We walked the winding path toward the cluster of greenhouses. The first one loomed ahead, its iron frame nearly as tall as the trees, but the glass panes were covered in grime, and some were cracked with spiderweb patterns that caught the fading light.
“These are incredible.” He shot me a look. “Do you have some idea of how you’d like to use these? Do you have an affinity for plants? Is that why you bought the property?”
“Not really,” I admitted, even though he gave me the sad, disappointed look that I expected. “But the grounds are beautiful. I’ve got someone I hired to help with some of the maintenance since they’re so large, but the idea is that I’ll have time to work on things myself. The greenhouses, I’m not real sure about.”
He gave a little distracted nod and pushed the door open with a creak before inhaling deeply in a way that was a little weird, making his glasses rise and fall on his face.
“It doesn’t smell moldy. That’s a good sign.” He began making notes immediately, his gaze methodical as he inspected the framework. "These are Victorian," he murmured, tracing a finger along an iron beam. “Cylinder glass up top. That’s rare now."
I crossed my arms, leaning against a weathered potting table that groaned under my weight. “I had some people come and look at them. They say that they’re structurally sound. The glass will be cleaned, and the broken panes replaced, but I don’t really know anything about plants. Is it unreasonable to think about putting stuff in here?”
Mitchell hummed, flipping pages on his clipboard. “No, but you need to have the soil tested in both of them, re-do the irrigation, check the ventilation, and the heating systems that are in place. That’s not my area of expertise.”
If I rolled my eyes, they’d be pointing at the back of my head right now. Wasn’t that what he’d do? Soil test or whatever? Rubbing the back of my neck, I tried to rein him in while he talked about phases and ripping out the plants that were here. If the plants were still okay, then they should stay. Wasn’t that what Sage had said? He started losing me with complex names and questions I couldn’t answer. I just wanted concise, easy-to-follow plans.
“Well, thanks for coming out,” I finally said, stopping his flow. There was no way I’d be able to work with him. “I appreciate your time.” Not that I hadn’t paid for it.
We shook hands again outside, the sun lower now, painting the glass in amber hues. I watched him drive off, the reluctance settling heavier in my gut, but then another vehicle pulled in, Sage's delivery van rumbling to a stop near the gate where East's crew still hammered away.
She stepped out, red hair catching the light like embers in the wind, gloves tucked into the back pocket of her jeans that hugged her curves in a way that drew my eyes despite myself. Today, she looked positively adorable in a t-shirt two sizes too big, slipping down her neck. Freckles dotted all the way across her cheekbones, but the creamy column of her neck stretched completely clear of any of the wayward little marks that I could see. I still wanted to get closer to examine for myself, dip my fingers underneath the cotton, and peel it back to see if the rest of her had angel kisses in surprising places. If not, I would be willing to give them to her.
Every time I was around her, I was surprised at myself and by the thought of what I’d be willing to give to have her, but I wasn’t so sure she’d be into the baggage I brought with me. Sage was the exact opposite of my ex-wife in every way, but that didn’t mean I could go there. Right now, I had my hands full.
Opal spotted her first, waving wildly from atop East's shoulders as they circled back from the pergola site. "Sage! Come see the fairy houses we made!”
Sage laughed, the sound carrying across the yard like something I hadn't realized I'd been waiting for—she waved back, but her gaze locked on mine for a beat, something electric passing between us before she turned to greet East and Opal.
“Fairy houses, huh? I love those. Did you build them in a little circle? I sure hope East told you all the rules.” I had no idea there were rules for fairy houses, or if she was just teasing. Maybe it was a small-town thing.
“Yup. East told me all about them. Can I show you the spot for my swing? I picked out the best one.”
Sage knelt to her level, her smile soft and genuine. "I'd love to. East does build the very best faerie houses. He was the one who taught me all about them.”
She let Opal tug her along, chattering the whole way, Sage laughing easily with her. It left East and me alone for a moment as his sister ran across the lawn. I could see them as Opal talked with her hands, like she always did. Sage had knelt low and tilted her face up to hers, listening as my daughter pointed and they gathered more sticks from the ground. It struck me that Catherine would never have indulged such behavior, but therewas Sage helping Opal build tiny structures in the small rock wall, talking with her animatedly.
“Sage is really good with her.” I was speaking mostly to myself, but East nodded, clearly looking at the duo as he hooked a measuring tape on his belt.
“She loves people, especially kids. It’s one of the main reasons she does the festivals in town, since most of her store traffic is adults. She’s always been that way, though.”
“What way?” I asked grumpily when he didn’t elaborate.
“Tuned in.” He waved over to his sister, who had now let her face be captured in Opal’s palms. My daughter was staring into her eyes while Sage made goofy faces and tickled her. “Everyone loves her, and what’s not to love? She’s pretty awesome.”
He wasn’t wrong. They were moving this way now, both of them skipping and singing some song about the wheels on the bus.
“Sage-O-Rama, you have dirt. Just there.” East made a circular motion over her whole face as she came closer.
“Really?” She raised her eyebrows in mock seriousness. “I can’t imagine how it got there.” Across her freckled cheeks were two small dusty handprints. “We were building faerie houses, weren’t we, Opal?”
“Yep. I’m going to build some more. Kiss me, Daddy.” She threw herself at me, trusting that I would catch her to give her little kisses on her cheeks, before running back to where she had been making her fairy houses.
“Oppie,” I called. She turned to look over her shoulder at me. “I’m going back to the greenhouse with Sage. Come get us if you need anything?”
“Okie-dokay.” She waved me away as if I were a nuisance, happily plopping herself on the ground.
East laughed. “I’ll keep an eye out. She’s fine.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” It wasn’t that I thought anything could hurt her out here, but I wasn’t used to leaving her on her own. Even when she was at the penthouse, there had been a nanny with her most of the time. Still, I wanted her to have some freedom here to do a little exploring.
