sun. But I fixed them up.”
“You’re a plant doctor.”
“A little bit.” She went to the table and picked up a small succulent. “This one is Matilda. She’s a jade plant. She only had two leaves when I got her.”
“You name your plants?” A smile threatened the corners of Ben’s mouth.
“Of course. It helps them grow and it makes them feel special.”
“That makes a lot of sense. And Matilda is a good name.”
“My mom loved old-fashioned names. That’s how I ended up with the name Penelope. So easy to spell for a kid.” She rolled her eyes. “But I like giving them names my mom would have liked. It reminds me of her.”
“The ficus plant you gave me. I thought it came from the shop. But was it one of yours, from your collection?”
“It was one of mine. I thought you needed it.”
Because it was like him. Neglected and in need of someone who understood it. God, she’d thought he needed fixing up, like one of her dying plants. And there it was again, that feeling she saw the real him, even when nobody else did, and she accepted him.
He held her gaze. “I did need it. And I didn’t even know.” He cleared his throat. “And does my ficus have a name?”
“I don’t want to tell you. You’ll laugh at me.”
“I promise not to laugh.”
She shifted her eyes away from his. “It’s Hortense.”
“Hortense is the perfect name for it. Her.”
Her smile was blinding, one of the real ones. “I knew you’d get it.”
She gestured over his shoulder to the hallway behind him. “Well, I’ll give you a quick tour. Won’t take long. Kitchen and dining room are here, obviously. The living room’s straight ahead.”
He followed her back to the small living area, which held a well-used gray couch, worn carpet, a TV on a wooden table, and several dozen more plants, none of which he could identify. A few framed pencil sketches hung on the wall, pictures of rioting gardens full of blooms and greenery.
“Did you draw these?” he asked.
“Oh. Yeah, I did, in college. My wild landscape design plans.” She waved a dismissive hand at them.
“They’re really good.” The sketches had a fairytale quality, showing winding paths, archways choked with flowering vines, and ivy-covered walls.
“I’m a terrible artist. But they’re what I imagined when I planned my dream gardens. Anyway. Upstairs are two bedrooms and another bathroom. It’s not as … It’s nothing fancy.”
“It’s perfect. Thank you for having me over. When I asked you out, I didn’t mean to make you cook. This isn’t a very normal date.” He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of his rare past dates, at expensive restaurants and the theater. She deserved that much, and more.
“I like cooking. Anyway, we’re just trying things out, right?”
“Right.” If they did this again, if she agreed to the three-week trial run idea, he’d invite her over to his house. Maybe even attempt to go out.
Marco’s head appeared over the railing of the staircase.
“You can bring them down,” Nell called up to him.
Marco carried a canvas tote bag down the steps, hoisting the heavy weight up onto the coffee table. He looked up at Ben, his expectations clear.
“Ben brought some rocks to show you, too,” she said.
“I did, but I want to see what you found, first. Did you go to the park to look for them?” Ben asked.
Marco nodded. He reached into the bag and pulled out tissue paper-wrapped bundles.
“He wanted to roll them up in paper. So they wouldn’t hit one another and break,” Nell explained.
“That was very smart.” Ben reached for the first rock and unrolled it out of the paper wrapping. “Should we take a look?”
Marco nodded. A few minutes later, they’d unwrapped all the rocks and laid them out on the table in front of them. Ben picked up each one and turned it over, examining it. Some of them were solid rock. But a couple of them were geodes.
He smiled at Marco. “I think you’ve got a couple with crystals inside.” Marco’s eyes lit up. “Look at this one. It’s round, like a golf ball. You looked for that shape, right?”
Marco nodded vigorously.
Ben met Nell’s eyes. She raised an eyebrow, a silent question, and Ben gave her a quick nod of confirmation.
“M-mom says we might not be able to go to the rock store this week.” Marco said, folding his arms across his chest. He scowled up at his mother. “I d-d-don’t …” Words failed him, and he pressed his lips together again.
“I’ll take you soon, I promise,” Nell reassured him. “I thought Ben should take a look at them first.”
“You didn’t believe me. I told you they were geodes,” Marco said, clearly holding a grudge.
“You have a good eye,” he told Marco. “We can never be sure until we check, but I feel pretty certain you found some.”
“I t-told her that.”
“It was your first time looking, though. I’m sure your mom wanted me to double check.”
Marco’s face brightened. “Because you’re an expert?”
Ben shook his head, smiling. “I’m no expert, but I do have experience. Would you like to see some of the other crystals I brought?”
“Yes. Where are they?”
“In the dining room,” Nell said. “If you get them and bring them back here, I’ll finish off dinner.”
Thirty minutes later, Ben was surrounded by rocks, with a very excited boy leaning over his shoulder. Marco’s difficulty speaking had evaporated. He peppered Ben with questions about where he’d found the rocks, how to pronounce their names, and where the rock and gem store was, so his mom could take him there.
He glanced up to see Nell standing in the doorway to the living room, a strange expression on her face.
“Dinner’s all ready. If you guys want to come eat.”
Marco hopped off the couch. “My mom makes good food. You’ll like it.” He raced down the hall to the kitchen, leaving them alone.
“Thanks for bringing the rocks,” Nell said, her tone soft.
“I had no idea they would be so popular.”
“He really found some geodes?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure. I’ll give you the address of the gem shop. They don’t charge much to cut them open.”
They ate dinner—chicken parmesan and pasta—surrounded by plants at the little table, with Marco chattering about dinosaurs and fossils. This wasn’t like any date Ben had been on before, and he never would have planned anything like this in his former life. But it was what he’d needed. To feel a part of something, to feel like he belonged.
Nell smiled at him across the table, another of her genuine smiles. What if she’d gone to someone else’s porch, that first day? What if their paths had never crossed? He’d be sitting alone in his house tonight.
After dinner, he helped her with the dishes while Marco watched TV. Then they wrapped up Marco’s rocks, and Ben put away the rocks he’d brought with him. Nell ushered Marco upstairs to take a bath, and the sounds of running water drifted down from above. Ben waited on the couch, and she came back downstairs a half hour later.
“I got him tucked into bed, but it might take him a while to fall asleep. Exciting evening.” She settled onto the couch next to him.
Ben wouldn’t sleep either, but for other reasons, his body humming with life and warmth. He wanted to burst out her door and run for miles. He wanted to grab her and kiss her until neither of them could breathe.
Nell leaned back against the couch cushions, turning her head to look at him. Up close, the different shades of gray in her eyes shifted in the low light, and he let himself fall into staring at them, spiraling deeper into his fantasies.
With effort, he pulled his gaze away, before he forgot what he’d meant to tell her tonight.
“I did a bit of research on something. I don’t want you to feel obligated to use the information, though. If it’s not useful, ignore it.”
“Okay.” She frowned, pulling back a few inches. “What is it?”
“The other day, you mentioned you were the first person in your family to attend college. I looked into the University of Missouri’s scholarship programs, and they have several scholarships for first generation college students.”
“Oh. I … That’s very nice of you to look it up. I didn’t know.” She folded her arms over her chest and looked out the window, at the dying sunlight. “But even if money wasn’t an issue, I don’t have the time. With all my jobs, and taking care of Marco. When would I go to class?”
“I understand. I know it might not work for you, and I’m not trying to talk you into it. But I can text you the link if you want it.”
“Okay. It’s been a long time since I thought about finishing school. I always thought of it as something far-off in the future. But it’s been seven years already.”
“You’ll know when it’s time to take the leap. And speaking of taking leaps, I went into the clinic yesterday, and again today.”
She sat up straighter. “You really did?”
“Yes, a patient had a health crisis yesterday. And I got in the car and drove there.”
“And you were okay? No panic attack?”
“None. I was a lot more tired than usual afterward. I went home at noon. But I’m going to start working half days in the clinic again.”
“That’s amazing news. It sounds dumb to say I’m proud of you, but I’m proud of you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
She shook her head. “Of course you could. You would have left your house eventually, with me or not.”
“No. It wasn’t just that you got me out of the house. It was … I can’t explain it. I knew I could tell you about it later, like this. That I’d have someone to tell.”
I pictured your face to help me be strong. Ben closed his mouth, before the full admission came out.
“I did it because it was the right thing to do,” he said after a moment. “But also because it was the thing I knew you would want me to do.”
She shook her head. “Don’t say that. That’s not … I don’t deserve the credit for your progress.”
“I’m giving it to you.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.” She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
He put a hand on her upper arm, finally touching her like he’d been aching to do all evening. With a gentle pull, he tugged her closer to him on the couch and folded his arm around her. Her head rested on his shoulder as if it was meant to be in that spot.
“Nell. I realized something. You might not already know these things, so I have to make sure I say the words. I think you’re the most amazing, beautiful, kind person I’ve—”
The rest of his words were cut off when she turned and kissed him, hard and messy. He kissed her back, drowning in the feel of it, his hands cupping her face to hold her there. He could go on like this for hours, and it wouldn’t be enough. He would never get enough of her.
She made a frustrated sound and pushed her torso closer, not breaking the kiss. He hauled her onto his lap, her legs draped sideways across his, exactly where she was supposed to be, her weight on him sweet and warm. His hand slid up her back, under the thin T-shirt, needing more contact, more of her skin.
She had the top two buttons of his shirt undone, her hands roaming under the collar, when a click at the top of the staircase made her startle and break away from him. She slid off his lap in a rush.
“It’s Marco. The bathroom door.” She was out of breath, her lips glossy and swollen. Strands of hair had escaped her ponytail. She stared across at him, still breathing hard.
“Right.” Once again, his brain wouldn’t make words happen.
“We should stop for now. He’s not asleep yet. But Ben, I’ll do it. The three weeks.”
“The three weeks.” He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back online.
“The trial run. I’ll date you for three weeks. I want to try.”
“That’s good. I want that, too.”
“And next time, I don’t want to stop so soon.”
She was going to kill him. “Whatever you want. We can do that.”