I'm totally awake but I lay in bed with my eyes closed. Ray isn't on his side of the bed. I do wake up late so I'm used to it. The sun streams through the curtains and I pull the large white comforter over my head avoiding the warmth of outside as long as possible. Staying in bed all day seems like heaven to me, but even I, as a woman who doesn't work, still have things to tend to.
-
Once I make my way down the stairs I find one single white rose on the counter with a bottle of wine. A note is attached to the bottle with Ray's handwriting.
Sorry babe, I got a call from the office this morning. Urgent matters, client needs me. I'll be gone for a couple of days, enjoy this with Lori
-Ray
God he acts like he's a surgeon or something, like his client can't find someone else to help him Wiesel his way out of well deserved jail time. My husband sure does know me though, a few years back I was able to persuade Lori (who also lives in arizona) to buy a house a few blocks down and come down with us each summer. Sadly I couldn't get Sharon to buy a home up here, traveling isn't really her thing.
I'm brought out of my thoughts when I see a man in our backyard. Walking through the glass sliding doors I come closer to the tall, dark-curly haired figure.
"Excuse me do you need help?"
He turns around at the sound of my voice and in his hands are huge pruning shears. Taking off his gloves and setting down the scissor like tool for our rose bush he holds out his hand to shake.
"Hi, I'm Lindsey Buckingham. I'm the new gardener"
His caramel tan makes his blue denim eyes pop and they're so enchanting.
"Hi Lindsey, I'm Stephanie. How long have you been out here?"
"About two hours miss"
I feel terrible, the heat today is much more unbearable than usual and I've been up stairs snoozing.
"My gosh, Ray didn't tell me when you'd be starting. Would you like to come inside for some lemonade?"
"Oh no, it's fine miss."
"No really, it's the least I could do! Take a break, I'm sure you're burning out here"
He chuckles at my statement and follows me into the house. I'd say this is rather inappropriate if it were another man but Ray told me he was gay so there's no attraction there, so it's not like I'm bringing in an eligible bachelor into my kitchen.
"Here you go"
I pour him a tall glass
"Thank you miss"
"Please call me Stevie"
"Stevie, I like that name. It's very original"
I don't know why but I blush at the compliment.
"Thank you"
"I'm sorry, I just felt the need to say that"
He nervously laughs
"No need to say sorry, it's a compliment"
Finishing his glass in a hurry I pour him another.
"You're much looser than the last family I worked for, the woman of the House didn't even like being in the same air as me!"
We share a laugh at the statement. I find that ridiculous
"I wouldn't know why. We're equal, just because you do work for my yard doesn't make you below me"
" thank you for seeing it that way, I hate it when people think I'm less just because of my job. Really, this isn't even my main job, I just do this in the summers because I enjoy garden labor as weird as that sounds"
That does sound weird. Ray and all his friends are consumed on how they look. They also need to look like pretty boys because it somehow helps their clientele list, so getting dirty is out of the question.
"May I ask what your main job is?"
"Photography."
"Wow, that's very different from a gardener"
I let out a giggle at how unique this man sounds.
-
One week later
Around nine A.M. there's a knock at our glass sliding doors outback. It's Lindsey, here for his weekly visit.
"Good morning, I'm not sure how short you like the apple tree, so I thought I'd ask before I mess it up."
"Actually I think it's perfect just the way it is, if you could trim the daisies out front that'd be perfect"
"Of course"
Once he's gone I make my way back into the living room where Lori looks like she's about to burst.
"What's gotten into you"
I giggle at the expression on her face
"How hot is your gardener!"
"Back off, your married to my brother and he's gay"
She squints her eyes at me after the last statement and shakes her head
"Nope"
"What do you mean nope?"
"nope as in no! He's not gay"
"Care to elaborate?"
"I just know these things Steph, I have like spider senses"
I playfully slap at her knee ignoring her comment and sipping at my wine.
"You don't believe me do you?"
I have a feeling she's about to try and prove her point. And I'm right. She flitters across the room and walks out to the front door where he is. I stand in the door way watching the fool she's making of herself. Like she's Elizabeth Taylor, she throws on her shades and nonchalantly asks
"So... are you married?"
He's definitely caught off guard and for a minute he tries to read her face to see if she's joking and soon realizes she isn't.
"Can't say that I am..."
"Well do you have a girlfriend?"
"Nope, the last girlfriend I had was two years ago"
She leaves him in a confused daze; smiles triumphantly and marches back in meeting me by the doorway
"I told you so!"
I wish she hadn't because now it's gonna be harder to keep from staring at the new eye candy.
