Page 33 of Best Man
“There. How’s that?” he asked, showing his finished product.
He’d done it perfectly without any guidance. And it was a good thing, because she hadn’t been paying very close attention.
“That’s perfect, Niko. Great job!”
He turned and briefly flashed his proud grin at her. “When I got back to hotel, I studied the video you sent me. That way I know what I’m doing.”
Aw.
Why was she so touched? She didn’t know. Well, maybe because it proved he reallydidwant to help, and wasn’t merely being a sleazy pro athlete trying to get some ass or whatever …
But would I really mind if that’s what he was after?
Side by side, they got to work. Working to the music, they found a groove, tissue paper crinkling as they made endless folds and glues.
“What is this music?” he asked.
“It’s chill hop.”
“Chill hop,” he repeated. “Huh.”
“Yeah, but I can put something else on if you hate it,” she said with an air of detachment.
“No. Don’t change it. I love it. Very nice music for what we are doing.”
“Oh, nice,” she said, acting like it was no big deal—but on the inside, she was completely thrilled. “Yeah, I like this music for mindless tasks.”
He chuckled. “What kind of mindless tasks do you do, Paulina?”
“Are you serious? Farming is one big, mindless task, trust me. Planting, harvesting, washing, weighing, everything.”
“Tell me more. I know nothing about farming. I want to know.”
“Okay. Let’s start with planting. First, in the late winter, we have to plant hundreds of seeds for every single crop we grow. Just planting seeds can take a whole day or two.”
“Wait. You plant them in the winter? Won’t they die?”
“We start them in the greenhouse, where it’s warm and sunny.”
“Ooh. I see. You plant them in pots.”
“Yeah, well, in seed trays, anyway. Once those seedlings get a little bigger, we transplant them to slightly bigger pots.”
He gave her a confused look. “Why not plant the seeds in the bigger pots? Wouldn’t that save time?”
“Because then the plant doesn’t grow as strong,” she said. “For whatever reason, they seem to do better when their space is restricted. Start ’em off in the big pot, and they just don’t grow as fast or as robust.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Yup. Really.”
“Why that is?” he asked, and again she found his grammar adorable.
“I don’t really know, honestly. If you want mycompletely unscientific opinion? It seems like, if the pot is too big, then the plants aren’t in a rush because they think life is easy and nutrients are everywhere. But when their roots are cramped for space, they get serious and make good use of the space theydohave and grow big and strong.”
“Wow,” he murmured. “That is kind of fascinating.”
Paulina glanced to see if he was pulling her leg—if he was, she couldn’t tell. “Never thought my job would fascinate a pro hockey player.”
