Page 12 of Secret Admirer

“Do you need any help?”

He clears his voice and wipes his hands on his clean white shorts. My eyes zero in on how clean his clothes are today. Maybe he found a place to stay.I hope so.

His blue-green eyes stare at me as if seeing down to my soul. I’ve never seen eyes as hypnotizing as his. They’re blue as the most beautiful Caribbean waters and so intense. I blink a couple of times to clear my head.

“Maybe the little ones.” His voice rumbles through my body.

“I don’t know if you remember but I’m Coco.” I hold my hand out for him to shake. His large tan hand lightly takes mine in his warm grip.

“I remember.” He smiles and white teeth flash back at me. He looks down, his long lashes fanning out on his pink cheeks as he speaks quietly. “I’m Bodhi.”

“Nice to finally know your name and what a name that is. I’ve never met a Bodhi and I’ve lived in California all my life.” His head tilts to the side in confusion. “For me, and I could be wrong—it wouldn’t be the first and it most certainly won’t be the last time—but when I think of the name Bodhi, I think it belongs to a surfer.”

Now his cheeks are a brighter shade of pink. It’s sweet how easily he blushes.

“I’ve never surfed before and I’ve never met another Bodhi. Only myself,” he answers just as quietly as he did before.

“Well, I like it. It’s unique, just like you.”

Bodhi looks down at me for a moment and then turns back to the car, hefting up two more large pumpkins and walks off. I guess we’re done conversing. I bite my bottom lip and pick up two of the little ones. I’m not sure how Trixie got all of them into her car. She probably flashed her smile, or her boobs, to someone to help her.

He passes me on my way back not meeting my eye. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I’d done something to offend him. We continue back and forth in silence. I see Trixie standing inside, watching us with a strange look on her face. Her eyes are wide, yet her brows are pulled down.

Once he places the last pumpkin, Bodhi takes a step to walk away. “Where are you going?” He turns around but doesn’t answer me. He seems to be a man of few words. I have a feeling that when he speaks what he says matters. “Let me grab some money for your work.”

He shakes his head rapidly. A frown mars his bearded face. “They were much too heavy for the two of you and you needed help. I didn’t do it for money.”

“If you won’t take money, can I get you some water? Buy you lunch?” I scramble for something to do for him.

He looks over to the trees across the street. “I’m alright.”

So it is Bodhi who’s been camping out over there.

“Of course, you are, but I want to do something since you helped us.”

“Can I…carve the pumpkins?” he asks hesitantly, looking down at his dirty white tennis shoes.

“Of course. Do you need anything? A…knife?”

He stares at the sidewalk lined with pumpkins for a moment. “A trash bag or two and a knife would be great.”

“Done.”

I only hope he does a good job or Trixie is going to kill me.

7

Bodhi

Every few minutesI see Coco and Trixie at the window trying to see what I’m doing. My lips twitch each and every time. For now, I’m keeping my work to myself.

I know I should have been preparing for what I’m going to do with the kids this afternoon, but after seeing the mess in front of the store this morning and knowing I could be close to Coco and listen to their conversations, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The need to keep an eye on them, but mainly Coco, is coursing through my veins.

Some guy showed up earlier in the week and it killed me to watch their interaction from across the road. Even from over there I could see the tension was high. Since then I’ve been coming back at night to make sure they both make it to their cars safely. I can’t explain it, but there was something in the air that day that’s had me uneasy since and then after finding the destroyed gourds it’s only intensified.

My plan to listen to them talk while I work has been a bust. One or both of them have had a client while I’ve been out here so they haven’t had a chance to talk. Not that they’d necessarily talk about the mystery man or how they were feeling the other day when he was there. No, if I had to guess what they’d talk about, it would be me and what I’m doing.

I sit facing the window while I scoop out the inner parts of the pumpkins and throw the remains in the trash bags. I’m not sure how long each of them takes me and there’s no way I can do them all today. Trixie bought twelve pumpkins ranging in all different sizes. Once I’ve finished the bigger ones, I line them against the wall of the building so they can’t see my work. I have a feeling they’re worried I’m mutilating them, and they’ll be a wreck, and that’s why one of them leaves their customer to come check on me every once in a while.

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