The Golden Hour

Chapter 9

"What in the world is all this?" Logan asked, his eyes landing on the back of the taxi Maggie had just gotten out of.

Maggie got out and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. "Plants?"

Logan rolled her eyes. "I can see that."

She sighed. "Then why are you asking?"

Logan sighed in return. "Because I'd like to know what you're plans are with them, Margaret." He gave her a sly smile.

She gave him a pointed look. "You know I hate it when you call me that."

A smirk crept onto his face. "Yep. That's why I did it."

At this she just rolled her eyes and started unloading some of the plants. He looked at her unloading them for a moment. "You need help with those?"

Maggie looked at him, her brows furrowing. "With like planting them?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She looked at him skeptically. "And pray tell, why do you want to help me plant flowers on a Sunday when you could be taking a nap or playing some game on the computer?"

"Honestly?" he asked. "I just want to make sure you don't kill them."

"Hey! I know what I'm doing" She crinkled her nose. "Mostly."

He chuckled. "Then let me help you figure out the parts you're not sure about, ok? For the sake of the flowers."

She sighed and nodded. "Fine."

He smirked. "And for my reward, you can make me more of that casserole you made the other night."

Maggie pointed a finger at him. "I knew it! I knew you had some hidden agenda."

He laughed and grabbed a few of the flower boxes. "Like I'd really help you for free."

She sighed, paid the taxi driver, and grabbed some flowers before following him into her apartment. He had come over a few times in the past two weeks. Once or twice to fix some things around the apartment. Once to borrow some sugar. A few times to check in on her, on Ben's request of course. For some reason, he'd usually end up staying for dinner. He'd bring some beer and then watched TV while she cooked. They'd talk about work, Ben and Lisa's wedding, their day. Most times they ended up watching a movie together.

Maggie hated to admit it, but she actually enjoyed his company. They still argued and bickered, but it was like the animosity between them was fading little by little.

#

Maggie looked up at the sky, wiping the sweat from her brow. She looked over at where Logan was working. "Ok, I think it's time for a break."

Logan nodded. "Good idea." He wiped his hands on his jeans and walked to the small patio, before sitting down.

Maggie came back out of the apartment where she had just disappeared to, two cold beers in hand. She handed him one.

"Thanks." he said, before taking a big swig.

She did the same and looked over at the small garden. Yellow, pink, and white flowers now danced in the light breeze that was blowing. A few shrubs flanked them and, in the corner,, a new water feature trickled peacefully. She sighed. "It's beautiful."

He let his eyes wander over the flowers. "Yeah, it is." He was thoughtful for a moment. "Why did you decide to plant flowers? It's more upkeep than just keeping the lawn green."

She put the cold beer bottle against her cheek and looked at him, tilting her head. "I don't know... I guess I just wanted to see something grow and live by my hand."

She examined his face, searching for signs of cynicism, but found none. Instead, he smiled. "Yeah. I get that."

"You do?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

He nodded. "You know, I used to help your dad out in the garden a lot. I loved helping him. It was an amazing feeling watching those small plants grow into something strong and beautiful, knowing I had a hand in it."

Maggie took another sip of beer. "I didn't know that you liked gardening." She was thoughtful. "I guess there are a lot of things I don't know about you."

Logan chuckled. "I guess not. We were more focused on the arguing and playing pranks on each other part of our relationship."

"Yeah." she sighed, not wanting to think back on her past behavior at the moment. "My mom's coming back from her trip around the world, you know."

"Yeah?" he asked. "When is she getting in?"

"Just before the wedding, apparently."

Logan took another sip of beer. "I'm sure she's excited." He was thoughtful for a moment. "Your dad would've been so proud of Ben."

Maggie swallowed hard. Memories of her dad surfaced. He had died in a car accident when she was eighteen. She pushed down the memories and the feelings of guilt.

She looked over the garden again. "What's your favorite flower?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.

He was surprised at the sudden question but didn't say anything. He thought for a moment. "It used to be sunflowers." He looked at her. "But these days I think I'm beginning to like daisies better."

She smiled and nodded. "I like them too. They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Logan stared at her, a small smile on his lips. "Absolutely." For a moment, his eyes rested on her, taking in all her features. Then he caught himself and cleared his throat. "I noticed that with some of the flowers it looked like you were praying?"

She looked confused for a second, then her face lit up with realization. "Oh! No, I wasn't praying. Not exactly. It's more like sending good thoughts into the universe."

He looked at her dumbfounded. "What?"

She chuckled. "I assigned each special person in my life a plant. So, whenever I see it, I can send good thoughts their way." She looked at him, his face showed no emotion. She bit her lip. "You think it's stupid, don't you?"

Logan shook his head. "Actually, I think it's great." He looked at her. "So, what does one need to do to get a plant assigned to them? Should I start doing cartwheels while singing 'Twinkle twinkle, little star'?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Nothing that crazy. Plus, you already have one, so don't worry about it."

He looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "I have one?" He couldn't believe it. "Don't you kind of not like me?"

Maggie chuckled. "Well, you've been helping me so much that I thought that you deserved one." She stood up. "I guess I better get started on your casserole. Wouldn't want you to pass out from hunger."

He chuckled. "I'll finish up out here then." She nodded and made her way into the apartment. He watched her walk inside, his thoughts racing. Maggie Turner was surprising him more and more each day. He looked at the daisies they had planted and smiled. He wondered if he started liking daisies when he found out that 'Maggie' could be translated to 'Daisy' in French.