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I stretched my neck. “Irrelevant. They have new fencing now. Not even Prince Albert can get through it.” I paused. “I think it might be military grade.”
“It is,” Miles confirmed. “That’s the alarming part.”
“As long as it works.”
“All right, forget the peacocks.”
“One hardly can.”
He shot me a look. “What about access? The rocky area that leads up might not be compatible with your plans. Gravel isn’t always easy for wheelchairs.”
“What do you suggest I do instead? Concrete wouldn’t fit, and slabs or stone could be potentially very expensive.”
“You haven’t searched the stores, have you?”
“What stores?”
Miles stopped in the middle of the path, and I had to quickly drag him to one side to make room for a young woman and her pram.
“The storage barns,” Miles replied, looking down at me. “We don’t throw much away, Gabriella. I’m almost certain there are slate slabs in there from when Caleb did the small courtyards outside the goat shed and the stables.”
“Why did nobody tell me about this?”
He shrugged.
“But…”
“What?”
“What if my classmates don’t have access to that stuff?” I questioned. “I already have a huge advantage given that my father donates to the college and I’m completing my work on my own estate. It already feels rather like cheating having you help me, given you actually are a professional.”
“Do you think they won’t use things from their own houses? Rose cuttings from their grandma’s cottage?” He took my elbow and had me walk alongside him. “You think I didn’t do this stuff when I was studying? Everyone cuts corners, and if you do become a garden designer, there will be people who have shrubs and flowers in pots that you can utilise. Part of it is using what’s already available to you to keep a budget down.”
“I suppose.”
“Say you saw a family who had a pathway laid at the front of their house and had slabs left over in their shed, and you had to design a patio for their back garden. You’d use those slabs first, wouldn’t you?”
“That would be the logical thing to do, yes.”
“This is no different. And if you have to mix slabs, do that. There’ll be loads of stuff in the barns. We could go and look now.”
“No.” I touched his arm. “This is your day off. Don’t go to work just because of me. Caleb will be around somewhere, I can ask him to help me.”
Miles leaned down until his lips brushed my ear. “It’s not work if you’re there.”
I blushed and looked down. “We do need to talk, I suppose.”
“We do. You’re right.”
Wow. I expected him to fight.
“Okay. I just need to visit the bakery to get our bread order for the week. Why don’t I meet you there?”
“Nah. I think I’ll carry your bread for you. I do have some things to make up for.” He smiled, and his eyes did, too.
My stomach fluttered.
And he thought he was falling for me…
***
“Oh.”
There were stacks of paving slabs in various styles, including slate, stored in the corner of one barn. The rest of the barn was filled with a bunch of other extras—there were fence posts and panels, terracotta pots in various states of disrepair, a wheelbarrow that was missing a wheel, flowerbed edging, bricks of different kids, and a ton of netting and rolls of metal fencing.
“Oh,” Miles replied. “Did you really not know this was here?”
I shook my head. “I have no reason to come back here. I thought it held most of the animal stuff, and I can’t say mucking out horses is my favourite thing.”
“Didn’t you have a pony growing up?”
“Yes, but I’m a princess, remember?”
Miles froze, then his lips slowly curved into a smile. “Well played.”
I grinned. “I agree. So what here can I use? You’ve seen the area. I agree that some slabbing would function better than gravel for accessibility, but is there enough here?”
“There’s enough,” he said tentatively, scanning all the piles. “But it might not match.”
“Hm.” I rubbed the side of my neck. “Well, do they go together? Could we mix and match it? Would that be too difficult?”
Miles made a weird noise. “I’m really not a builder, princess. Caleb would know more than me. I just plant the stuff, not build the area.”
“Oh.” I deflated. “Okay. This could help, though, if it works.”
“Hang on.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped a few times, and held it to his ear. I frowned as he said, “Hello?... Yeah, are you near the barns? … Long story… Do you have five minutes?... Brilliant. Thank you… In the left one.” He pulled the phone away, tapped, and stuffed it back in his pocket. “Caleb is on his way.”
“Oh.” I was saying that a lot. “Will he know?”
“Of course he will.” Miles leaned against the nearest wall, folding his arms across his chest and giving me a stunning view of his arms.
