Page 18 of True Soil-Mates

Think fast. Fix this.

Bending down, I lift it gently, checking to see how the others are set in their pots. I carefully straighten it in the center and replace the soil around it. It feels kind of dry. Maybe these were about to be watered? It takes a minute to get the pointy leaves standing relatively upright, but at least the roots are tucked into the dirt again.

I hear a gasp and look up to see Jasmine staring at me.

“I’m so sorry.” I scoop a few last handfuls of soil into the pot and straighten up. “I turned to look at that fluffy tree and my elbow hit this little guy. He fell right out, but fit back in the pot pretty well, I think. The roots were exposed for a minute, but I covered them up as fast as I could. Is that…bad?”

Her bottom lip quivers. Is she blinking away tears? Now I’m seriously worried. “I… I didn’t kill the little guy, did I? I thought that plants were sturdier than that.”

“They are. It’s fine.” She takes the plant from me, setting it back on the bench and popping in a bit of extra soil. “It shouldn’t have exposed roots for hours, or they might dry out. But half a minute is totally okay.”

I sigh with relief, then examine her expression. “Then why do you look so upset?”

Her breath is shaky. “Look, I don’t know how to be in a relationship, or read people, or tell people what they want to hear, or any of that.”

“Sweetheart, all I want from you is honesty.” My lips drift across the top of her hair. “Please. Tell me everything.”

She laughs awkwardly. “I… I was worried that you’d be unable to deal with the dirty parts of my job. And, you know…the messy parts of life. Like if a toilet breaks, or a baby needs its diaper changed, or a toddler is eating mud.”

“Oh my God…” I hug her close, running the heel of my hand up and down her back so my dirty fingers don’t touch her shirt. It feels like my chest has been unzipped. There’s room to breathe, now that I know what the problem was.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I promise, I’m only a clean freak at work.” I kiss her hair again. “And in restaurants. Hospitals. Okay, at the dentist too. Places where it really should be extremely clean.”

I step back, pointing to a big gray bin of dark stuff. “So… What’s this?”

“Coco coir – shredded coconut husk. You mix it with perlite and soil to make a lighter potting mix so plant roots don’t get waterlogged.”

“Do you need some help mixing it? You helped me at my work. Fair is fair.”

“Sure, thanks.” She points to the next bucket. “Two handfuls of that needs to be mixed into the black tub.”

“What is it?”

Jasmine grins, watching my eyes carefully. “Mix of chicken and sheep manure. We have a couple of huge composters in the back – a few local farmers drop off the good stuff for us in exchange for flowers for their wives.”

This is clearly a test. I plunge a hand into the mixture without hesitation, crumbling the dark fertilizer. “Full of nitrogen, right?”

“Yup.”

I blow her a kiss. “Then let’s get dirty, baby.”

Over the next half hour, I learn all about the different potting mixes for various kinds of plants, how to repot, tamp the soil down, and water them thoroughly. All the while, I carefully make zero effort to keep any part of myself dirt-free.

Once we’re scrubbing our hands in the industrial sink, I trail a wet finger along Jasmine’s neck to push her hair out of the way before kissing right under her ear. “Thank you for telling me what you were worried about, baby. I really appreciate it. Now I know what to work on with you.”

“You really want to work on…” Her fingers wave between the two of us, splashing a few water droplets on the front of my shirt and hers in the process. “This?”

“This, as in, we are a couple and this is happening, and I think we’re going to be great for each other?” I nod. “Heck yeah.”

Her expression shifts. “Um, Alex,” she says softly, “I can tell what a plant needs by glancing at it. But, like I said before, sometimes I’m not so good at reading people. So please always feel free to just tell me if you think I’m missing a point, okay?”

“Done.” My lips brush her forehead. “Jasmine, I have all sorts of big mushy romantic feelings for you that I’ve never had before. It might take some time to sort them out.” I swear, a shiver runs through her as she stares up at me. “Do you feel the same way, baby?”

The second she nods, my lips descend to hers. She sighs as I caress her, then she realizes I’m drying my hands on the butt of her jeans. She does the same with my dress pants, leaving both of us laughing.

“We’re going to be so good for each other,” I say softly, pulling her closer. “I’m too obsessive. Type A in every way, as Carol always says.”

“Hey, when was the last time you sent Carol flowers?”

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