Page 39 of Welcome to Forever
Chapter 10
After spending the rest of the day shopping with Julie, Kat made her way to the garden exhibit that Micah had invited her to—alone. Her loving sister had successfully forced her to come here tonight, which was probably a bad idea, and then gone home to attend to her “other plans.” Knowing Julie, those plans included lying on the couch and watching sappy black-and-white movies on the TV.
Parking, Kat looked out into the gravel parking lot and spotted Micah walking toward her. Also alone. He reached her door before she could move and pulled it open.
“You came,” he said in that deep baritone voice that she thought literally made the ground beneath her shake as she stepped out of her car.
“Of course I did. I have to see what kind of competition is trying to sweep you away from caring for the school’s lawn, right?” As if that were even part of the reason she was here. “Where’s Ben?” she asked, reminding them both that she was also his son’s principal. Being his boss and his son’s principal were two very good reasons not to be having hot flashes right now.
“I may have designed the gardens, but the layout wasn’t my doing. It’s not exactly wheelchair-friendly here, so Ben is with my aunt and uncle tonight. They live next door to us.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you had family nearby,” she said, wishing he wasn’t standing so close. At his current distance, the temptation to reach out and touch his muscled chest, which was currently pushing against the limits of his T-shirt, was nearly unbearable. He wore a leather jacket over his T-shirt, but it was unzipped, like an open door inviting her in.
“My dad, too. He’s the commanding officer of Camp Leon.”
“Commanding officer? Wow.” She wondered if John had known him. What if Micah’s father had been the one to send him to war? The thought sent a shiver over her body. She was supposed to be moving on—focusing on the present and not the past. And she was. Presently, she was falling in lust, hard and quick, with a hot guy that she’d kissed once. It had been a couple weeks, but she still remembered the way his lips had felt against hers. He’d had new growth of hair along his face that could only be felt and not seen.
She shivered again as the memory of their kiss replayed in her mind.
“You’re cold,” he said.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Here.” He removed his leather jacket and held it up against her. “The wind off the ocean makes for chilly nights.”
Slipping her arms into the cozy confines of his jacket, she took a deep breath, catching the faint smell of cologne. She closed her eyes, loving the deep rustic scent, then snapped them back open, hoping Micah hadn’t noticed.
The corners of his mouth lifted as he watched her.
“Salt air,” she said, hoping that explained the giddy grin on her face.
He nodded and started walking. “Wait till you get in the gardens.” His eyes gleamed as he looked at her.
“Can’t wait.” She followed him through a gate, where suddenly she was overwhelmed by an explosion of color, too vibrant for the end of September. “It’s incredible,” she said, as they continued walking through intense shades of green. And she was in awe of the fact that Micah had helped to create it. “I’ve never seen most of these plants before. Are they exotic?”
He laughed, seeming to enjoy her complete naïveté when it came to all things green. “Not really. Most of the plants you’re seeing are native to North Carolina.”
She looked around, gaining a new appreciation for the plants and flowers around her. Most days she was so busy, she didn’t stop to take in what was happening right outside her window.
“These are roses, by the way,” he said, gesturing toward the rust-colored flower blooming beside him. A playful glint lit his soft brown eyes as he watched her.
She dug her elbow into his side. “I know that, Mr. Smart-ass.”
Leaning into her, he said, “I just wanted to hear you laugh again. I like the sound.”
Her face straightened. “No one’s ever complimented my laugh before.”
“Then maybe you don’t laugh often enough.”
When he looked at her, her knees went weak. “Um, gardening is a rare interest for a kid. What got you curious?” She cleared her throat and redirected her attention. After all, this was Seaside. Anyone could spot her here with Micah and get the wrong idea. Or the right idea because, as much as she wanted to persuade herself otherwise, she was here as a woman, not a boss or a principal.
“I was kind of a bully back in the day. I could never live up to my dad’s image of what I should be, so I acted out. The kids in the Friendship Club have nothing on the trouble I caused.” A wicked grin spread, carving out deep dimples in his chiseled cheeks. “Dad dropped me off at my aunt Clara’s one afternoon, and she found me cursing the world and every plant in her backyard.”
Kat laughed softly, leaning in closer to him as a soft breeze rustled through the bushes.
“That’s when she taught me how to make things grow. It’d felt like magic back then.”
“Not anymore?” she asked.
