Chapter 13 #2
“Sage is really good with her.” I was speaking mostly to myself, but East nodded, clearly looking at the duo as he hooked a measuring tape on his belt.
“She loves people, especially kids. It’s one of the main reasons she does the festivals in town, since most of her store traffic is adults. She’s always been that way, though.”
“What way?” I asked grumpily when he didn’t elaborate.
“Tuned in.” He waved over to his sister, who had now let her face be captured in Opal’s palms. My daughter was staring into her eyes while Sage made goofy faces and tickled her. “Everyone loves her, and what’s not to love? She’s pretty awesome.”
He wasn’t wrong. They were moving this way now, both of them skipping and singing some song about the wheels on the bus.
“Sage-O-Rama, you have dirt. Just there.” East made a circular motion over her whole face as she came closer.
“Really?” She raised her eyebrows in mock seriousness. “I can’t imagine how it got there.” Across her freckled cheeks were two small dusty handprints. “We were building faerie houses, weren’t we, Opal?”
“Yep. I’m going to build some more. Kiss me, Daddy.” She threw herself at me, trusting that I would catch her to give her little kisses on her cheeks, before running back to where she had been making her fairy houses.
“Oppie,” I called. She turned to look over her shoulder at me. “I’m going back to the greenhouse with Sage. Come get us if you need anything?”
“Okie-dokay.” She waved me away as if I were a nuisance, happily plopping herself on the ground.
East laughed. “I’ll keep an eye out. She’s fine.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” It wasn’t that I thought anything could hurt her out here, but I wasn’t used to leaving her on her own. Even when she was at the penthouse, there had been a nanny with her most of the time. Still, I wanted her to have some freedom here to do a little exploring.
Sage pulled her gloves from her back pocket as we walked, snapping them against her leg as if to dust them off. “How’d your guy from the big city do? What'd he say? Or did you scare him off?”
That cracked me up. The big city. Wildwood Meadows wasn’t quite the sticks, but it didn’t even have a big-box store, and that suited me just fine. Small-town living was just going to take a little getting used to.
I pushed the door open for her, the creak louder this time.
“It was pretty much a bust. I’d thought he’d be able to come in and give me a set plan or something, but maybe he hadn’t been the right person for the project.
” Slanting a look at her, I tried not to stare as she moved past me. “So, maybe I did scare him off.”
“Ha ha,” she deadpanned. “Imagine that.”
She stepped inside ahead of me, her scent a mix of floral and strawberry notes that mingled in the musty air.
Following her, I watched as her eyes brightened the deeper she went into the greenhouse.
Now, there was no Opal to distract her, and she was really getting into it as she brushed aside vines with careful hands, talking to herself.
I was careful not to bother her as she moved up and down the pathways, watching as she cataloged what seemed to be a lot of dead things.
Instead, I just enjoyed watching her work.
She crouched, her jeans stretching tight over her thighs in a way that sent heat pooling low in my belly.
"There’s some good stuff in here. There were labels on these…
.” She was talking to herself, completely enthralled with what she was doing.
She’d unearthed some half-buried terracotta pots that were apparently right up there with the holy grail.
I leaned against the frame, arms crossed, but my attention focused on her—how her hair fell forward, brushing her cheek as she worked, and the curve of her back as she bent lower. She was alive with enthusiasm as her fingers gently touched the soil with reverence that made my pulse race.
She straightened up, dusting her hands as she removed her gloves.
She turned to me with bright eyes. “The far wall is best for maximum light capture. We could clear this section first. This greenhouse could be dedicated just to palms and ferns, based on some of the stuff that is already here. I could draw up a plan for you. If you want?”
“Yeah.” I stepped closer without thinking, drawn by the passion in her voice, the way her lips parted slightly as she gestured. “That sounds good.”
I found my hand coming up and tracing the freckles across her nose, the flush creeping up her neck under my scrutiny.
“There was a little dirt there,” I lied.
It was just an excuse to touch her. There were quite a few smudges of dirt there, but I didn’t want to brush them away.
My hand dropped, but her breath hitched, and her eyes darkened as they dropped to my mouth, her pulse fluttering in her throat.
“Why don’t we look at the rest?” Stepping away from her, I motioned to the back of the space.
She nodded, swallowing hard before turning to lead me deeper into the structure. She pointed out a rusted irrigation line snaking along the floor that would definitely need to be fixed.
"This could be revived. A drip system would probably be needed too for efficiency. If you’re doing tropical in here, it’s best to have a spray system set up that you can activate.
With misters.” As she knelt again to examine it, her hair slanted over her neck, revealing a sliver of pale skin, and I clenched my fists to keep from reaching out, imagining how soft she'd feel under my palms as I smoothed my hands down her back, bending her where I wanted.
Outside, Opal’s giggles rang out and reminded me that there were things I needed to focus on besides a plant goddess who made my cock hard.
Letting my mouth run away with me, I found myself saying, “Want to go to town with Opal and me for pizza? We can talk about these plans?”
She smiled, slowly. “Sure. I could eat.”
“Me too.” I gave her a slow, answering smile.