Page 9 of True Soil-Mates

Jasmine: Can we make it 6:30?

Sure – see you then.

By the time I arrive, I’ve changed three times and dissolved two breath mints in my mouth, one after the other.

Jasmine is a vision when I see her standing in front of the plant shop. She’s dressed perfectly for a burger date: black leggings, cute black leather boots, and a short-sleeved bluebutton-down dress that kind of looks like an oversized man’s shirt, but more stylish.

She jumps into the car before I’ve even opened my door. “Hi!”

I turn to her and scowl. “You’re supposed to let me get the door for you. It’s a guy thing.”

She squeezes my forearm. “Yes, but then Mom and my sisters would be staring out the window at us, and I’d get all self-conscious.”

“Noted. Next time, I won’t even stop the car, just slow to a crawl and fling the door open.”

Her laughter fills me with such joy. There’s a lightness about her that I find genuinely inspiring.

We pull up in front of Ray’s Diner and she claps her hands delightedly. “Ahh! I’ve always wanted to come here! I just never happen to be hungry when I’m in this part of Kingsville.”

I take her arm as we walk in, and she looks up at me with a smile that melts my heart. “This place is perfect, thank you,” she whispers as we walk across the black and white linoleum tile floor to the teal vinyl booth in the corner.

All the other tables have little arrangements of daisies, but this one has a small vase of roses, and three tall white candles. Jasmine beams when she sees them, and we slide into the booth, sitting close together.

A pretty waitress in a blue uniform struts over with menus, her dark hair pulled into a high, bouncy ponytail. “Welcome to Ray’s Diner. We don’t often get reservations for dates officially deemed important.” She smiles, throwing Jasmine a wink. “I’m Claudia. For the record, I’m a fan of men who make a big deal of the details like…” She waves her hands at the table setting. “The special tonight is the French onion burger, and it’s honestly divine, as long as you both have it.”

I glance at Jasmine, who raises an eyebrow, then nods. “Perfect,” I say. “Onion breath for both of us. And…fries?” Another nod.

Claudia takes the menus back, analyzing us. “Actually, no. You’re each going to start with a small Caesar salad, because that comes with the burger. Then how about the triple play – regular fries, sweet potato fries, and onion rings. That way you can mix and match. Yeah?”

“Perfect, thank you.” I turn to Jasmine, slipping my hand down to squeeze her knee.

“I knew I’d love it here,” she whispers. “Even the fifties music is amazing.”

She pulls a tablet from her purse, and we quickly go over her ideas. Over our salad, she shows me photos of small hanging ferns that will soften the top edge of the lunchroom windows without taking up any valuable floor space.

Not only has she considered the lighting and water requirements of every plant, she’s arranged them by fertilizer and soil needs, so that groups of plants will be happy in the same pot.

She’s brilliant. “You’re a wizard,” I murmur. “A wizard of greenery. How did you learn all of this?”

She shrugs, taking a sip of sparkling water. “I’ve been learning since I was able to carry a watering can. I mean, there are complicated plants that require precise care. But for your purposes, we need simple and effective. Hardy, natural greenery that’s easy to care for. Like, why perform complex surgery when a simple bandage would do the trick?”

“Right.”

She looks up at me, her tongue darting across her bottom lip as her thick lashes flutter. “I assume you’ll need me to come by every week to check on them all?”

“Of course.” I wait while Claudia removes our salad bowls. “I guess that’s why you were looking for corporate accounts? To have an ongoing revenue flow?”

Her face falls.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter quickly. “Did I say something wrong?—”

“No, not at all. It’s just… I don’t want you to think that I’m just after your money.”

She looks relieved when I chuckle. “I hadn’t thought that at all. I’m just glad that you’re able to solve a problem. Charge whatever you like. It’ll be paid immediately. ”

I wink, squeezing her knee. “Making my staff think that I have a soul and reassuring Carol that I’m not working myself to death are both very important things.”

Jasmine’s fingernail pokes me in the center of my navy silk tie. Wow, it almost matches her lovely eyes. “Hey, if she thinks you need work-life balance, then I’m going to be on Team Carol there, too.” I lean a bit closer, scowling and making grumbling noises. She laughs, then leans in to kiss me on the cheek. “Knock it off, or we’re going to get in trouble.”

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