Page 54 of Small Town Boy

He gives me another wink, then turns to get everything set up. I watch him intently, mesmerized by it all. I’ve never been much of an outdoors kind of gal but I’m intrigued by this. The simplicity of it, paired with the quiet cool night air.

Handing me a fishing pole, Noel gestures for me to sit on the blanket he’s laid out at the edge of the dock. I follow his lead, plopping down on the wood, letting my legs hang over the side. But past this, I’m lost.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course.”

I lean to whisper in his ear. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Well, you’re holding the pole wrong for starters.”

“What?!”

Laughing, he takes the pole and he positions it in my hand, explaining exactly how this works. I hang on every word, like a schoolgirl crushing on her teacher. Once we’re settled, we sit in silence for a long moment, letting our surroundings soak in.

It’s a beautiful night, the last sliver of daylight hanging on by a thread, peeking through the trees. It’s been a long time since I’ve been comfortable enough with another human being—of either gender—to relax like this. I like it.

“Sooooo…now we just sit like this until something happens?”

“Pretty much.”

“Will it disturb the fish if we talk?”

Noel chuckles, shaking his head. “Doubtful.”

“Good, because I want to know more about why landscaping and working with your family.”

“I like working with my hands and making things grow. Getting to play in the dirt is an added bonus.”

“But there’s a difference between enjoying gardening and running a whole landscaping company. With your brother. That’s connected to the company your parents run. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child and now an orphan, but that just seems like a lot of family to me.”

Noel narrows his eyes, dragging them up and down my body, clearly sizing me up for something. The heat of his gaze leaves a trail in its wake, making my pulse race. Then, he smiles. And the pulse that was racing all but stutters to a stop, skips a few beats, and then picks up the pace.

“It is a lot of family. Which most days is great. Some days not so much, but those tend to be few and far between. It’s hard to explain, because I’ve always known that continuing Keller Nursery is what I wanted to do. Be the seventh generation of Kellers at the helm, and hopefully pass it on to my kid someday.”

“Hence the business minor?”

Noel taps on his nose, letting me know I got the answer correct. “In high school we made deliveries for the nursery and mowed lawns for some extra cash. Then one day in art class, Nash drew this landscape, and it was really good. He found that he loved the design part of it, and I liked the science-y plant part of it and boom, the idea to do our own thing was born. When Dustin hit it big, he asked if we were serious and gave us the seed money to start it.”

“So what about the nursery? Will you still take over someday?” Noel squints again, as if he thinks I’m up to something. “I’m just curious! I want to know what life plans you have.”

“Find a pretty girl, maybe have a couple of kids, run the family business. Those are the only ones I got, Honey.”

“From the sounds of it, you’re well on your way to running things. So you’ve done one of those.”

“I think I might have done two.”

I can feel my cheeks redden, wondering if Noel can see it in the dim light. He really does choose his words carefully—and does a damn good job at it.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

“What?”

I pause, expecting another semi-cheesy line. I’m prepared to swoon, nonetheless, but Noel takes me by surprise.

“About the offer.”

“Offer?”