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“And let us meet him before you jump off the deep end and decide you’re in love.”
“Oh, my God, Mother. Goodbye.”
“I’m not going to lie, when you said we were going on a date, this was the last thing I expected,” I looked at where Jamie sat across the table from me, pulling on his gardening gloves. The beginning of our night started with dinner at Biryani Bliss, an Indian restaurant I’d been dying to try since it opened. And as amazing as their butter chicken was, they’d be seeing my face at least once a week.
He smirked, wiggling an eyebrow at me. “Gotta expect the unexpected when it comes to me, Love.”
“That’s a complete 180 coming from you, Luck. What happened to the predictable man I met?”
“He met a woman who changed him,” he shrugged, handing me a pair of gloves.
Getting dirty wasn’t on my agenda for the night, but for the effort he’d put into planning what he called a Sip and Pot, I’d willingly participate. So there we were at a potting table, with custom potters he’d purchased with our names engraved on them, two juvenile plants, and soil.
“When you first told me you were into landscaping, I thought you meant cutting the grass or pulling weeds.”
“So you stereotyped me?” he teased, chuckling deeply.
Shrugging sheepishly, I nodded. “Guilty.”
“That’s crazy, seeing as how I put together a flower arrangement for you the night of your spoken word.”
“I won’t lie; I thought you said it to make yourself sound good,” I admitted with a giggle. “I had no clue you were serious. I just appreciated all the effort you put into making the night feel special for me.”
“One of these days you’re going to learn to trust me, Nyx,” he smiled. “But I get why it’s hard to believe. People usually picture women when they think of something as delicate as plants or flowers.”
“Exactly. Not a six-foot-three, brooding man.”
“Broody men have soft sides too.”
“I’m starting to see that. Now, what am I supposed to be doing?”
He gave me quick, simple enough instructions, and we got to work.
“So, I haven’t brought this up because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on you, but I checked the details of the showcase you told me about, and the application deadline is creeping up soon.”
“I know,” Jamie grunted, removing one of his gloves to grab his drink.
“Sooo,” I urged. “Have you decided what you’re going to do yet?”
“Damn, you don’t give up, do you?”
“You know the answer to that by now.”
“Well, let me put you out of your misery. Yes, Nyx. You, my brother, and Xi will all be happy to know I’m going to apply.”
“Eeeek,” I sang, excitedly wigging in my chair. “I promise I won’t say another word about it now that I’ve gotten my way.”
“Maybe you won’t for the next five minutes, but I damn sure won’t hold my breath expecting you to stay quiet about it forever.”
“Look who’s learning his opponent.”
“That’s what a winner does, baby.”
“Oh, shut up,” packing the soil around the plant, I admired the beauty of the potters. “These are beautiful, by the way.”
“Thanks. I’m glad they got here in time. I wanted to think of something out of the box to do that you hadn’t experienced yet.”
“This was definitely something new.”
