Page 45 of Fire Harbor

She stared at him. “You’re teasing me about my front yard?”

“Hard not to. I drive by there on days when I need cheering up.”

“Really? You never said.”

“I’m telling you now. Your flower garden makes tourists stop and take photos. I’ve seen them do it. I thought you knew.”

That made her smile. “Now I do. Thanks. I was thinking of adding some depth. Come on. I know just what I’m looking for. It won’t take but a minute.” She wheeled her already bulging cart to the seed packet display. She focused on mostly inexpensive flowers like periwinkles, zinnias, petunias, and cosmos to add some color. But she couldn’t resist buying up all the fire twister sunflower packets.

“I didn’t realize sunflowers came in red,” Linus commented, surveying her selections.

“Red orange,” she corrected. “Butterflies and pollinators love them. Come Memorial Day, these babies will be in full bloom. They promise a four-inch flower. No joke. You want to add anything else of your own?”

“Me? Flowers? Um, no. Well. Wait. On second thought, what about a patch of daisies?”

Pleased, Lake smiled. “Be my guest.”

She watched as he added another six packets of seeds to their cart, three blue and three crimson red that promised huge golden centers.

After paying for her haul, they returned to the car, Linus eyeing all the plants. Behind him, the sun had already begun its descent toward the horizon. “If we intend to get these in the ground tonight, we need to get moving.”

“What, no dinner?”

“I’ll spring for pizza after we get all this stuff planted.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a harsh taskmaster, Mr. Canfield?”

“You’ll thank me later.”

“Yeah. I think I will.”

Later, they worked side by side at the Marigold House until dusk, mud up to their elbows and dirty smudges on their clothes. They had moved fast through the raised beds, making sure every plant was firmly in place. They’d spent the afternoon replenishing what Mother Nature had destroyed. It felt like they’d achieved a sliver of success.

After they were done, they washed down the gardening tools and stored them away in the shed, surrounded by the scent of soil and newly planted vegetation.

Overhead, the stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky as Lake stepped back to admire their handiwork. Wiping her brow, she looked out at the newly rejuvenated garden, then lifted her head to the last rays of sunlight stretched out above them in hues of pink and orange.

“You know, after the kind of day we had, I can’t think of any other place I’d rather be than standing here admiring your garden,” Linus confessed.

Lake turned to him, a soft smile curving her lips. “Is it possible to turn you into a full-fledged gardener?”

He draped an arm on her shoulder. “It isn’t just possible, but likely. But right now, all I can think about is food. And since we have to wait weeks for any of this stuff to feed us, I’m offering you a vegetarian pizza as a consolation prize.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Deal. But I’m offering you a hot shower…with me naked, all soapy and slick.”

“I’d be a fool not to take that deal.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Together they raced into the house like teenagers, the dogs darting after them.

For the first time in a long time, Linus felt happier than he’d felt in a dozen years or more.

Chapter Twelve

April brought forth the official emergence of spring as temperatures climbed into the eighties during the day with sunshine and blue skies prevailing. Delicate buds began to unfurl all over town. Vibrant colors burst forth in a symphony of daffodils and cherry blossoms.

It was Lake’s favorite time of the year.

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