“Take your shoes off,” I call to the boys before they bound up the stairs.
Helena stumbles into the house behind the boys. “What the actual…” Her sunglasses rest on the tip of her nose, hanging low like her lax jaw.
“Ugh, not you as well. He’s already bewitched Mrs. Aranda next door.” I rub the soles of my feet, brushing off the dirt before sliding my feet into my flip-flops near the door. Should have put them on before. I roll my eyes at my own stupidity.
She drops her bag onto the kitchen worktop and closes the door to the kitchen now the boys are upstairs. “Spill the tea. I want all the details.”
I flick the switch on the kettle and lean back against the fridge door while chewing on my lip. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Liar. How long has he been tending your bush?”
“I don’t need a man to tend to my bush.” A smile pushes my cheeks up. “I have a beautician for that.”
Her long nails tap against the glass chopping board. “And when was the last time you visited her?”
I shrug, pulling out two mugs, contemplating whether I should make Dan a drink as well. “About six months.”
“Six months?” she yells. “You need to book her in. If I was single and had a gardener like that, I wouldn’t be wasting his skills on topiary.”
I spin around and grab three tea bags for three mugs. “Please, I don’t need a therapy session on my waxing schedule.”
“No. You need a therapy session onhim. The gardener. I saw the way you were with him. I’ve never known you fawnover a man before, so spill the tea.” She points a finger at the mug I’m stirring. “Not that tea, though. I’m parched.”
“He’s just here to trim my hedges.” And annoy the hell out of me. I grab the milk from the fridge and drop a splash into each mug.
She cackles. “Please. He’s trimming more than your hedges. Or at least he wants to. Is it me, or does he give off an ‘I’m your new obsession’ vibe? The way he was looking at you was intense.’”
I slide her mug of tea over to her. “Be back in a minute.” I lift Dan’s mug from the counter.
Helena perches her bottom on the breakfast bar stool and smirks behind the mug as if she knows I’m hopelessly attracted to my gardener.
Dan’s on his knees, weeding my border when I step onto the lawn.
“I made you a drink,” I say, towering above him, contemplating pouring it over his head.
He glances up at me with a wide smile. “Thank’s, Grace, I’m dying of thirst here. My mouth’s as dry as a desert.”
“Probably all the lies you keep telling. You should try keeping your mouth shut.”
He takes a sip of the drink with a chuckle. “Next time, I’ll let you do the talking. You can tell your friends and neighbours how you stabbed me in the back.” He smiles sarcastically.
“I think it was you that stabbed me in the back, pretending to be in love with me just to gather intel.” I wish I’d let him die of thirst. Smug bastard. “Enjoy your drink. I only added two laxatives. But it should be enough to expel all your bullshit.” I turn around and storm back into the house. Not giving Dan time to bewitch me with his smile or arm porn.
Helena shuffles on her stool in glee. “I knew it. You’re all flustered.”
I let out a long breath. “It’s complicated.”
“So you are fucking?”
“Keep your voice down. We’re not fucking.”
She blows into her hot drink. “But you want to. Admit it.”
“Fine,” I sigh, trying to act nonchalant. It’s pointless denying that I want to have sex with him. I mean, he’s like chiselled Italian marble. Any girl with the best will in the world would crumble, eventually. “But you’re not getting a single detail from me. You’ll have to settle for your fantasies. Just don’t go imagining things while I’m here. And for the record—nothing has happened.”
“Yet.” Her eyebrow rises again, and I know I’m in trouble. “Okay, but if he asks you to water his plants, you better let me know.”
I snort into my tea. “I don’t think he’s that kinky.”
