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Esther eyed her suspiciously. “You’re considering it, aren’t you? Taking him back.”
Jinny didn’t say anything.
Jonathan reappeared in the courtyard with a forty-pound bag of mulch balanced on his shoulder. He skirted around the edge of the pool and dumped it onto the ground by Esther’s chair, next to a bed of freshly planted begonias.
“What are you doing?” she asked, peering at him over her sunglasses.
“Mrs. Boorstein asked me to pick up some mulch for the new plantings.” He wiped his hands on his jeans and headed back toward the carport.
Jinny leaned over and smacked Esther on the arm again. “He helps little old ladies with gardening? That is so sweet!”
Esther wasn’t sure Mrs. Boorstein would appreciate being called a little old lady, but she had to agree it was kind of sweet.
They heard the sound of a trunk slamming, and Jonathan reappeared with another bag of mulch hoisted on his shoulder. He dropped it next to the first one, then bent over to slide it a few feet to the left, spacing them out at either end of the bed.
His backside was right in Esther’s eyeline, and she had to admit it wasn’t the worst view she’d ever seen.
Fine. So he had a decent body. He irritates the hell out of you, remember?
Jinny smacked her on the arm a third time and Esther jerked her gaze away, flushing slightly.
“Nice ass,” Jinny mouthed silently, tilting her head in Jonathan’s direction.
Esther shook her head, recovering herself enough to roll her eyes. “I didn’t know you helped with the gardening,” she said when Jonathan straightened, removing his ass from her field of vision.
“Just with the heavy stuff. Mrs. B doesn’t trust me to touch the plants.” He reached up to brush a piece of mulch off his shoulder. “She said she’d be down in a bit to spread the mulch. Will you tell her I’ll be upstairs if she needs any more help?”
There was another piece of mulch caught in his beard. Esther considered pointing it out to him, but decided against it. “Sure,” she said.
He gave another nod and shuffled off, up the stairs and into his apartment.
Jinny’s phone vibrated with another text message. She picked it up and stared at the screen, frowning.
“Stuart again?” Esther asked with a feeling of unease.
“Yeah.” Jinny powered the phone off and shoved it inside her tote.
“You should ask Jonathan out,” Esther said.
Jinny gave her a quizzical look. “I thought you hated him.”
“I didn’t say I should date him. You’re the one who thinks he’s cute.” He might be annoying, but as far as Esther could tell, he wasn’t a manipulative bastard. He’d definitely be an upgrade from Stuart.
Jinny shook her head. “I’m not asking him out.”
“Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t even know who I am. I’m not walking up to a total stranger and asking him out on a date.”
“I could set you two up.”
Jinny’s expression darkened. “Don’t you dare. You know how I feel about blind dates.” She’d spent her high school years only being allowed to go on dates arranged by her mother, and it had permanently soured her on being fixed up.
The timer on Esther’s phone went off, and she fished it out of her pocket to silence it. “Gotta grab my laundry.” She stood up and pointed her phone at Jinny. “You know what he looks like, so it wouldn’t be a blind date.”
“Arranged dates. Whatever.” Jinny made a face. “You can’t force love. You have to let it find you.”
Esther rolled her eyes as she headed to the laundry room. “If you say so.”
