Page 40 of Small Town Firsts
The hum and murmur of television voices from two different doors added to the claustrophobic feel. A child was not at all happy with her food situation as we passed one of the doors, while a dog was barking with outrage from the other side of the hall.
We got to the third door at the end of the hall and she unearthed a second key from the rock before she stuffed it in her pocket. She jammed her shoulder into the door and kicked the bottom before it popped open.
“Don’t get too excited. It’s not much.”
I crowded behind her and slid my hand along her hip. “I don’t care.”
She sighed and nodded before slipping inside. She flicked on the lights and I was surprised with the view. Based on the exterior, I’d expected a narrow, airless, crowded room.
Instead, she’d been thoughtful with everything in the limited space. Floating shelves dominated the main wall and made the room feel taller. She utilized the space for plants and photos of people I recognized from the orchard and Lucky’s. A small glass plaque hung between the shelves half hidden by fat leaves from a monstera exploding out of a pot on the floor. I couldn’t read what it was, but I wondered if it was from the Vegas bartending expo.
I wasn’t sure how she’d gotten that monstera to grow in here with the lack of light, but then I noticed the small lights mounted under the shelves. Pretty ingenious. Grow lamps repurposed for lighting the space as well as feeding her obvious plant addiction.
They covered every spare inch. Pots, cups, even a teapot with a cracked spout were all full of greenery. From the variegated, to the solids, to leafy purple ones I couldn’t name.
Evidently my Kira loved plants.
A corner bookcase was her only furniture besides a decadent couch I had no idea how she’d managed to fit into the room. It must have been built in there.
Shelves were stuffed with books on horticulture and true crime with a few bright-colored ones that looked like some sort of feminine fiction. Did she read romance novels? How spicy were they?
The topmost shelf was lined with beakers, bottles, and shot glasses of water full of cuttings in varying stages of propagation. More grow lamps were tacked along the top of the bookcase to give the cuttings maximum light.
Beyond the plants, the space was orderly save for a blanket thrown over the back of the couch and a jelly glass of water on the small table jammed between the couch and wall. It was also surprisingly cool. Her shades were drawn and the low hum of a double box fan in each window drew the hot air out of the room, leaving the place far cooler than I’d expected without an overworked air conditioning unit.
The air was clean thanks to all the plants and underlying moonflower scent that was so uniquely Kira.
“I just want a quick shower before…” She cleared her throat. “Well, just before.”
I nodded.
She headed toward a doorway past the small kitchen which was ruthlessly clean and just as orderly. More plants lined the walls in there too, but these were of the cooking variety. I followed her down the hall, and she stopped at the threshold of her bathroom.
“Can I have a minute?”
I backed her into the bathroom.
“Jeez, Ronan. I take a quick shower. Don’t worry.”
I always felt too big around women, but never around Kira until this moment. The Victorians were definitely stingy when it came to building a bathroom, but one thing they did right was a tub. It was an old claw-footed one that was perfect for a deep soak. A little table sat beside it with a candle and speaker.
I crowded into her, my arm sliding around her waist to reach the faucet. I turned on the water, then I snapped the shower curtain back and tucked it behind the tub before I pushed the stopper into the drain. A little jar of something like salt sat on a shelf. I took off the top and her scent rose up with the steam. I dumped two heaping scoops into the water.
“Hey, that’s expensive stuff.”
I took a mental snapshot of the label so I could order her a damn case of it.
She sighed. “I just need a shower.”
I cupped her face. “Take a bath. I’ll be outside.” I dropped a kiss on her forehead then on her slack lips. “I’m in no rush.”
She laid her hands on my chest. “And if I am?”
“Even more reason for you to take some time. I’m not going to be a mistake, Kira.”
Taking a step back from her was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.
But she was worth it.
