“She’s over in the greenhouse. Come on, I’ll show ya,” he grunts.
Now that I know he didn’t hear me earlier, I repeat my question. “How’re your roses doing?”
It’s the right thing to ask because the whole way to the greenhouse, he talks about soil content and nitrogen levels, sounding more like a mad scientist than a gardener, while Luna and I nod along agreeably. When he opens the door, I can hear Elena singing. “We were swingin’。 Just a-swingin’。”
There’s something about chocolate pie and fried chicken too, but I don’t know what song she’s singing. Hopefully, it’s about an actual swing and not some upside-down-pineapple, swapping type deal.
“Ms. Elena! I found some trespassers out here. Whatcha want me to do with ’em?” Bernard says, his face impassive.
“What?” Elena says, but then she turns. I watch her eyes tick left to me, right to Luna, down to our clasped hands, and then back up to our eyes. “Oh, this I’ve gotta hear. Get on in here and tell me everything.”
She’s grinning widely, and her eyes are sparkling with delight as she waves us closer. Perching herself on the edge of a wooden stool, Elena looks like she’s more than pleased to see us. She’s wearing what probably amounts to her gardening clothes—polyester pants, a designer patterned shirt, and a sunhat. She pulls her dirt-covered gloves off, setting them on the edge of the pot she’s working in.
“There’s not a lot to tell,” I try, but Elena chuckles and then Luna quietly joins in. “Okay, where do I start?”
“How about where you got that shiner?” Bernard suggests. “And was it deserved?”
It’s as good a place as any, so I tell them about Zack coming over and popping me for Luna’s honor. Luna frowns, seeming surprised by that news, and says she’ll talk to him, but I don’t need her to do that. Zack did exactly what I would’ve done, maybe less, if someone hurt my sister. Though Kayla and Luna are worlds apart in personality, and I’d be more scared that Kayla would hurt someone else than vice-versa.
“Then, Claire showed up to Blue Lake Assets to talk with my father about ‘my behavior’，” I drone, using finger quotes. I know I didn’t react well, but running to my dad—and boss—is such a dick move on Claire’s part.
Elena balks, her smile disappearing. “Excuse me, that girl did what now?”
“She’s understandably concerned,” I reply, giving Claire the benefit of the doubt. “So she asked that we no longer contact you.”
“Yet, here you are.” Elena gestures to Luna and me.
“I don’t quit that easily. Plus, I don’t follow orders very well, I’m afraid.” I’m hoping that’s a positive in Elena’s estimation.
She grins slyly and elbows Bernard, confessing, “I do like a streak of rebellion in a man.” He chuckles gruffly at her joking, sounding like an empty oil can, and I wonder how much of a rebel Thomas was. I think I would’ve really liked to know him, but learning about him through Elena is still a gift.
“I hope that’s true because I have an idea . . .” I trail off, trying to entice her, but I’m not in sales mode. I’m going pure, unadulterated honesty and praying it’s enough.
Elena claps her hands. “Let’s hear it.”
I look deeply into Luna’s eyes as I speak to Elena. “First, we’d like to clarify the truth about us. At the minimum, you deserve that.” Luna smiles back at me, and I can feel our connection weaving and growing between us.
Luna starts, telling Elena, “I’m sorry for my anxiety-driven info dump. I reached my limit because I don’t usually do things like this.”
Elena and Bernard laugh. “We couldn’t tell,” they tease.
The smile that Luna flashes is shy but grows in intensity, and I enjoy seeing the way she comes out of her shell as she gets comfortable with people. I think I’ll enjoy seeing it happen again and again for our whole lives. “Rude,” she jokes back, poorly feigning anger before looking at Bernard. “And you weren’t even there!”
He frowns. “You think we weren’t all gossiping about your hissy fit after you left? Shoot, Stanley had the tea, Nelda made the tea, and I was hanging on every word as I drank every drop.” He makes a slurping sound.
“Oh.” Luna startles uncomfortably, not sure what to say to that, but she manages to share the facts. “Carter and I did begin as art tutoring, and you could say it didn’t go well. He had the idea of bringing me along so I could speak to the art and he could focus on the finances. And then, it went haywire.”
I continue the story, taking responsibility for my part. “I sprang the ‘wife’ thing on my family at the dinner, and my dad went ballistic afterward, ordering me to tell you the truth. I decided that rather than risk this opportunity by confessing, I would make the lie about our marriage true. Luna and I got married—for real—a few weeks ago. It was a tiny ceremony, and though it was with ulterior motives, I meant the vows I gave Luna.”
Luna swats my shoulder. “You vowed to always put the toilet seat down and buy me flowers once a month!” Her laugh is high-pitched and happy with the quite reasonable promises.
“And that I would support you in your artistic endeavors, making sure that you always have time to create,” I add. “And I do put the toilet seat down. I even got you one of those toilet nightlights so you could see if there are snakes in the bowl, despite living on the top floor of a building in the middle of the city.”
Luna’s worries might not always make sense to me, but if I can allay them with a simple solution, I’ll do my best. Hell, even if it’s a complicated solution, I’ll still pull a rabbit out of a hat for her.
“Ooh, I like that. That’s good,” Bernard tells Elena, nodding and pointing a bony finger at me.
She shushes him. “Let them finish telling it. But remind me that I might want one of those light things too.”
I smile, and when I explain further, I can feel that Elena is falling under my spell again. But this time, the spell is pure and genuine. “I love Luna. She’s spun some web, some magic spell, and I’m a hundred percent in love with her. That’s the gist of it. And she loves me.”
Saying that aloud is powerful, giving this feeling a fresh sense of realness. I can’t help myself and bend down to kiss Luna gently. Though my eyes are closed, I can feel Elena and Bernard looking at us, and then Elena lets out a loud ‘woooo’ of encouragement that makes Luna laugh into the kiss.
“Sorry,” Luna says, her hand covering her mouth.
I lay my arm over her shoulders, pulling her to my side. “I’m not.”
Luna blushes adorably but leans into me.
“You two finally figured it out, then?” It’s more of a statement than a question, and then Elena delightedly adds, “It’s about damn time you pulled your heads out of your asses, because I’ve seen it since the beginning and was starting to think you were never going to get out of your own way.”
“What?” I ask dumbly.
“You two didn’t know each other from Adam when you came out here that first time. That much would’ve been obvious to a blind man, but even then, there was a spark.” She flicks her fingers, as if she ignited us herself. “I could see it between you.”