Page 70 of Trial Run

“Yeah, let’s go inside.” She threaded her arm around his waist and they started up the path to her door. After a few steps, Nell stopped walking and studied her yard. She’d run out the door too fast to pay attention to it before, but these flower arrangements were familiar.

“This garden design … It’s from one of my drawings,” she said.

“It is. I hope I remembered most of the details.”

“You gave me my dream garden.”

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “I know this is a rental. Your landlord was fine with me providing free landscaping here, but I’d hoped … I mean, someday, you could have your dream garden at my house. Our house. When you’re ready, of course.”

Nell swiped her eyes with the back of a hand. “Thank you, Ben. So much. I didn’t look that closely when I ran out the door. But this is perfect. And you called Amy to arrange it.”

He nodded. “Last week. She told me she had some landscaper friends, and she’d work something out. It wasbeyond the scope of the flower shop, but I wanted her to have part of the profits.”

“She knew all last week? Yesterday, she asked me what was going on with me, and I said it was nothing.”

“Well. I asked her to keep it a secret. I didn’t know what your response would be, but I wanted to be here when you found out.”

“I love it. And I think Marco was more excited than me at first. He’s the one who spotted them first and woke me up.”

On cue, Marco’s face appeared in the front window, watching them approach. Nell opened the door, and he came around the corner from the kitchen, staring up at the two of them, his eyes fixed on Ben’s arm around Nell’s waist.

“Why were you kissing my mom?” he demanded, as shocked as if he’d seen them sprout wings and start flying.

Ben shot a helpless look at Nell. Clearly, he hadn’t planned a speech for this part of the morning.

“Ben brought us all these flowers,” she told him. “To say he was sorry for the way he left before. He wanted to come back. And he and I are going to try dating now.”

Marco wrinkled his nose. “So he was your friend, but now he’s your boyfriend.”

“That’s right.”

Marco nodded knowingly, as if everything made sense now. “It’s all right. That happened to one of my friends at school, and he said having a girlfriend wasn’t as bad as it seemed.”

He fixed Ben with a stern look. “You should have come back sooner. Mom was sad.”

Ben knelt down by her son. “I’m very sorry. I won’t do it again. I already promised your mom, and I promise you, too.”

“I told her you were just nervous, like I am at school. But that’s okay.”

Ben swallowed. “You’re right about me being nervous. I’m glad you understand.”

“No problem. Hey, I can show you my collection now.” He turned and ran upstairs.

Nell shook her head. “All he wants to do is hunt for rocks now. If you’re ever up for taking him …”

Ben straightened and took her hands. “I’d love to. I’ll take him every weekend, as long as I’m able. I never wanted to hurt him. You must have been so angry with me, for his sake.”

“I think he was confused more than anything else. He kept asking when we could call you.”

He shook his head. “I’m never going to stop apologizing. I might need more flowers.”

“You can stop now.” She smiled up at him, her realest, truest smile. “Because you’re back. And you love me.”

“Always.”

Nell got ready for work upstairs while Ben admired Marco’s rock collection. When she came down the stairs, they were seated together, chatting about a rock that Marco was certain was a dinosaur egg.

Ben had made toaster waffles again. He looked up at her and smiled, love in his eyes.

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