* * *
I woketo the sound of a lawn mower growling like it was in my room. I looked at the time–it was 7:00 a.m. Stumbling to the window, my eyes confirmed what my sinking heart already knew: the sandy-haired-blue-eyed-dimple man was at it again.
With a groan born from the depths of my sleep-deprived soul, I trudged downstairs to brew some life-giving caffeine–I wonder if I can inject this into my bloodstream for it to take effect faster…
This is going to be a long day.
TWO
CHRIS
Maybe it was just the jitters of starting a new job or the fact that my angel was arriving this afternoon, and I wanted everything to be perfect for her. Or maybe I just wanted to wipe that smug look off that Ice Queen’s face, but I felt totally pumped the next morning. Despite the rain-on-my-parade wet blanket neighbor, Marilyn– “Oh, my job issoimportant cuz I am a grown-up Ice Queen,” –and I didn’t get her last name.
I really hoped that all the women in this city weren't such sour, grumpy, uptight…Uh-oh, here she comes. And does she ever look pissed off. Ok, just play it cool, Chris. Come on, your new boss is a woman, so this will be good practice for you. Man up!
“Top of the mornin to ya. I hope I didn’t wake you up?” I called cheerfully over the sound of my lawn mower before turning it off as I noticed that she held two cups of coffee in her perfectly manicured hands.
“Not at all. Ilovewaking up early on the weekends even though I’ve only had four hours of sleep,” she smiled sarcastically but with a hint of something, amusement maybe.Women. I will never understand them.
“I’m sorry. I keep messing up,” I ran my hands through my unkempt hair, genuinely remorseful, now–but I really did have to get a jump on the day.
“Here you go. A peace offering,” she handed me the incredible-smelling coffee. I took it even though I’m a tea guy myself. Now give me a piping mug of chai, and I’m happy.
“Thanks. You shouldn’t have,” I accepted the white flag and invited her around. “Please come in,” I bowed dramatically as she stepped into the clutter of moving boxes and half-opened containers. She gingerly set her very expensive-looking shoes over the packing material lying about all over the floor.
“I’m sorry about the mess. I wasn’t expecting to have anyone over just yet,” I began.
“So, you wake people up at seven a.m. because you want to get the garden sorted before you start work on Monday. But your house still looks like this…?” She spoke slowly and deliberately–incredulous–as she padded around the clutter like a jungle cat about to pounce on its prey. “Either you really have no clue about how to prioritize your life, or you are deliberately trying to push my buttons, Chris Miller! So, which is it?”
I could not escape the menacing look that bore into my soul. Wasn’t it some kind of unwritten rule for women with honey-colored eyes to be sweet-tempered? This was a hellcat. “Look, lady. I appreciate the coffee. But, to tell you the truth, I drink tea. And if a man wants to get his yard ready for his baby that will be arriving this afternoon first, then that is what he will do. I don’t need to consult with you every time I need to do something in the house that I pay good money for. And not to you, I might add. You are not the boss of me. Now, I am sure you have lots to do, and I will take the coffee as a thank you for the early morning wake-up call.”
She uttered an unintelligible sound of outrage.
I held the door open for her. “But if you will excuse me. As you pointed out, I do have a lot to do. Thank you for stopping by, and have a great day!”
She walked slowly to the door–sullen and with her nose in the air, even though she looked uncomfortable about being spoken to in that way. I couldn’t help noticing how cute she was when her lower lip did a little petulant roll.Adorable.Stopping in front of me, she said, “I was just being neighborly. I won’t make that mistake again. Have a great day yourself.”
God, you smell so good!She smelled of fire, spice, and summer flowers with a hint of something herbal thrown in too.
And there I was in my smelly gardening gear, feeling like a monster for ruining her day.We are not getting off to a great start here.
After getting the garden ready for my gal, I dashed off to the stores for supplies, making it back with a few minutes to spare before she arrived. The pet courier had kept to his word, and aside from being tired from the long journey and a bit dehydrated, Billie Jean, my three-year-old puppy, was in good shape. We had connected at a fund-raising event at my local animal rescue shelter. She had been the victim of cruelty, neglect, and abuse–it had been a long road to recovery, and I just wanted everything to be perfect for her.
“Billie Jean, there’s my good girl! Come here!” I was overjoyed to see her after having been separated for two days.
Billie Jean had very specific needs, preferring to spend her days outdoors in a safe garden as opposed to being stuck indoors. But she usually came in for a long cuddle in the afternoons, and I kept her inside when the weather turned nasty. But her abusive past still made being indoors a bit stressful for her. We were outside playing fetch with the tennis ball when I smelled that intoxicating fragrance again.
“Does she bite, this girl of yours?” asked the Ice-queen in a much more mellow tone.
“Only if I ask her to,” I smirked.
“Marilyn, meet Billie Jean, my baby,” I gushed. Marilyn had a strange look in her eyes, and I couldn’t quite make out what it was about.She’s probably just not into pets.
“She’s been through a tough time with an abusive past owner, so I had to make the place look good for her. She prefers to live outside except when the weather’s bad,” I was rambling now, but Marilyn looked at me so quizzically that it was unnerving.
“Well, just make sure that she doesn't find her way into my garden. I have some very rare plants and shrubs here, and I don’t want her getting her paws on them,” she threatened half-heartedly. I could tell that Billie Jean was melting the Ice-queen’s heart, but I said nothing. I just nodded, and she got into her car and whizzed off.
After a good workout to stretch her legs after the journey, Billie Jean settled down for an after-lunch nap, and I finally went to set up the inside of the house.