5. Only Gardeners
Carla laynext to Matt in their king-sized bed. They were still breathing heavily from their post-lunch romp between the sheets. Carla couldn’t help but feel thankful that her spouse was nothing like Gia’s former husband. Matt was everything to her—a best friend, an incredible lover, and he even helped cook and clean up around the house. She wasn’t sure how she got so lucky, but she knew Gia deserved the same things.
She needed someone with shared hobbies and interests—someone who liked gardening! And that was precisely what triggered her plan. There had to be a way for Gia to meet like-minded men who gardened or farmed or… something… without her knowing she was being set up. Gia needed to meet someone when she wasn’t expecting it and have it unfold naturally, at least as far as she knew anyway.
Carla rolled over toward Matt, whose eyes had closed several minutes ago. A slight snore emerged as he exhaled, but that never bothered her. Some of her friends slept in different rooms from their spouses solely based on snoring, but she actually found the sound calming. It wasn’t obnoxious at all. It reminded her of his presence at night, and she always knew she had someone there with her to get through the ups and downs life threw at her—someone who loved her just as much as she loved him. She rested her hand on his bare chest for a moment, feeling it rise and fall, then pressed her mouth against his cheek, giving him a short, sweet kiss.
Carla kicked her legs around to the side of the bed and rose to her feet, heading back to her computer to finish the task she had started earlier. She’d let him sleep. He deserved it after that lunch and that… dessert.
Several internet searches later, Carla found herself on OnlyGardeners.com, a dating site that catered to gardeners at all levels, from beginner to advanced. It didn’t seem to be a particularly well-known or heavily used site compared to the more general online dating sites, but she’d worry about that later. Maybe she’d—they’d—get lucky. She was hoping to find at least a few local male gardeners!
Carla began creating Gia’s profile, taking the garden photos she’d edited the kids out of and using them as Gia’s profile pictures. Despite Gia’s lack of preparation for those pictures, Carla had to admit she looked stunning! She was at her best whenever she was in the garden, whether tending plants, harvesting food, or even pulling weeds. Now, it was time to find a guy who felt the same—and would worship Gia for it!
“Ta-dah!” Carla exclaimed. “Perfecto.” The profile was complete, featuring several photos and all of Gia’s interests and passions laid out. The only caveat was that Gia wouldn’t be communicating with the men who were interested in her, not yet anyway. For once, she’d only be allowed to meet the fully vetted men who were absolutely bursting with green flags. Carla would make sure of it.
She hadn’t exactly figured out all of the details, like, for example, what she’d do when she did find the right guy. She had no idea how she’d arrange the meet-up or if she would tell Gia or… or what. That seemed like a later problem. For now, she could only focus on one thing at a time.
Just as she hit “complete” on the profile, Matt walked in and glanced at the screen. Seeing the open dating profile with Gia’s image front and center, he clucked his tongue at Carla.
“You didn’t… Please tell me you didn’t,” Matt implored his wife.
“Well, I did. But I can explain! This is going to work, Matt. It’s a site for gardeners! She hasn’t tried this yet.” Carla’s attempts to convince Matt seemed to be falling on deaf ears. He had already started walking toward the kitchen to do the dishes they’d ditched in the sink earlier in the name of “dessert.”
“Matt! It’s going to work. Mark my words!”
“Sure, sure.” Matt turned the water on as high as it would go.
“It—”
“What? I’m sorry. I can’t seem to hear you. The running water must be too loud. I simply must finish these dishes so my lovely wife doesn’t have to do them,” Matt said.
Carla sighed in response but left him alone. She wasn’t about to buy herself a sink full of dishes because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
Carla knew he sometimes got frustrated with her crazy plans and scheming, but this one really was going to work—and her heart was in the right place. Gia needed something special in her life. She needed her very own Matt, and come hell of high water, Carla would find him for her!
Just then, Carla’s cell phone buzzed. She picked it up and glanced at the front of the screen.
“Crap, it’s Gia,” she muttered, tossing her phone down onto the couch like it was a creepy bug that had startled her in one swift motion.
“And? Will you be answering the phone, my little schemestress?” Matt chuckled. “Heh, shemestress. I like that. It’s like… seamstress, but not.” Carla loved it when Matt told a joke or one-liner but felt the need to explain it to be sure others got it. She thought it was adorable.
“Oh, sure, now you can hear everything.” Carla tried to hide her smile. “I can’t,” she added.
“And why is that?”
“Because… she’ll ask me what I’m doing.”
“And?”
“And I can’t lie to her—but I also can’t tell her the truth right now.”
“So, you’re going to ignore her? For how long?”
Carla rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. Maybe just until I get things all set up on this,” she said, gesturing to the open screen before her. “Until I’m doing something else—anything else.”
“Oh, Carla, Carla, Carla,” Matt repeated. “Will you ever learn, my love?”
Carla let out a laugh. They both knew the answer was a resounding no.