I banged my mug down with a thump on the floor. “Hey, I’m not that mean,” I said defensively.
“Sorry. I was only teasing.”
I hugged her. “I’m sorry too. Anyway, what news do you have for me?”
“You know that sometimes we have little get-togethers at the lottie in the evenings?”
They were such happy times for me. I smiled at the memory of everyone gathering together. Usually at Toby’s plot because he has a double one. He owns a small tool shed, and one a lot bigger which he sometimes uses to sit and relax in. He also has two gazebos. The laughter, food, and song were magical for me. Better times, when I was less uptight.
“Fliss?”
My aunt’s concerned voice pulled me away from those memories. “Sorry. Yes, I do remember them. Funnily enough, I spoke to Sally about them today. It got me thinking about how great my life was then.”
“And it can be great again. Next Saturday, there’s going to be another one, and I’d love to go.”
I gave her what I hoped was my best stern expression. “The ground’s uneven. It’s…”
She raised one hand to silence me. “I know. I’m not that daft, Fliss. You can take me and my wheelchair. I miss the place so much. I’m sure being there will aid my recovery.” A wistful expression crossed her face.
“And you want to make sure I haven’t botched your plot up too much.” I nudged her, winking.
“Not at all. I trust you. Anyway, as you said, you learnt from the best.” She pointed proudly to herself.
“That’s good to know, then if I did anything wrong, you couldn’t blame me. So,” I said, grabbing a notepad to make notes. “What do you need me to do for this grand event?”
Luke
I’d stayed away from the allotment for two days, managing to catch up on some urgent work, even though I was supposed to be on holiday. I was surprised how much my day job was becoming a chore. I’d always loved working with numbers, but the office politics, even though I wasn’t working in the office, were dragging me down. Time to make some serious changes in my life. I’d been thinking about retraining but wasn’t certain what I wanted to do.
Today was Thursday. I’d got quite a bit of leave owed to me, so I decided to extend my time off to three weeks. I planned on spending as much time at my plot as I could. Toby was there every day, and I enjoyed his company.
My thoughts turned to Fliss. How could that crazed red-haired harpy have such a sweet side? My pulse raced, remembering her closeness and the effect it had on me. I wondered if she’d be in full bitch mode when I saw her again.
“Stop thinking about her like that, idiot.”
What I didn’t like were the subsequent texts I’d received from Marcus. Question after bloody question about her. In the end, I told him to fuck off and go chase his usual bimbos. I groaned and put my head in my hands. All of this was driving me round the twist. I drained the rest of my now cold coffee from my mug and prepared for a day of hard work at the allotment.
When I strolled along the path leading to my plot, I heard a voice call my name.
“Hey, sexy. How are you?”
Great. Just what I didn’t need. Stella, the cougar to beat all cougars. The loose woman of the lottie. She was mid-forties and loved to chase younger men. Unfortunately for me, I was one of the youngest guys there. I’d refused her advances and thought I’d finally got through to her that I wasn’t interested.
She headed for me in the most inappropriate clothing for the allotment. A denim mini skirt and a skimpy top that revealed her red bra. I should call Marcus, he’d be up for it.
“Hi, Stella. Can’t stop, I’m busy.”
Still she came after me and caught my arm. God, she must’ve dumped a whole bottle of perfume over herself. I gagged as it hit me full-on. Why she still had her plot I didn’t know because there was nothing growing on it. It belonged to her ex. Shame he didn’t keep it.
“I was wondering if a big strong man like you could help me dig over some earth.”
Stella squeezed on my bicep, making me shudder. I hoped she didn’t mistake the tremor running through me as being turned on. Her bright red lipstick made her look like someone had given her lip fillers. I shook my head, unable to speak. She pouted, then drew her bottom lip inside her mouth with her teeth. On some women, this would look hot. When she did it, it made me want to vomit. Plus, her teeth were now coated in the blood-red lippy. Gross.
“Please,” she breathed, thrusting her tits almost in my face.
“Luke, I’ve got those seeds you wanted.”
Thank you, Toby.