Chapter 6
Six
Michael came back with a blanket and a tray of food; green grapes, cheese and crackers and lemonade.
“Sorry, it took me a little longer than five minutes,” he said as he lay the blanket on the lawn by the gazebo.
“I should really get going,” she told him.
“C’mon. Sit down here. You said you were thirsty.”
She sat on the cozy blanket and drank her lemonade. She was thirsty, after all. She took in the wonderful aroma around her.
“It smells so good here.”
“That’s because we’re sitting on a thyme lawn,” he said, grabbing some grapes.
She looked at the lawn below her; it was indeed a thyme lawn which was surrounded with bushes of thyme with purple flowers. In her preoccupation, she had failed to notice the beauty around her. She noticed the numerous ceramic bunnies surrounding them.
“My goddaughter Madison would just love it here,” she told him, excited at the thought of bringing the little one to see the garden.
“You should bring her.”
“Maybe I will.”
“Right over there, I have an herb garden,” he pointed in the distance.
“That’s handy for cooking, I would guess. Do you cook?” She helped herself to a cracker and cheese.
“I love it. You should come to dinner, sometime. I’ll cook for you.”
She hesitated and shifted on the blanket. In a second or two, she spontaneously decided that she would be frank, in a very formal manner. It was best to deal with conflicts straight on.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
A look of disappointment washed over his face. “You mean it wouldn’t be a good idea for an attractive engaged woman to have dinner with a single guy like me.”
He wasn’t stupid. He got it.
“Exactly… especially when—” She cursed herself. Why couldn’t she have stopped at ‘exactly’? - her and her big mouth.
“Especially when what?” he asked, curious.
“Nothing.”
“Finish your sentence. Especially when what?”
“Well, when I find you attractive. You’re an attractive man. I’m sure you know that.”
He smiled. He liked that. He liked that a lot.
“Well, let me ask you something. Do you ever think of me when you don’t see me?” he asked.
She sat in silence, not wanting to lie.
“I know we see each other every Monday but do you think of me on say... Tuesdays?” She hesitated but nodded a reluctant yes.
“On Wednesdays?”
She bit her lip and nodded again.
He was thrilled. The thought of her thinking about him made him ecstatic.
“On Thursdays?” He grinned.
“Yes, yes and yes. I think about you every day of the week. Are you happy now?”
He pretended to ponder the issue.
“Yes, I see how this presents a problem.” he joked.
“This is not funny. I think I should leave now,” she said as she got up to leave.
She ran back the same way she had entered the garden. He ran after her and caught up with her in the archway; grabbing a hold of her arm.
“But you haven’t seen the rest; the fern walk, and the frog pond, and everything else.”
“I think it’s best if I just leave now.”
“You sure?”
She stood still, looking at him, not saying a word. Staring into her big brown eyes, he just wanted to kiss her. He could barely contain himself.
“Maybe, you could bring Madison, sometime,” he said, letting go of her arm and stepping back.
“Maybe.”
“With a child between us, it wouldn’t be inappropriate. Or better yet, I could just let you two explore without me. Just talk to Ellie; she’ll let you in. I don’t even have to be here.”
“Thank you.”
“Keep the t-shirt,” he joked.
She smiled and looked at him one last time before turning away.
When she got home, Robert was not too impressed; she was late and there was no dinner on the table.
“How was it?”
“Um... Dot was a no show.”
“Oh really...” he said, confused. “So what were you doing for three hours?”
“Actually... I waited for a while and then I got to chatting with her son.” She tried to appear as casual as she could.
“Chatting with her son?” he asked, getting a few staples out of the cupboard. “For three hours?”
“Actually it was nice, talking to a grown-up who isn’t you for a change. No offense. You know I’m going batty here, locked up in this house.”
How could he argue with that?
“Well, what did you two talk about?”
“Gardening, architecture, art...”
“This guy sounds like a sissy.”
“We talked about his family; he has two kids.”
“Is his wife hot?” he asked, smiling.
“Oh please...” she said as she ignored him and went upstairs, lying by omission in the process.
She thought it was odd that Robert had failed to notice her shirt.
Then again, he never really looked at her anymore, did he?
She lay on the bed, burying her face in Michael’s t-shirt.
She never wanted to take it off. She was certainly never giving it back.
She thought about the picnic in the garden. She wished she had kept her big mouth shut. She had no business getting so personal.
She called Ellie on Wednesday and asked her if she could let her and Madison in to see the garden.
Ellie even offered to make them lunch but Angela politely declined; she wasn’t going to risk running into Michael.
This was going to be a nice change to their usual play dates; mostly spent at the play centre or play park at the mall.
Madison seemed happy sitting in her car seat, looking out at the scenery. She was amused by the gate opening to let them in.
“Big door,” she pointed.
“Yes, that’s a big door. Wait till you see the rest.” Angela told her, surprised at how excited she was.
She parked at her usual spot and made her way to the garden with Madison who instantly started running around on the lawn and delighted in the flowers.
Angela let her roam free, enjoying the view within the cedar edges. Madison picked a daisy for her. She offered it with the biggest of smiles.
“Oh, Madison, thank you.” Angela said as she took the daisy, leaning down to her level.
“You can’t take the flowers. Just smell them, ok?”
Madison ran from bloom to bloom, smelling the different aromas.
She ran to the bench and climbed up with all her might.
Angela was happy she had brought her; just looking at her now was worth the drive.
She sat next to her and gave her a squeeze.
She just looked at her for a moment; she loved her adorable ringlets and freckles.
To be sitting with her under the birch tree was as perfect a moment as she could imagine.
But as toddlers will be toddlers, Madison was quickly off through the archway to explore the rest of the garden.
Angela ran after her. Chills ran through her as she walked in the shaded archway, remembering Michael’s hold of her arm and the look in his eyes.
Madison ran up to the gazebo and climbed up on the bench; her little chubby legs stretched as much as she could stretch them.
She was definitely not a girly girl; she wanted to touch everything.
She stood up to look at the beautiful stain glass on the gazebo; a mother and child.
“C’mon. Let’s go see the bunnies.” Angela grabbed her and carried her on her hip to the thyme garden where the ceramic bunnies were hiding.
Madison loved them. She petted them and talked to them just as though they were real.
Angela almost wanted to do the same thing, but realized she would look ridiculous; a grown adult talking to a ceramic bunny. Oh, to be a child again.
“Doesn’t it smell nice here, Madison?” Angela led her past the herb garden to the fern walk; a shaded trail lined with tall pines and a low rock wall.
“Stand right there, Madison.” She reached into her purse for her digital camera.
Of course, Madison was not cooperating; she just wanted to go explore.
Angela put her camera back in her purse and ran after her.
When she reached the bright sun rays at the end of the walk, she realized they weren’t completely alone in the garden.
She saw in the distance a shirtless gardener pushing a wheel barrow towards a compost heap.
“Wow, this garden keeps getting better, Madison… not only can I enjoy the nature but also gorgeous backsides,” she joked.
“I know, I’m bad...” she told Madison. “I should stop looking.” She turned her back and focused on Madison.
The little tyke was crawling into the snake hibernacleum and reached for a....
“Oh no Madison, you can’t crawl in there.” She reached for her and screamed at the top of her lungs when Madison grabbed a snake.
Madison held it up high, proud and smiling. It only took a second or two for Angela to realize it was a plastic snake. Of course, she felt absolutely ridiculous, and couldn’t help but laugh at herself. Unfortunately, her scream had not gone unheard.
“Ladies, what’s going on over here?” he asked.
Angela turned around… it was the gardener; well, it wasn’t, it was Michael. Michael was the gardener, standing there shirtless and looking very sexy.
She searched for her words.
“I...” She got up and couldn’t help but stare at his very nice chest. “I thought it was real for a second.”
“You are hilarious,” he laughed as he wiped his hand on his shorts.
She was still staring; he was suddenly conscious of his bare chest.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I would have put on a shirt if I knew I was going to have company.”
Nothing to be sorry about..
“Don’t be. It’s your place.”
“Hi, Madison.” He kneeled to her and gave her a big smile.
“What you got there?”
“A ake.”
“A snake? Do you like that snake?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“You can keep it if you want. Would you like that?”
She nodded even more enthusiastically. He was officially her favorite person in the whole world at that exact moment. He was Angela’s too.
“Have you seen the frog pond?” he asked Madison. She didn’t answer; she was rather occupied with her new snake.
“You guys come with me,” he told them as he led them to the bridge going over the stream leading up to the frog pond. Angela held on to Madison’s hand as they made their way to the edge of the pond.
“Look, you might see some tad poles or pollywogs,” Michael told Madison, kneeling very close to the edge.