“A plethora of gnomes.” Emma could pretend seriousness as well as Theo could. “I wonder where they’re all coming from.” She shook her head at the perfectness of the squirrel statue after Zoe and the peanut butter sandwiches. “You know, I may have to reconsider this job. I didn’t realize when I took it on that you have a gnome problem in addition to those pesky snails. I’m afraid I might have missed that section in class about how to deal with gnomes.”
Theo grinned. “They can be difficult to get rid of, but maybe you could train them, make them part of your gardening team.”
Chapter 13
Theo couldn’t remember how he’d even come up with the idea of the garden gnomes, but they’d gone over better than planned with Emma and Zoe. He’d found the first set of gnomes at a local garden shop. They were typical and fit what he was looking for, but he’d hit the jackpot when he came across the squirrels carting off the gnome. That had been the absolute best.
He knew Zoe would love them, and Emma … he was starting to figure her out a little more too. He liked this playful side of hers, and now that she was asking where the plethora of gnomes was coming from, he had to get more.
After lunch on his way back to his New Orleans home for business calls and paperwork, Theo decided a quick detour was in order. He hopped into his pickup and headed straight to Contrary Mary’s Nursery.
“Theo! Back again?” The owner was about fifteen years his senior but ever the motherly type. She wiped wet hands on her forest-green apron and adjusted her straw hat so he could see her eyes.
He felt a little guilty that she knew his name, but he hadn’t remembered hers. Luckily, she had a name tag on this time. Suzette. “So not Mary, huh?” From the patient look on her face when he said it, she’d probably heard the joke a million times. “Next you’re going to tell me you’re not even Miss Muffet, I presume.”
That earned him a genuine chuckle. “Sadly, no, but I suppose that’s good since, being outside and around plants all the time, I see more than my share of spiders. How did the gnomes work out?”
“I had no idea they’d be such a hit.” The fact that Suzette was interested made him feel like they were in on it together. He told her about Zoe’s reaction to the squirrels. “So now I need more.”
Suzette winked at him. “Come. I did some searching in my downtime, in case you swung back by. It was fun,” she admitted. She pulled off her straw hat, the band leaving a ring around her close-cropped curls. She waved the hat in front of her, stirring the air. “Can you believe how hot it is already?”
She walked him inside, where sweet air conditioning was blowing. At the cash register, she turned the monitor so they both could see. Clicking one of the tabs opened up more garden gnomes than Theo had ever imagined. The two of them sifted through the images, ordering more than Theo would probably find a use for, but how could he pass up garden ninjas, the gnomes’ pointy hats evident under their black hoods, or the grumpy one with a laughable scowl?
This was going to be fun.
“Could you overnight them?” Theo asked, eager to have them at the ready. In the meantime, he needed something for tomorrow morning, and he had an idea.
“Are you sure? Postage won’t be cheap.” Suzette was also making a commission off of them when he probably could have ordered them himself off the internet, but she had done all of the work of finding them.
“I’m sure, Suzette.” He stepped to the nearby display of pots and small statues, perusing her stock until he found what he was looking for. “I’ll take these as well.”
She added them to the bill, and Theo handed her his platinum credit card.
“We’re going to be getting a lot of work done at Indigo Pointe. It might be helpful if I set up a business account with you.” Having a good working relationship with his fellow business owners was important to him, especially as he hoped Emma would find herself up here often.
She walked him through the process, and in a few minutes everything was taken care of.
“I’ll shoot you a text as soon as your gnomes they come in.” Suzette walked Theo out the front door. “See you tomorrow. And I want to hear details.”
Knowing Emma would be working in the rose garden again the next day, Theo had surreptitiously banished the old gnomes to the barn in the twilight so he could replace them with his two new ones. While it would have been fun to have Emma discover gnomes elsewhere in the garden, Theo couldn’t exactly leave this kind of kitschy stuff in the formal garden where the tourists strolled through a few times a day. Whimsical didn’t exactly mesh with the formality of the 1800s. So in all, the rose garden wasn’t a bad place to have her working.
“How are the roses this afternoon?” Theo really had no purpose in seeking out Emma while she worked other than that he wanted to spend time with her. “Are the gnomes still being a bother?”
Though Theo had planted the two new statues the previous night, he hadn’t planned a way to watch her discover them. He’d started his day early on conference calls from his downtown home an hour away and spent the rest of the morning with his spreadsheets and returning emails and phone calls. He couldn’t have his international clients feeling left out as he played around in Louisiana—which was precisely what he’d discovered was happening.
“I’m sorry to say that the gnomes are AWOL today.” Emma shook her head, her dark hair bouncing in its ponytail. She wasn’t wearing her glasses today, and while he usually liked them, her hazel eyes were even more striking now that he could see them better. “But I did find a clue.”
Her exaggerated innocence was entertaining, and her excitement was contagious, especially when she took his hand and led him where he knew they were. It was easy to play along—anything to feel her touch. She stopped in front of a tiny resin house. “I think they live here,” she whispered, as if she didn’t want to scare them away.
“I think you might be right,” he whispered back. She hadn’t dropped his hand, and he was careful not to squeeze or remind her in any way that they were still touching. “And what is that?” He used his other hand to point at a tiny bridge he’d placed a few feet away, but something was different.
“Oh, that must be their bridge.” Emma tugged on his hand to drag him closer to it. “There’s a canal which sometimes fills with water. The bridge keeps them safe.”
“Clearly.” The canal was little more than a shallow furrow and hadn’t been there the night before. He hadn’t even thought about the need for an obstacle to necessitate a bridge.
The gnome topic would soon be used up, and Theo had to find another excuse for staying. “Could you teach me what you’re doing here?” He waved his free hand to indicate her work. “I know nothing about caring for roses.”
Oh, the lights that sparked in her eyes! He’d asked just the right question. Though she dropped his hand to show him how to use the pruners, it was balanced out as she leaned around him, pointing out where to clip. At first, he was distracted by her closeness, but as they toiled side by side, he realized how satisfying the work was. He looked back at the progress they’d made, pleased that it showed a difference.
As his mother’s favorite part of the plantation, saving this rose garden had been of particular concern to Theo when he bought the place. Every day Theo’s father had come out to the plantation to help out his brother, he’d gone home with a single champagne-colored rose for his young bride. His mother had started calling them Lambert roses, and Theo had never thought to question this before. He’d ask her next time he brought her out to see the lovely bushes.
“Do you know what would be awesome?” Theo asked, not completely serious. She waited for him to answer. “Alternating purple and yellow roses.”
“Really?” The skepticism in her voice was obvious.
“Yeah, LSU colors.”
She sighed, exaggerating the sound and shaking her head vehemently. “You shouldn’t have said that. The idea was growing on me until I knew why.”
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“While that might be a pretty combination on another part of the property, I like the subtlety of this color scheme.” That she completely sidestepped his question did not go unnoticed. “I like how it goes from white to dark.” He’d never looked that closely before, but it was nice how there was one plant each of white, cream, champagne, pale pink, peach, orange, salmon, hot pink, and then red in a row. “If we can get the branches to overlap, it’ll blend them a little more.”
Over the course of the next few hours, Emma taught him how to prune away old woody stems and twiggy growth and then thin out overcrowding. If they trained the lateral shoots to grow horizontally, using garden ties to help them stay after they wound them around the split-rail fence, more blossoms would bud.
“We’ve fertilized, which will help with color enhancement, among other things, and we’ve dead-headed. The last thing we’ll do is spray underneath the leaves for blackspot, and we’ll be done with the rose garden. Finally.”
“You sound like you don’t like roses.” Theo knew not every woman loved roses best, but he’d grown up with a woman who did. It wouldn’t surprise him, however, if Emma didn’t. As a horticulturalist, she knew more flower types than pretty much anyone else in the world, so she surely wouldn’t go with something so pedestrian … or would she consider it classic? What he was quickly learning was that he couldn’t even guess what she would like.
Emma was a breath of exactly the fresh air he needed. He was tired of the old scene. Tired of trying to make something work because he was supposed to, because he had money, because he was expected to be with people like him. Every social gathering he attended ended up being a celebration of people with insane amounts of money and not a speck of joy to be had from it. In the last few weeks, he’d found he’d rather use his money for things that made him happy—like restoring Indigo Pointe—and to do it with people who brought him joy.
“I like roses just fine. Just not three days in a row.” Emma handed him half of the tools and grabbed the other half herself. “I’m excited to work on something else tomorrow.”
Chapter 14
It didn’t escape Emma’s notice that Theo made closing the door to the cobweb-strung barn look easy, though she struggled with its weight every time. She also noticed the straining of his muscles against his form-fitting cotton shirt, and smiled to herself. It didn’t hurt to appreciate these types of things. Call her grateful.
“We’re filthy.” Theo rubbed his hands on his old jeans.
Emma had seen Theo dressed up at Live Oak Lane, and he’d looked pretty darn hot, but working next to him—joking, chatting, getting to know each other—she decided he was maybe even more attractive in mud-streaked work clothes and a faded cotton T-shirt.
“At least I have a shower.” She gave him a smirk and wiggled her shoulders. “But hey, there might be a rain bucket in the courtyard somewhere.”
He laughed, and it was easy to forgive him for that day.
“I might be able to do better than that,” he said.
“Then it’s a good thing there’s soap and water at the office for you.”
“It’s a good thing there’s a matching garçonnière across the courtyard from yours.” Theo mimicked her facial expression and body movement, and looked adorable doing it. “You didn’t know I stay there sometimes, did you? And I just happen to have soap and water there. Not to mention a towel and fresh clothes.”
She tried not to think about it and instead looked at her watch. “Meet me in forty-five minutes? I’m kind of excited for dinner.”
“Umm … okay?” Theo chuckled.
She’d anticipated the need to explain. “As soon as Zoe heard I’ve never had gumbo, she said she'd make it for dinner tonight even if it is about ninety degrees out here.” Emma was exaggerating the temp, but not by much. And with the oppressive humidity so unlike the dry heat of Eastern Oregon, she thought she just might melt.
They’d reached her cottage, and while Emma unlocked her front door, Theo walked on to his place. She turned just enough to watch him reach his door, unlock it, and walk through. She was getting way too interested in her employer.
Forty-three minutes later, Theo knocked on Emma’s door as she was putting away her makeup and other toiletries. She felt infinitely more human than she had an hour ago, now that she’d fixed her hair and put on a flirty summer skirt and cool blouse. Theo, too, had dressed up more than usual. It almost felt like a date.
They started the trek to the office, the late afternoon air still heavy, but the camaraderie between them light and companionable. How much easier it was to be with Theo now that she’d gotten to know him. Just as Zoe had predicted.
“I think I should incorporate a tire swing into the landscaping.” Emma’s tone was completely serious, but she was kidding. Even though they were cutting through the allée of ancient oaks with their delicious shade, being out of the sun’s glare wasn’t enough to mitigate the heat.
“A tire swing?” Theo was skeptical, as he should be. She would have been flunked for even suggesting it in a formal, historic garden. Theo brightened with an idea of his own. “How about one of those metal swing sets everyone had in their backyards when we were kids?”
Now she had to recoil. “Ugh. Okay, fine. I get your point.” Because it was an eighteenth-century plantation, did everything have to be tight-laced and boring?
Yeah, it did.
“Not a tire swing, and certainly not a swing set, you goof.” Emma bumped her shoulder into his arm, causing him to both stumble and smile. “But there’s got to be some out-of-the-way live oak tree on the property where we could put up an old-fashioned wooden swing, don’t you think?”
She could almost feel the twisted hemp rope in her hands, the wind in her hair, the flip in her stomach as she hurtled forward and back. The romantic in her couldn’t help but add a laughing Theo to her daydream.
“We’ll see.” Theo shook his head as though patronizing a child.
They walked a few more paces in silence until she caught a whiff of dinner.
“Mmm …” They were still a parking lot’s distance away, but the smell was captivating. Emma breathed in deeply, allowing the deliciousness of the spices to fill her with dreams and optimism. Something grand was coming her way.
“Oh, yeah,” Theo agreed, “you’re going to love it. Zoe uses fresh crawfish from a farm about a mile down the street. So good.”
Theo picked up his pace, and Emma hurried to keep up with him. They made it to the office doorstep about the same time Zoe opened the door with a hurried snap.
“Hey, boss. I’m going to take off. Got plans.” She seemed out of breath with excitement.
“No problem. Got a date?” Theo asked.
Was Theo hopeful? A second, more alarming idea occurred to Emma—was Theo interested in Zoe? She swallowed the mounting disappointment she had no right to feel.
“Nothing that good. You know my friend Violet who runs the voodoo shop downtown?”
Emma noticed Theo didn’t even try to hide his eye roll from her.
“An-y-way.” Zoe strung the word out, pointedly ignoring Theo’s reaction. “Violet got a new shipment for summer solstice she’s excited to share with me. Says they’ll impress our visitors.”
Theo flicked one of Zoe’s earrings that dangled so low it brushed her shoulder. “Like you need any more stuff in our shop to ensnare those poor, unsuspecting tourists.” He shook his head. “I almost feel responsible for you leading them astray.”
“What?” Zoe acted innocent, but even Emma could see through it. Zoe shrugged. “It’s what they come to New Orleans for—voodoo, magic, ghost stories …”
“Plantations,” Emma offered helpfully, “and history.”
“Graveyards and architecture and music …” Theo was way more helpful than Emma had expected him to be.
“It doesn’t matter if I don’t buy into it exactly,” Zoe explained. “It’s all in fun. I mean, some of my French Creole ancestors believed it
, but no one for generations has.” She looped the strap of her bag across her chest. “I’m like that gumbo—a little bit of every Louisiana culture in one pot.” It was true. Part of what made her so striking was the mix of backgrounds, giving her an exotic look. “It doesn’t hurt to take advantage of it.”
“Exploit it, you mean.” Theo waved her off, chuckling. “Go. Have fun. Just make sure to bring a hoodoo amulet back for our new friend here.” He tipped his head toward Emma as if she wouldn’t catch on that they were talking about her. “She might need a little protection from all the gnomes around here, and everyone can use a little magic.”
With Theo’s easy, teasing manner, Emma felt a flush of warmth surge through her chest. She was starting to have an idea what she’d want that magic for.
“Thanks, y’all.” Zoe gave both Theo and Emma hugs. “Happy Summer Solstice—the night when wishes come true.”
When Zoe flashed her wide, perfect grin at her, Emma couldn’t help responding in kind. It was that feeling of home like being back in Oregon.
Fatigued from the hours of work in the sun, Emma sat across the table from Theo, the simple dinner of gumbo and fresh French bread between them. From the first bite, Emma found herself concentrating on dissecting each individual flavor of the gumbo, allowing the ingredients to pop on her tongue one at a time.
“First impressions of gumbo?” Theo asked, digging in.
“You were right. It’s fabulous.” She twirled her spoon in her bowl as she tried not to stare at him. Theo looked so good with his hair still the slightest bit damp from his shower. “It was really nice of Zoe to cook for us.”
“It’s been great not to have to worry where my next meal will come from,” Theo conceded, “but the cooking is her idea. She’s kicking around the idea of adding a café to Indigo Pointe, and I’m leaving that up to her. Since things have been a little slow around here, she’s been trying out recipes.”
Beauty and the Billionaire Beast (Destination Billionaire Romance Book 6) Page 8
