Page 5 of Renovating with the Mountain Man
Without thinking, I cupped her cheek with my hand and when she leaned into it, rubbing her soft skin along my rough palm, the desire to kiss her exploded inside me. I couldn’t ignore it or wish it away, the feeling, the urge, the desire too strong to fight against any longer.
I leaned closer and closer, when the door suddenly opened. Our customer stood there with a questioning look. I yanked my hand down and jumped back. “Hi Mr. Smith! Sorry, I was just about to ring your bell.”
“Hi. No worries, I saw you on my ring cam. Come on in.” He opened the door wider and gestured for us to come in. Thankfully, he didn’t mention what he just saw and instead left us alone to work.
Focus, focus, I needed to focus. I led Phoenix to the sunroom, and we discussed her ideas, incorporating some of my own for the build and design. She studied the light and shade of the room and made a list of what she thought would work best.
“I studied botany in college, got a four-year bachelor’s degree in it, and spend a lot of time growing my own gardens at home. Plants are fascinating to me. Living organisms, we rely on for the very air we need to breathe.” Phoenix explained. She went on to describe her ideas and why she chose each plant, and I listened intently, finding her knowledge very admirable and interesting. I could listen to her for hours and never grow bored.
“Wow. You really know your stuff.”
“I sure do. Okay, I think I’m about done. I’ll start getting supplies together.” Phoenix said.
A few minutes later, we said our goodbyes before heading back to the flower shop. My stomach rumbled. I should drop her off and head back to finish the reno work in the sunroom, but I didn’t want our time to end just yet.
“Are you working today?”
“No, I’m off. Are you?”
“Yeah, but I’m not in any rush. Are you hungry? Would you like to grab some lunch with me?”
Phoenix smiled. “I’d love to.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Phoenix
My jaw hurtfrom talking so much. My jaw literally hurt, as in sore, like an overworked muscle. Sure, I’ve had gab sessions with my mom and sometimes friends, but nonstop conversation wasn’t my style.
Yet when I was with Lyric, it became my style and then some. The words flowed out of me like a fire hydrant being drained, water pouring from the spout.
The more time we spent together, the more I liked him. I liked him so much I walked around with a goofy-looking smile on my face. Amara and Chevelle instantly knew the love bug struck, but I told them they were crazy. I didn’tloveLyric. We were friends, having some fun together. Working on a project together. There wasn’t anything romantic about it.
We worked side by side building the garden together, using wood to frame it. We painted the wood a charcoal color and while it dried, we picked up supplies from the garden center. I filled most of it with soft sand and rocks and various succulent plants. I also added a few potted plants, some that enjoyed sunand some that enjoyed shade, hoping to fill in any empty space. Along the back of the garden, I put down soil and mulch and planted several different plants, from tall growing grass to leafy Japanese maples, along with moss and ferns.
After working, we’d catch dinner together, before he dropped me off at my parent’s house, insisting he picked me up there instead of at work. I secretly think he wanted to see where I lived.
Which led to him meeting my parents, because, of course, they started asking questions about the man picking me up and dropping me off every day. Lyric won them over like he met parents as his day job. My mom invited him over for dinner next week, and while he told them yes, I doubted he’d be there. We would finish the garden tomorrow.
Next week, I’d go back to the shop, and he’ll have moved on to his next job, our time together in the past.
I was fine with it, expected it even. We were only working together, is all. I referred to us as friends, but were we really? Would we stay in touch like friends would?
After we planted the last fern together, we hugged in celebration, the garden finished. I wanted him to kiss me, begged him silently in my head, but since the day he cupped my cheek and leaned in close, he has tried nothing since.
You kiss him.
The thought left me frozen in place, chills moving up and down my spine. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t put myself out there and pray he kissed me back, knowing there was a damn good chance he might not.
But wasn’t I expecting him to do the same?
Lyric pulled up in front of my parent’s house, the workday over, and our project complete.
I sighed, sadness oozing out of my pores and threatening to choke me. “Well, it was nice working with you. If you ever need an indoor Zen Garden again, don’t hesitate to call.”Kiss him.
Lyric parked his truck but kept the engine running, so the a/c kept us cool. He turned towards me. “Phoenix, I don’t want to say goodbye without knowing when I’ll see you again.”
Kiss him. Now’s your chance.
