Page 20 of Love, Always and Forever
Chapter 7
The fence looked good. Great even. Unfortunately, all that new lumber only made the rest of Mikhail’s yard look shabby. It also served as a solid, six-foot-tall barrier between his backyard and Amy’s, something else he didn’t like about it. It had been nearly a week since they’d last spoken, and he missed her company more than he wanted to admit even to himself.
He’d wanted the fence finished to put some distance back between them, a decision he now regretted. Right now Amy was puttering around back there, but he had no idea what she was up to other than it involved a lot of frustrated muttering. From what he could tell, she’d been busy all week. Just yesterday, while he’d been at work, her front yard had suddenly sprouted a bunch of wooden stakes with string running between them.
If he had to guess, she was getting ready to tear the hell out of the sod to make some new planting strips. After listening to make sure she was still in the backyard, he walked out to the street to study the results of her efforts. There was no telling what kind of plants she had in mind for the flower beds, but she definitely had an eye for how to make the most of the space.
By comparison, his yard clearly sucked. Other than a couple of ragged rhododendrons under the front windows, all he had was grass liberally dotted with dandelions. Personally, he’d always thought the bright yellow flowers poking up through the grass were kind of pretty. Marlene, his adoptive mother, had never agreed with that assessment, and he doubted his neighbors would think that way, either, especially once the weeds went to seed. Guess he’d better make a stop at the garden store for some weed killer.
He admired the new terra-cotta planters on either side of Amy’s front door. Maybe a similar pot or two of brightly colored flowers would improve the look of his own porch, but only if he could remember to keep them watered.
“Should I be worried about why you’ve wandered out into the middle of the street?”
He’d been aware of Amy’s approach since she’d stepped through the gate Tino had built for her. “I was admiring the stake and string decorations in your yard. It adds a certain, um, whimsy to your landscaping.”
She lined up next to him, mimicking his wide stance and crossing her arms over her chest. “Whimsy, huh?”
“Yeah, whimsy. I was wondering if it’s the newest trend in landscaping.”
Amy shoved her elbow into his ribs. “That’s me, always ahead of the curve. Next, I thought I’d buy a flock of plastic pink flamingos and stick them all over the place. Play your cards right, and a few might land in your yard, too. What do you think?”
“Pink birds aside, I think you’ve got a good eye for landscaping. When you get done, it will look great.” He fought back a grin as he nudged her back. “I’d be jealous, except for the fact that it means I’m going to have to do something to my yard, too. I’d hate to be ostracized by the entire neighborhood for single-handedly dragging down the property values.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll still like you, weeds and all.”
“Nice to know.”
Another project might be just the ticket to give him something physical to do to help keep his moods on a more even keel—and his hands off his pretty neighbor. “Think you could help me lay out some flower beds in my yard in exchange for some slave labor digging up the sod in yours?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Sure thing. Any idea of what kind of plants you’d want to put in?”
Something else he hadn’t given any thought to. “Ones that won’t die easily or need watering or pruning on a regular basis. In short, whatever thrives on total neglect.”
Amy took him seriously or else she was doing a great job of hiding her amusement. “Do you have time to go look at a nursery with me? I’ll show you some options that meet your criteria. Once you have an idea of what you want, I can lay out the beds so that there’s enough room to make sure the plants won’t overgrow the space too quickly.”
“Sounds good.” As they walked toward his yard, he said, “You seem to know a lot about this stuff.”
Her smile dimmed. “I loved watching my mother work in her greenhouse, and she let me help whenever I could. She also has a huge country-style garden, which is frequently included in the garden tours in my hometown. Gardening must be in our blood, because I’ve always wanted to design my own, even if it’s on a smaller scale.”
Funny, but her comment about helping her mother seemed a bit off somehow, although Mikhail wasn’t sure why. Maybe Amy simply meant she’d helped when she had time, but he wasn’t convinced. From several things Amy had let slip, there was some tension between her and her family even though it was obvious that she adored her brothers. He had to wonder why she’d moved away from her hometown and why they hadn’t come to visit since he’d known her.
Amy wandered away before he could decide whether he should ask. Maybe it was for the best. If she’d wanted to share, she would’ve done so by now. He watched as she prowled his front yard, pacing off distances, and studying a handful of dirt. After dusting her hands off on her jeans, she rejoined him. “Even if we go with all low-maintenance plants, you’re going to need to enrich the dirt, which isn’t hard. Just bring in some better soil, add compost, and then maybe some fertilizer to give everything a kick-start.”
Great. There goes another hit to the budget, but so be it. He’d bought this place with the intent of making it into a real home, not just a place where he crashed between shifts at the firehouse. Come to think of it, maybe his mom would have a few plants she could share with him. Something to ask her when he went over for dinner tomorrow. For now, he’d take Amy to the nursery and see what they had to offer.
Maybe the two of them could have a little fun along the way. “Since this is an exploratory mission, we can take the Harley if you’d like.”
Her reaction was immediate and all he could’ve hoped for. “Give me a minute to get changed.”
She took off across the yard like a shot. He watched until she disappeared into her house, already regretting his offer to take the bike. Having her sit tucked up tight behind him, her arms around his waist, her front pressed up against his back—none of that was a good idea. It was too late to retract the invitation though, not that he would anyway.
A man deserved a little temptation in his life. How else would he ever know if he was strong enough to resist it? That kind of twisted logic would have his late father shaking his head, but he figured Joe Lukash would also have understood. While Mikhail and his two brothers sometimes kidded their mother for still talking to their late father, Marlene didn’t care. She said it made her feel closer to the man she’d loved so much. To be honest, Mikhail also talked to Joe and for the same reasons.
Now was one of those occasions. “Dad, I think you’d really like Amy. She gives as good as she gets, not to mention she’s sexy as hell. I wish you could’ve met her.”
And speaking of meeting her. He’d better get it in gear if he was going to be ready to leave when she came back. His conscience was still acting up, but he ignored it, telling himself that looking at a bunch of plants didn’t count as a date. It was one neighbor helping another. Adding in a stop for lunch along the way might be pushing the boundaries, but a man had to eat, didn’t he? Yeah, right. He knew a poor excuse for doing something he shouldn’t when he heard one.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t going do it anyway.
