Page 2 of Immortal By Morning
“Well, if they can’t fix it or find a replacement excavator by tomorrow, tell Jared to get to work on pulling out the indoor garden in the meantime. I know the carpet hasn’t arrived yet, but they can still dig out the plants and dirt, fill it in with the gravel, and pour and spread the concrete to be ready for when the carpet does get there,” Gina said firmly. “I really want all the inside stuff done before I get back. It’ll eliminate the bother of the construction crew tramping in and out of the house and distracting us while we’re working.”
“That would be nice,” Abril said slowly, and then grimaced and told her, “Except Jared explained that the carpet isn’t the only reason they didn’t move on to the indoor garden before starting outside. He said it was more economical to bring in the gravel and concrete for both the indoor garden and the foundation at the same time. He plans on having a couple of men dig out the indoor garden right before the gravel comes for filling the foundation, and the same with the concrete. They’ll pour it outside and inside from the same deliveries. He said that way there also wouldn’t be a great gaping hole in the living room floor for days or weeks for someone to fall into.”
Abril had no trouble hearing Gina’s mutter of irritation before the woman said, “Well, that makes sense, I guess. I just can’t wait to be rid of that indoor garden. I hate the plants in it.”
Abril smiled crookedly, relieved her boss wasn’t throwing a fit at the news she’d just imparted. Herrelief had her teasing, “You mean you hate watering those plants on weekends when I can’t make it in.”
“That too,” Gina acknowledged. “But I hate the plants as well. Honestly, I don’t know what the Bransons were thinking. I mean, could they possibly have found uglier ones? Between that nasty, spindly palm tree or yucca thing that looks like a bent and emaciated old man, and those overgrown cornstalks—”
“They aren’t cornstalks,” Abril interrupted with amusement, but admitted, “They do kind of look like them though. Fifteen-foot cornstalks. And, yes, they are ugly.” After a brief pause, she teased, “But you didn’t even mention the Naked-man orchids. Won’t you be happy to be rid of those?”
“Oh, well, those aren’t so bad,” Gina said. “In fact, I find them kind of cathartic.”
“Cathartic?” Abril echoed with surprise.
“Yeah. Anytime I think of William and his taking off like he did, I go down and pinch the little pecker off one of the Naked-man orchids.”
“Oh gawd, Gina!” Abril cried on a disbelieving laugh. “You don’t!”
“I do. Well, at least, I did,” she assured her. “And I’ll miss doing it. In fact...” She paused and then said thoughtfully, “Maybe rather than get rid of the garden altogether, I should just have them pull out everything but the Naked-man orchids and plant different, more attractive trees and bushes around them.”
Abril grimaced at the words. Gina had vacillated for months between changing plants or digging up the garden and either replacing it with flooring or adding a water feature in its place. Her indecisiveness had nearly driven Abril and the contractor crazy. It hadbeen a relief when her boss had settled on removing the garden and making the living room larger.
Much larger, Abril thought. The indoor garden was twelve feet by twelve feet, with a three-foot walkway alongside it. Once the garden was gone, the living room would be thirty-five feet by fifteen feet. That was much larger than she felt any living room needed to be, but had no desire for Gina to keep that damned garden. Mostly because she would be stuck continuing to water and tend it and Abril had also hated watering the ugly plants. She wasn’t eager to water different ones now, so warned, “Whatever you like, but as I already told you, my coming over on the weekends to water the garden was a favor I won’t keep up after this. So if you choose to keep the indoor garden, you’ll have to tend to it yourself, or hire someone to do it for you.”
Much to her relief, Gina breathed out unhappily and said, “I suppose it’s better to stick with the plan and get rid of it altogether then. I mean the indoor garden is the main reason I bought the house, but I can’t remember to water it myself, and don’t want strangers coming and going on the weekends, so if you won’t water it for me...”
A long pause followed. Abril knew her boss was hoping that guilt would move her to fill that silence with an offer to continue the weekend waterings, but that wasn’t happening. She’d already done that for Gina for over six months now and it had been a pain in the ass. An unpaid pain in the ass too, she thought with irritation. She hadn’t minded at first because it was only supposed to be for a month or so before the renos started. Unfortunately, the start date for that had got pushed back, and then got pushed back again, andthen again. Six months later they had finally started, but she was thoroughly over it.
House and dog sitting for Gina during the last of the renos, which her boss had escaped by flying off to warmer climes, was the last of the favors she would do, and she was only doing that because she was being paid well for it. But after this she was only working normal hours. There would be no more coming in on weekends to water the plants and oh-while-you’re-here-can-you walk Lilith/run out and grab me groceries/pick up my dry cleaning, or anything else. Abril liked her boss, but that liking would only stretch so far.
“Right, so the original plan of removing it stands,” Gina said when Abril remained silent. Not letting her respond, her boss added, “I guess I should get off the phone. We’re going to do a little shopping before dinner.”
“Okay. Have fun,” Abril said.
“Will do,” Gina assured her. “You have my number if there are any more problems. Call if you need me, Abby.”
“I’m sure everything will go fine.”
“Famous last words,” Gina said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I’ll knock on wood,” Abril told her grimly.
“You do that. And call me if they find bodies or buried treasure in the indoor garden when they dig it up.”
“Bodies?” Abril asked with a disbelieving laugh.
“Yeah. Well, I’m still trying to figure out where William went. Months of dating and he just disappeared into thin air. Maybe he fell into the garden and the ground swallowed him up.”
Abril hesitated, unsure what to say. She knew Ginahad fallen hard and quickly for William. And he’d seemed to be just as enamored. After months of dating, and another month of practically living at the house, the man had gone out for milk and never returned. His sudden disappearing act had hit Gina hard. It was why she’d arranged this trip with a couple of girlfriends, to get away, relax, and get over William. It seemed that the getting over him part wasn’t working out so well. Not yet anyway.
“It’s a joke, Abs,” Gina said quietly, drawing Abril from her thoughts. “William can go hang for all I care.”
“He wasn’t good enough for you,” Abril blurted. “I mean he was cute and fit, but the guy was dumb as a stump.”
“Yeah,” Gina murmured wearily. “Anyway, I should get going. Make sure you send those contracts to Rutherford. I’ve already started to work on ideas for those ads he wants and am eager to discuss them with him, but won’t do so until he signs on the dotted line.”
“Already gone,” Abril assured her. “I sent them by courier last night. I’ll let you know as soon as he signs and sends them back.”
