Page 28 of Earth-Bound

“My house,” he said.

“Excuse me?” asked Terrund, twisting his torso and I realised that somehow his chair had moved all the way around the round table, shuffling nearer and nearer to me until my knee was almost touching his. He had to look round over his shoulder to see Broadmire now.

“The house. It’s mine.”

From the little tick of Terrund’s mouth, I’d guess he was amused by Broadmire’s possessiveness. He gave a gracious nod.

“As you say: it’s your house. Perhaps you’d like to hear more about it?”

“No.”

Broadmire glared at us and I thought I understood why. He was planning to ask Randall to move in there with him and he wanted it to be a romantic surprise. There was no point in spoiling it for him. I decided to help him out, since he’d been a better boss than any of the others I’d had, and I wanted to keep my job.

“Why don’t I tell you about the plants instead?”

Broadmire looked towards the kitchen door, where we could hear Randall pottering about as he made our dinner.

“You talk. I’m waiting to eat.”

I shared a little look with Terrund at that. Broadmire was a strange one. At least Terrund didn’t seem to mind. He gave me the slightest hint of a smile and then said, “I’d love to hear about the plants.”

So I told him.

I told him about the sapling and the rose bush that I’d moved around from where Broadmire had planted them in a field willy-nilly and the flowers that had thrived and the ones that were growing from tiny shoots even as we spoke. I got carried away. I loved talking about my plants.

All the time I spoke, Terrund watched me as though I was the most fascinating person on Earth. He kept one hand on the table, as though he liked to be grounded, and he kept his eyes on me the whole time. I’d never felt so much the centre of someone’s attention before. I completely forgot about Broadmire, sitting just behind me, and even forgot about Randall until he emerged from the kitchen and placed two plates in front of me and Terrund, startling me.

I hadn’t realised I’d been leaning forward, closer to Terrund. We broke eye contact for the first time and I felt a twist of annoyance in my gut. I’d been enjoying talking to him, to having his eyes on me.

Randall smiled, though, and I couldn’t be mad at him. “I brought you some, too, Terrund, in case you wanted it. I won’t be offended if you don’t eat it, though.”

Broadmire grunted, “Yes, you will.”

Randall said, “No, I won’t, honestly. I know you don’t, um, eat much.”

When he went back into the kitchen for Broadmire’s dinner, the man leaned over and whispered, “If you don’t want it, shove it over here and I’ll eat it. He’ll never know.”

I hid a smile in my sleeve as Randall came back out and sat at Broadmire’s table. They had plates piled high with food andI’d seen Broadmire eat enough for three men without a problem. He’d eat it and more, given the chance.

Terrund began to nibble at his dinner. I ate heartily. I’d worked up an appetite that day.

“What else have you been doing?” he asked me.

“Well, I’ve been trying to get the house plants in that- in Broadmire’s house to grow.”

“Why are they not growing?”

“They are. It’s just the ones in the master bedroom that won’t grow.”

“Perhaps they are unsuited to the conditions?”

“I thought of that,” I said. “I’ve checked and there’s nothing in that room that should affect them.”

“Perhaps I could come and have a look at them? I know a bit about, uh, botany.”

I shrugged, trying to conceal my glee that I’d get to spend more time with this handsome man. “Sure, why not? I can show you which ones I mean.”

Behind me, Broadmire said, “Something’s wrong with my plants?”

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