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“Sorry,” I whispered. “The flowers. Brought back some memories.”
“Yeah, they’re really something,” Chuck smiled. “Ashlyn Carter tends those, green thumb, that girl, really knows how to make this place pop. I was skeptical at first, it was Martha who really gave the girl a chance to show us what she can do. And you know what? I’m glad she did. Can’t imagine this place without the flowers she brings in all the time.”
“She really knows how to pick them,” I said, feeling my chest swell as I breathed in the scent of the Gardenias.
“Sure does,” Chuck laughed. “Grows them in a greenhouse behind her place. A real plant junkie, that one.”
The Gardenias were set in the center of a table that took up the space in front of the bed. Beyond it was a small flat screen, and beyond that the bathroom. The room was decorated for comfort, and the large window let in enough light to make it feel homey. But my attention was set completely on the Gardenias.
“Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me,” Chuck said. “But I guess for now you’re all set.”
I was. Looking at my temporary lodgings, feeling the sun at my back and the sweet smell of the flowers filling my sinuses, I truly and utterly was.
6
Ashlyn
Have you met him yet?”
I was barely out of the front office when Martha’s daughter, Britney, grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to a side. If it weren’t for her pink highlights, I wouldn’t have been able to tell her apart from her twin sister, both girls identical to the point where I wondered how they hadn’t completely abused that benefit yet.
“Met who?” I asked, laughing as I tried to balance the flowers in my hand while simultaneously not tripping over my own two feet. Britney pulled me all the way down the corridor to where it branched off behind the buildings. This was where the girls usually hid to smoke their cigarettes without Martha giving them a speech about what it meant to be a proper girl in Texas.
Heather was already there, a cigarette in her mouth and another in her hand which she dutifully gave to her sister once we appeared around the corner. She offered me one, and I quickly declined. Earl’s smoking habits had been enough to put me
off the damn things anyway.
“The new guy!” Britney almost squealed. “How have you not met him yet?”
“Maybe because I just got here?”
Britney rolled her eyes and gave me her typical high school ‘ugh’ that came with every other sentence she said. Heather only giggled.
“Okay, so first thing you do is go to room seven, knock and use some excuse like, I don’t know, you have to water the plants or something.” Britney was talking very quickly, a little too excited for my taste. Who the hell was this new tenant anyway? “Then you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
“Okay, first of all, it’s great to know you think my job here is to water the flowers,” I said with a smile. “Very encouraging. Second of all, I’m not going to knock on someone’s door just to ogle at him. Sorry, a little too old for that.”
“Your loss,” Heather said between puffs. “You’re really missing out.”
Britney nodded in agreement and grabbed me by the shoulders. “I didn’t know he was in there when I was cleaning up. I walked in, and he was just walking out of the shower. I saw him in all his splendor, and I mean all his splendor.” Britney leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. “And, oh my God!”
“How didn’t you know someone was in there?”
“That’s not the point Ashlyn,” Britney protested, stomping her leg like a five-year-old. “I have never seen a body like that up close and personal. It was like staring at the body of a Greek God!”
I smiled at that, placing my plants down at my feet and ruffling my hair. I was still a little asleep, having had tossed and turned in bed all night. It wasn’t usual for me to have trouble sleeping, and the lack of it made my head swim a bit. My intention had been to change the flowers I could, quickly, and then race back home and jump back into bed. I liked the twins, a lot, but could have done without the ‘behind the bleachers’ conversation we were having.
“Well, Greek God or not, I need to replace these flowers and get back home,” I said.
“Suit yourself,” Britney said. “More for us.”
I winked at her, picked up my pile and made my way back. The flowers were waiting.
I did run into him, sooner than I had expected.
The guest in room seven really was something out of the storybooks. Tall, brown hair, and the most incredible blue eyes that were so clear a girl could easily lose herself in them. I didn’t get to see the Greek God body the twins were talking about, but his shirt clung to him tight enough to let me know that what was underneath must have been chiseled to perfection. Besides, what I could see was good enough. Way too good enough, and when he caught me staring, I quickly turned away and felt my face flush.
I’m back in high school, I thought to myself. I’m standing by my locker, hiding, because the hottest guy in school just noticed me.
