Chapter 16
Tex
The Wilde Roots Greenhouse & Garden Center looked like a big horseshoe—with the storefront in the center and two enclosed bays full of greenery on either side.
“Ready for this?” Matteo asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.
Matteo had met me out front, ready to help me transition into my first shift. I’d done a brief phone interview with the owner, Ken Wilde, but tonight I’d officially work at a greenhouse again.
That was something I’d never thought I’d do. But Wilde Roots was much larger than the one I’d run with Dad—less of a start-up and more of a family tradition. Ken had told me he was the third generation to run it.
That kind of stability was appealing. Wilde Roots wouldn’t struggle like our little business had, and I wouldn’t be emotionally tied to the owners, so even if it did…
My gut clenched, and I pushed away the memories of stress, bad choices, and the consequences that had changed my life. I was starting fresh, just like all those plants inside.
“Let’s get you started then,” Matteo said, clapping my shoulder. “I think you’re going to do great here.”
Matteo was always such an optimist. I guessed he had to be to run a program like Redemption Road—and to give me yet another chance. I’d lost three jobs while in the program last year, but my heart hadn’t been in it then. Now, I wanted to put down roots. Prove to Hollywood I really was here to stay.
We headed inside, the smell of soil and plant life thick in the air. I breathed it in, the scent overwhelming me with memories. Good ones, mostly. Despite everything that had happened with our greenhouse, I’d always loved working with plants.
There was nothing like starting a fresh shoot, tending it, and watching it grow into something beautiful and vibrant. Nothing like the feel of fresh soil under your fingertips, the delicate, velvety blossoms of a new rose, the sweet and relaxing scents of jasmine and lilacs.
The Wilde Roots storefront overflowed with potted and hanging plants, bags of fertilizer, seed packets, and gardening equipment. Matteo led me to the checkout counter, where an older gentleman emptied the register of the day’s take into a zippered bank pouch.
“Mr. Wilde?”
He looked up with a friendly smile. “Well, hello. Nice to meet you all in person.”
He shook Matteo’s hand, then mine, his grip firm.
“It’s good to be here,” I said and meant it. Despite my initial reservations, this was what I knew how to do. If I wanted to put down roots with Hendrix and Ruby, this was a good place to start.
Even if the shift was kind of appalling—7 p.m. to 1 a.m.—it was ideal for now.
I could watch Ruby while Hollywood worked, have dinner with them before I headed here, and still get home in time for a decent night’s sleep.
I hated to miss bedtime stories, though, and Holly and I would have even less time alone time together without little eyes and ears around—and right when I’d finally gotten out of my own way and discovered how much fun we could have together.
It served me right for wasting so much time, but Holly deserved better.
“Let me show you around,” Mr. Wilde said, zipping the pouch full of bills shut. “Each night, I’ll empty the register so you won’t have to worry about burglars. No one expects there to be money here at night.”
And he wouldn’t have to worry about me robbing him, either.
I nodded. “Good to know.”
He rounded the check-out counter and led us toward the east greenhouse bay. “There won’t be a lot to do in the store,” he said. “A bit of restocking now and then. The real work will be in here.”
Rows of ornamental plants, flowering shrubs, perennials and annuals, herbs, and seedlings stretched as far as the eye could see. On the far side of the bay, young potted trees waited for their big planting day.
“Wow, this is impressive,” Matteo said. “I should finally get those hydrangeas Allison has been wanting.”
“You really should,” Ken said with a laugh. “We can set you up with a gorgeous flowering garden. On the other side, we’ve got our vegetable gardens, too, if you enjoy growing things.”
“I could start a little garden at home this spring,” I mused. “I bet Ruby would love it.”
“Is that your wife?” Ken asked.
“Uh, no. A little girl I watch during the day.”
It sounded so inadequate. But I couldn’t call her my boyfriend’s daughter. Even if I was ready to tell people I was seeing Hollywood—and the weird squirming of my gut said I wasn’t quite there—I wouldn’t start with my new boss. Ken seemed like an okay guy, but this was still conservative country.
“Ah, yes. Teach her now. So many kids lack an appreciation for the outdoors these days. How old is she?”
“A little over two.”
“Perfect,” he said. “She’ll be curious and inquisitive. My little grandson loves eating strawberries right out of the ground, too. We had to chase him down and stop him from eating the dirt with them.”
I laughed. “I could see Ruby doing that.”
He stopped by the wall and gestured to a control panel. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, we’ve got irrigation systems. Climate-controlled temperature too.”
“So, why do you need me?”
“Well, our system does a lot for us, but it can’t do everything. We’ll need you for deadheading, pruning, or repotting as needed, adding inventory, updating us on plant health. There’s plenty to do, I promise.”
“What is deadheading?” Matteo asked.
“It means removing dead flowers or leaves,” I explained, reaching out to tug a brittle brown leaf off a hydrangea as we passed by.
Ken smiled. “Exactly right. I know this is basic stuff, but you wouldn’t believe how clueless some of my applicants are.”
“Tex helped run a greenhouse over in Hayworth,” Matteo said, as if it were something to be proud of.
Ken’s eyes lit up. “You mentioned greenhouse experience, but I didn’t realize it was that extensive.”
“It was a much smaller operation,” I said. “And it’s been out of business for a long time.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ken said. “Losing it must have broken your heart. I know it’d devastate my family.”
Maybe it would have, if my heart hadn’t already been broken for so many other reasons.
I cleared my throat. “So, the irrigation is set on automatic timers, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, you might need to adjust them.” I pointed to the yellowed leaves on a spider plant. “This guy is getting too much water.”
Ken stopped and peered closer. “Well, I’ll be…”
I bent over it and sniffed, the scent telling me a bit more of the story. “The roots are starting to rot. If we don’t move this one, it might not recover.”
“Damn,” Ken muttered. “These really shouldn’t be by the canna lilies. They need more water.”
All the other varieties on this row thrived with steady watering, whereas the spider plant liked to dry out a bit.
I headed down the aisle, scouting for a good relocation.
“Spiders do well with peace lilies,” I said, pointing to a section of plants that required less watering and maintenance.
There were snake plants, too, which enjoyed similar conditions to spiders.
Ken and Matteo had followed me, and the owner was frowning as he gazed at the selection of plants I’d pointed out.
“You disagree?” I asked.
“No, no. You’re absolutely right,” he said. “I’m just annoyed I didn’t catch it myself. You’ve got a coworker, Helena Gribble, over in the other greenhouse bay right now. I’ll introduce you before I leave. She’s my niece.”
“Okay,” I said carefully.
“She must have misunderstood my directions the last time I had some plants moved to incorporate new inventory.” He blew out a breath, shook his head, and then chuckled. “Well, it’s clear we’ve made the right hire. I’m counting on you to keep us from foolish mistakes like this.”
“I’ll do my best.”
He nodded. “Well, job one for tonight will be for you to get those plants moved. But first, let me show you the rest of the place. Part of your evening shift will be packaging up orders that need to be shipped out to grocery stores, smaller garden centers, and the like.”
Matteo followed us back into the storefront. “Well, I think I’ll leave you guys to it. Tex seems like he’ll do okay without me tagging along.”
“Tex is gonna do great,” Ken said approvingly.
Matteo shook his hand once more. “I really appreciate you working with Redemption Road. A lot of our guys get hired on permanently at some point, so we’re always looking for more sources of employment.
Let me know if you have other openings, or if you know of other businesses that might be interested. ”
“I sure will,” Ken said. “If this works out like I think it will, I’ll happily sing your praises.”
Matteo said his goodbyes and went out the front door. Ken led me to the other bay, bursting with color: red tomatoes, purple onions and eggplants, green zucchini, cucumbers, celery, and lettuce.
“We supply all the organic produce for two local grocers,” Ken said. “And there’s Helena.” He raised his voice. “Helena! Hey! Helen—for goodness’ sake.” He waved a hand wildly in the air and she finally turned, pulling out earbuds.
“Girl is always listening to YouTube. Gen Z, am I right?”
“Well, technically I’m Gen Z, though I can say I feel like a different generation than the twenty-year-olds.”
At twenty-six I was on the upper end of the generation, age-wise.
Ken chuckled. “Ah hell, it all blurs together for an old coot like me.”
“Please, I bet you’re just a Millennial,” I teased.
He laughed. “I wish.”
Helena reached us. “So, this is the new guy?” She gave me a once-over, eyebrow rising. “Well, he’s got the big strapping country boy look down.”
“This is Tex,” Ken said. “He’ll be working with you for the last few hours of your shift.” He turned to me. “Helena will show you how to close out tonight, but in the future, she’ll leave at ten, and you’ll close up later.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Is that really your name?” Helena asked. “Are you from Texas or something?”
“It’s a nickname,” I said. “And yeah, I grew up in Texas until I was in middle school. When I moved here, I still had that Texas drawl, so I picked up the nickname. Since I hated my real one, I gladly took it.”
“So, what’s your real name?”
“If I have my way, you’ll never know.” I turned to Ken. “You’ll keep my secret, won’t you? I had to use the real name on the paperwork.”
“Sure, I will. Tex suits you,” he said. “Helena, why don’t you take over the tour? Tex needs to see the packaging facility and then do some work over in the other greenhouse bay. But I’m running late for dinner at home, and you know how Caroline gets when I let my food get cold.”
“Sure, Uncle Ken.”
Once her uncle left, she led me down the rows, flinging out a hand.
“Fruits. Veggies. You get the drift. We pick them when they’re ready and package orders. Most of the time, though, we’re just here to make sure the hydroponics are working. Since you’re the new guy, you can do all the grunt work.”
Helena was clearly an all-star employee.
“I’m happy to do whatever needs doing,” I said.
“Good.” She narrowed her blue eyes at me. “Because when Uncle Ken isn’t here, I’m your boss. If I say jump, you ask how high. I don’t want any bullshit posturing because you think you’re a big man.”
I wasn’t sure that was strictly true, but I wasn’t about to argue on my first night on the job. Helena was a spitfire, that was for sure, but I doubted she cared enough to be any kind of real boss.
“Put me to work, boss,” I said. “I’m ready.”
She smiled, her whole expression shifting. “Well, that’s more like it. I think I might like having you here, big guy. Maybe if we get bored, we can find something fun to do together.”
The way her eyes scanned over my chest and arms, I got the feeling I knew what kind of fun she wanted. Helena was a pretty girl, somewhere in her early twenties, with delicate features. She had the farm girl build—strong, sturdy—but still feminine.
And if I wasn’t with Hollywood, I might even be interested—despite her terrible personality.
But as she fluttered her eyelashes at me and made suggestive comments about the size of the cucumbers, the way my biceps bulged when I carried a crate of produce to the back for shipping, and how strong I must be, I was unmoved.
Totally.
Completely.
Why would I want some pretty girl when I had an even prettier guy?
The thought made my head spin, and I missed a step, nearly spilling the crate packed with cobs of corn all over the concrete floor.
Because for the first time in my life, I wasn’t fighting my feelings for a man. I wasn’t struggling to reconcile them with who I was. I wasn’t wishing I could be straight.
I was looking at a beautiful woman, and I didn’t want her. Not when I could have Holly.