Untie the Knot

Chapter 9

It's a bit chilly outside, but the expanse of indigo blue sky peeking from behind cottony clouds promises a lovely afternoon.

I put on my hoodie and point at the Rover in front of me. "Your undercover car?"

"Not really." Haze chuckles. "More like my countryside car. It's ideal for getting around on dirt roads and through mud."

"Is that what you do out here? Drive your Rover through the mud?"

"Sort of." He adjusts the collar of his jacket. "The Jaguar isn't built for that. Driving around here is a lot more fun with a car I don't need to keep clean and tidy."

I nod and grin. He sounds like a little boy talking about his toy cars.

When we turn towards the backside of the cottage, a soft breeze ruffles the spring green leaves on the majestic plane trees that flank the building like tall sentinels. There's a narrow pathway lined by neatly trimmed hawthorn hedges leading towards a large area with vegetable patches right behind the house.

"And what exactly is this business you are doing around here?"

"I visit the surrounding farms to evaluate their produce. While I grow my own fruits, I still depend on other suppliers to complete my range of products. I believe in offering only the highest quality, so I make sure to check everything in person."

"Ah, yes, it's the making-people-happy thing." I draw another imaginary sign in the air and Haze answers me with a grin.

"Yes, it is. Only happy clients will be returning customers."

At the end of the pathway, Haze gears his steps across stone slabs that frame the vegetable beds in rectangles of tilled earth, leafy greens and what appears to be a beautifully arranged herbary. I soak in the view while he points left and right.

"This is Kronos's terrain. He's an expert when it gets to vegetables. Nemea has taken to grow her own herbs, so we gave her a corner over there where she can experiment as much as she likes."

I'm kind of curious to ask about Nemea's mother, but since Haze hasn't mentioned her, I decide to swallow my question. Families can be a complicated thing. No need to ask the wrong thing so early on.

The air is heavy with the scent of early blooming basil and marjoram in decorative pots. I take a deep breath. "This is really nice. Wouldn't you want to live out here? If I had an estate like this, I'd never want to go back to the city."

"Have you looked around?" He raises his eyebrows and makes a sweeping gesture with his arms. His leather jacket opens just enough to grant me a glimpse of exactly how well-fitting his t-shirt is.

"It's really pretty." I quickly glance at a little stream that weaves itself through the grass like a silver ribbon.

"You are right, but it's also pretty remote. Not much catering to do in this corner of the country. Most of the business is in the city because that's where the majority of events take place."

"But do you enjoy living in the city?" I bury my hands in the pockets of my hoodie as we walk on. Just in case. I'm not used to having such a gorgeous-looking man within my reach.

"It's not about enjoyment, but about what's best for the business." We take a pathway at the far end of the vegetable patches towards the rows of trees that grow larger as we approach them. "And who knows, maybe I just want to live there beneath the blue suburban skies?" He hums a melody I only know all too well and then he looks at me, the corner of his mouth twitching. He's holding back a smile. I can see it.

"You do know the song then." I narrow my eyes.

"Everyone knows Penny Lane." He shrugs. "It's a classic."