“Coffee grounds and egg shells. I think the heat has something to do with it too. I’ve never seen so many beautiful colors!” She turned and looked at the bucket overflowing with roses and shook her head. “Oh, my. What am I going to do with so many flowers? Tim, I can’t possibly use all these, and I certainly don’t want them to go to waste. Please, take a handful home. You can put them in a vase and enjoy them for a time. The scent is wonderful.”
Tim glanced at the bounty of flowers and was about to decline when an idea formed in his mind, making him smile. “I think I’ll take you up on that, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”
Mrs. McDonald’s face lit up with pleasure. “I don’t mind at all! I insist!”
***
“Well, you need to check your calendar so we can get a date nailed down. We have got to celebrate, Jessica! You’ve been through the wringer, and you need a night on the town. We can have a few cocktails, a little dinner, and maybe check out the handsome single fellas at Johnny’s Hideaway…”
“Oh, god no!” Jessica laughed. Hooking up with a desperate middle-aged man at the infamous Johnny’s Hideaway was a horrible idea. Still, she couldn’t help but smile; glad her best friend, Elizabeth Rich, had her back.
“Well, it’s just a thought.” Elizabeth patted Jessica on her thigh. She stood and held her Chanel handbag in the crook of her bent elbow. “I’ve got to pick up Mulligan from the groomers, otherwise we’d be cracking open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
“In the middle of the day?” Jessica shook her head, humored by her childless, ultra-chic friend. Champagne during the day was probably something Elizabeth engaged in on a regular basis.
Her friend air-kissed her on both cheeks, her expensive lipstick looking freshly applied. “You relax now, you hear? This is all behind you. The sky’s the limit.”
The sound of the doorbell interrupted Elizabeth’s pep talk, both women looking toward the front door. “You expectin’ anyone?” Her Southern voice was high but inquisitive as she quickly took a compact out of her purse and opened it, lightly tapping her perfect nose with the tiny powder puff.
“No.” Jessica frowned and wondered who might be coming by this time of day. The last time her doorbell rang, it was the courier delivering her divorce papers.
The girls were upstairs in the playroom, and baby Jo-Jo was taking her afternoon nap. Jessica’s bare feet slapped on the travertine tile as she approached the elaborate front door where she could see the outline of a giant figure standing outside the beveled, etched glass. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized who it was.
“Hey there.” She smiled, opening the door wide. Tim McGill stood before her with his hands behind his back. Dressed in his landscape uniform, his rugged good looks and piercing green eyes took her breath away. She immediately noticed he had cleaned up his beard, the lines around his face more defined with shorter tighter whiskers making him look—cleaner. The look on his face was magnetic as she self-consciously smoothed her long blonde hair away from her cheek.
“You stopping by to check in on us like you promised? Make sure the haggard mother-of-four isn’t holed up in the pantry stuffing her face with cookies?” She giggled and he laughed.
“Who’s at the door, Jessica?” Elizabeth sing-songed before her eyes grew wide with recognition as she walked toward them. “Why, Tim McGill. How are you?” She cocked her head while resting a hand on her hip with an eyebrow raised.
“Hello, Mrs. Rich. I’m well, thanks. Did you ever get that dead tree out of your backyard?”
“Hmmm…we sure did. I was just leaving, so I’ll leave you two to have at it.” Elizabeth kissed Jessica on the cheek, this time leaving a light pink lip stamp on her cheek. “I have an even better idea how you can celebrate sweet girl…,” she whispered excitedly in Jessica’s ear.
“Elizabeth!” Jessica chastised, gritting her teeth so she wouldn’t smile. She knew precisely what Elizabeth had in mind, her best friend a devoted reader of the most scandalous, erotica romance novels ever written. Lying poolside on the hottest summer days, Elizabeth would humorously read aloud the most sensual sex scenes from her naughty books, purposefully making Jessica blush. She was sure her bestie was conjuring up an illicit affair between her and the yardman as she walked to her car.
“Y’all take care!” She waved over her shoulder and Jessica could swear she was sashaying her hips on purpose before she slid into her candy-apple red Mercedes convertible and sped off.
“Sorry about that. She can get a little cheeky sometimes.”
“I don’t mind. I’m glad you had some company today. Sorry if I interrupted.”
“No. No, you didn’t interrupt. Elizabeth was trying to get me to commit to a night at Johnny’s Hideaway. Believe me, I’m happy you came by and saved the day,” she giggled.
Tim’s eyes glistened as he shifted his stance on the front porch. “Well, I don’t know what Johnny’s Hideaway is, but I’m glad I could help. I did stop by to check in on you. And to give you these.” He brought his arms out from behind his body, clasping large, fully bloomed pink roses in his hands.
Jessica gasped. “Oh, my goodness. They’re beautiful! And they’re pink!” She looked up at him. “Pink is my favorite color. How did you know?”
He chuckled. “I took a wild guess.”
She leaned over the flowers he was holding and deeply inhaled. When she looked up again and smiled, she realized Tim had been standing on the front stoop in the heat of the day. Quickly, she gathered her wits. “Where are my manners? Please, come in out of the heat.”
He walked past her in a whoosh of manliness, his tanned skin smelling of sun and fresh cut grass. “I clipped off the thorns so they wouldn’t poke you or your girls. They’re from Mrs. McDonald’s garden. She insisted I take some. I swear, she could open her own flower shop with all the blooms she’s got goin’ on.” He offered her the bouquet, which she took and inhaled the flowery scent again.
“Oh, Tim, they’re just heavenly. Thank you so much for thinking of us. I know Mrs. McDonald very well. She’s on the beautification committee with me. She also donates a lot of her flowers to the club. She’s a dear.” They walked into the kitchen, and she opened the cupboard above the refrigerator and stood on her tiptoes, not quite tall enough to reach the clear vase on the shelf. As if sensing her struggle, Tim effortlessly reached above her head and brought it down.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at him with wide eyes. His stature was as tall as a tree; a mountain of a man. Her eyes followed the flex and twitch of muscle up his biceps and across his chest, one setting off the next.
“You’re welcome.”
