Page 38 of Finding Basil
“Why not right here on your place? Build a little store right there in the corner by the road, sell fresh herbs, herb plants and then your creams, and if you can, sell flavored honeys and oils. It’s what Basil wants to do, so you’d have a partner.”
“Really?”
Basil shyly nodded. “Herbal jams, honeys, and oils, then delve into cleaning products, hair care, skin care. There are so many things and ways to make them cheap. That’s the part I’m not sure about, though. Doing a few for a roadside stand is one thing. Expanding? I’m lost.”
“Well, it seems we are fortuitous. I can handle that. In fact, I can get ahold of a company that sells the oils and butters for the skin and hair care, and another that can do the bottling for us, if we become that big.”
Basil’s eyes were wide, glistening with excitement. It was as if he had the dream for a long time, but never thought he could make it come true. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Getting the word out too, that would be great. I’m pretty decent at marketing, but do you think Carla would like a job? The youthful face of the product? Get her a TikTok account, Instagram, just for our products.”
“Gettin’ ahead of yourselves, aren’t ya?” Lila asked, patting the dome of one of the planter cells.
“Right,” Basil said, blushing. “But…this could work.”
“It surely can.”
They all had coffee on the porch that evening, and Lila told them more about the plants she’d grown in her younger years, and how hard it was to get and keep contracts for her products.
“The government ain’t worth a tick for keeping their contracts. In comes one president, and he’s okaying the contract to buy seven thousand pounds of tomatoes and that goes well until the next one comes in and drops it, so you’re stuck that year with all those tomatoes and you’re scrambling to find a buyer for them before they all rot in the barn.”
“So, no government contracts, then.”
“Not a chance if you’re smart. Local stores are the best, and restaurants that are big enough to buy bulk. Thinking outside the box works great and hold on to your castoffs. Ketchup companies, spaghetti sauce, all of them will take the ugly ones, or those that didn’t grow the best.”
“We’re specializing in herbs, though.”
“Yeah, same goes for them. Sell the castoffs to those herb companies that dry ‘em and jar ‘em.”
“Thank you, Lila. I appreciate the advice. I came here figuring that I’d be teaching myself and messing up from day one, and I’m still doing a bit of that, but with your help and Basil’s, I might make something of this yet.”
Basil lingered after Lila left, and as much as Herb wanted to take him to bed right then, he had plans for their date. “Saturday night, you and me, dinner, dancing, making love…”
Basil kissed him tenderly. “It sounds perfect.”
“You’re the sweetest, most beautiful man I’ve ever met, Basil. I want to make you happy.”
With a sigh, he said, “You do. Very happy.”
“Go home before you mess up all my plans,” Herb said, though it was like chewing nails to get out the words.
“Yeah. I guess I have to, huh? But on Saturday, I’m bringing my toothbrush.”
Herb pulled him in and kissed him with a passion that surprised him. He meant the kiss to be much more chaste, a mereamuse bouchefor what was to come, and instead it was completely foreplay.
Holding him in his arms felt right. Not just like romance novels portrayed an embrace, but it felt like Basil was what was missing from his arms all his life. A comfort came with it, on the side of that passion that overwhelmed him.
Basil’s mouth was joyful, soft and warm, his tongue sweeping across Herb’s roughly, giving him all the desire he felt back to him. The way that kiss went on, Basil’s hands around the back of Herb’s neck, the closeness of their bodies, it was possibly the happiest moment of Herb’s life.
He wanted a change when he moved from the city, but he had no idea what a change it would be. To find what could possibly, and probably, be the love of his life, it had never crossed his mind.
When the kiss ended, Basil’s voice was rough as he said, “I need to go now. Right now.”
“Yeah, you do, but dammit if I want you to.”
His eyes were so expressive, telling the stories that were flowing through his mind. At that moment, Basil’s eyes told Herb that he felt like Herb did, that it was definitely the beginning of something great, something that he hadn’t expected either.
“I really like you, Herb. I’m glad you moved here,” he said, then he turned and walked away, leaving Herb to contain his heart from leaping right out of his chest.
