Page 4 of Orlando
The thought made him shudder in horror.He could think of nothing worse except the community garden closing or losing his job.
He shook himself and decided to stop thinking about it.It wouldn’t change anything, and it wasn’t like he had time to waste.He didn’t only take care of his plot at the community garden.He helped other people, too, including Martha, who was struggling to pull out some weeds.
Liam reached her side before she could topple over, although it was a close thing.“What do you think you’re doing?”he asked as he hooked a hand around her elbow and kept her on her feet.
She turned to glare at him.She always looked put together, even when she was gardening.She made pearl necklaces look good, even with dirt on her gloved hands.“What does it look like I’m doing?I’m gardening.”
“I already told you to call me if you needed help.”
“Ever considered that maybe I didn’t call you because Idon’tneed your help?”
Liam grinned.He wasn’t offended by Martha’s snarkiness.He knew that deep inside, she loved him.
Verydeep inside.
* * * *
“YOU SHOULD COME TOdinner,” Seymour said as he and Orlando left the coffee shop.
“You spent the entire afternoon with me.Why would you want to have dinner together, too?”
Seymour frowned.“Because you’re my friend.I like spending time with you.”
Orlando had been teasing, but that was nice to hear.“I like spending time with you, too, but I’m sure that Jimmy wouldn’t be too happy to find me sitting on his couch when he comes home from work.”
“He’s not at work today.He’s with Wallace.”
Orlando bumped his shoulder against Seymour’s.“You know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean, but seriously.I get it if you don’t want to have dinner with us, but you should consider it.”
It actually didn’t sound bad.What else did Orlando have to do?Go back to his empty apartment and stare at the wall?Turn on the TV and watch some reality show?He could think of nothing worse, but at the same time, he didn’t want to bother Seymour and Jimmy.They had their own lives, and they didn’t need to coddle Orlando.
Orlando’s gaze caught on a few flyers stuck on the wall by the coffee shop door.One was for a babysitter offering their services, another for a dog sitter doing the same, but the last one was more interesting.“There’s a community garden in town?”
“Really?”Seymour asked.
They both paused to read the flyer.It advertised a community garden not far from the coffee shop.Apparently, everyone was welcome, even if only to take a walk and look around.
“You like plants,” Seymour said.
“I like houseplants.I doubt they have any of those in a community garden.They’re more for vegetables, aren’t they?”
“I have no idea, and since you don’t know, either, you should go and take a look.What’s the worst that can happen?”
Orlando could think of several things, but that was the trained assassin in him.Nothing would happen.It was a community garden.The people there were normal, unlike Orlando and Seymour.There would be no weird attacks, and no one would be trying to kill anyone.
“You should think about it,” Seymour said.“Even if you only go once, take a look around, and decide it’s not your thing.”
He was right.Orlando had been so busy worrying about what he wanted to do with his life and what his next step would be that he hadn’t given himself time to settle into his new life.He hadn’t allowed himself to do anything fun, either, because it felt wrong.He was supposed to focus on finding a job.
But he didn’t have to find a job he’d do for the rest of his life.He could do something less permanent, or hell, maybe something that felt less permanent but that would become permanent.Like Seymour had said, he could start at the coffee shop or even stocking the shelves at the grocery store.He just needed to startsomewhere.
“You know, I think I’ll go to check it out now,” he told Seymour.
Seymour blinked at him.“Really?”
“Really.Like you said, it’s not like I have anything better to do.”
