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“A bit set in his ways, is he?”
“I don’t know him well enough to say for sure, but he’s used to getting his own way and obviously likes it.”
“Who doesn’t?” George asked. “Now, I better get back to work or the boss is liable to dock my pay.”
Darcy laughed with him, but once he’d gone, her posture resumed a dejected slump. She folded her arms on her desk to create a passable pillow, laid her head down and closed her eyes. She tried to analyze the way the morning had ended in dispassionate terms, but had nearly dozed off when the telephone rang.
Jarred awake, she didn’t answer until the third ring, but then managed a professional tone. The caller proved to be a neighbor of Griffin’s who’d seen her truck and wanted an estimate on completely replanting her yard for her daughter’s wedding.
Darcy tapped her pen against her clipboard as she ran through her usual questions to gain a better idea of what the woman expected. When the caller mentioned gardenias, azaleas and camellias, she understood.
“You want a wonderfully romantic backdrop for th
e wedding and reception. I can do something truly lovely for you that will continue to give you pleasure long after the day of the ceremony, but first I’ll need to visit your home.” She made a note of the address and set up an appointment for the following morning.
She’d hoped working for Griffin would bring her additional commissions on Ridgecrest, but this woman had just seen her truck and been inspired to call. Maybe she should have driven around the exclusive neighborhood a couple of times a week and let everyone assume she was working up there. Of course, she didn’t actually have the job yet, but she at least had a good chance of landing it, and that perked up the day considerably.
Needing fresh air, she left her office to walk through the nursery and clear her mind. There were some cacti that needed to either be marked down and sold or repotted, and she debated which would be the smarter move. Because repotting cacti was a chore everyone hated, she marked them down and bid them a hasty farewell.
She was standing by the suspended fish sculpture Griffin had admired when he walked through the gate. He wasn’t smiling, and Darcy braced herself for another unfortunate confrontation. She felt her cheeks tremble as she tried to smile.
He responded with a curt nod. “I thought maybe I’d take the fish home today.”
“Well, think again,” Darcy countered. “It’s too heavy to throw in the back of your Land Rover, and even if you got it home, you couldn’t carry it yourself.”
“I’m a lot tougher than you apparently think I am.”
Darcy looked at him askance. “I know you’re tough, Griffin, I’ve seen just how muscular you are, but the fish weighs a ton, or at least it feels like it. I’ll hang a big sold sign on it and deliver it just as soon as we get the arbor built.”
“I doubt Toby McClure would appreciate your reluctance to collect my money and deliver the work today.”
Darcy was amazed he recalled the artist’s name. Then the truth hit her with the force of an actual slap. “It isn’t just Kate Sessions’ name you recall, is it? You remember everything you hear. It must be the auditory version of a photographic memory.”
“I don’t play by ear,” Griffin scoffed. “I actually read music.”
The warning gleam had flashed in his eyes before he’d glanced away, but Darcy refused to back off. “You have a phenomenal memory, speak several languages fluently and probably have an I.Q. in the 200 range.”
“Sorry, but it was only 177 when I was tested, but I was fourteen, cocky as hell and didn’t give it my best effort. But what does any of that have to do with an iron fish?”
Darcy shook her finger at him. “Precisely, and we both know that’s not why you’re here.”
Griffin gave a begrudging nod. “No, it’s not. I came to see you. Let’s go on down to the beach and talk.”
“I work here,” Darcy reminded him. “I can’t just go flitting off to the beach after I’ve missed half the day.”
“I could help out. What needs to be done?”
Darcy thought of the cacti and immediately discounted the idea. When he had such handsome hands and arms, she didn’t want him scratched. “We’re doing all right here. Why don’t you go to the gym, and I’ll meet you later.”
“I don’t feel like working out. Maybe I’ll just go down to the docks and look at the boats, but I’ll be back at six.”
It was more of a threat than a promise, but Darcy was trying to make sense of things, not avoid him. “Fine, I’ll be right here.”
He turned on his heel and left, and only Darcy heard one of the teenagers snickering nearby. “What’s so damn funny, Todd? If you have time to stand around laughing at me, get a broom and sweep off the walkways.”
Caught, Todd shrugged and went to fetch a broom.
It truly was a lovely afternoon, and Darcy sat on a redwood bench to enjoy it. Unfortunately, she soon had to rise to answer a customer’s question about bougainvilleas, but she sold the woman three good-sized plants with peach-toned blossoms and considered the effort worthwhile.
