AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Once we’re alone, I head out to see if he needs anything.
As I step into the greenhouse, I take him in. Early to mid-thirties. Taller than he looked from a distance, and his brown leather coat looks expensive and well-loved as it hugs his muscular frame. He’s even better looking up close, and I clear my throat as I near him.
“Can I help you find—”
He turns and a searing reflection of the sun bounces off the screen of his phone directly into my eyes.
“Gah!” My vision quickly blurs and soon only a whiteness radiates from the center out.
“Oh shit. I’m so sorry!” His deep voice reverberates into the pit of my stomach, rattling my insides and sending an unexpected pulse of want coursing through me. “Here, let me check your eyes and make sure you’re okay.”
The whiteness has cleared and now I’m seeing little black dots floating like balloons across everything in the room. He pulls a contraption about the size of a flashlight from his jacket pocket and uses it to look into my eyes. He hums and haws as he looks, his fingers softly gripping my chin and tilting my face up towards him. His thumb almost pulling on my bottom lip. It’s an eerily intimate position to be in with a complete stranger, and yet the warmth and confidence of his fingers has me at ease.
“Well, the good news is there doesn’t look to be any damage,” he says, gently releasing my face. “How’s your vision? Are there any dots or blurriness?”
I shake my head. “A few dots, but I think I’ll be okay. You’re an absolute ray of sunshine, literally. A blinding representation of a human.”
He chuckles. “I was looking up what a snake plant is.”
“Good choice. So, what are you an eye doctor or do you just carry weird, semi-invasive medical tools with you for no reason?”
He extends a hand towards me. “Dr. Quill Paisley, ophthalmologist.” He shoves the device back into his pocket. “I just moved into an office not far from here in the Millennium Building.”
Cha-ching. That’s high-end office space. And I just got a freebie eye exam from him. Wonder what else he might like to exam…
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Paisley. I’m Caleana Marcus, but everyone calls me Cali. What was that thing you just used on me?”
“It’s an ophthalmoscope. It’s a device that lets me look into the back of a person’s eye. With it, I can see your retina, optic disk, and blood vessels. Your eyes look great, by the way.”
A slight blush warms my cheeks at his odd compliment. “Thanks?” I smirk. “I’ve had guys compliment my eyes before, but they’re usually talking about the color, not the condition.”
He shrugs. “The color is great too, but there’s so much more to the eye than the iris. Still, yoursarea beautiful turquoise, a color not found that often. One of a kind, I’m sure.”
“Wow. Thanks.” I almost feel like I got approval of my eye color.
“So, is this the best place in the city if I’m looking for somedirty hoes?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Excuse me?” I cock an eyebrow at him, tipping my head with the inquiry.
The color drains from his face as he stares at me with a gaping mouth. “I’m sorry, Cali. I didn’t mean—”
I burst out laughing as he stands there looking horrified. “I’m just kidding with you, Dr. Paisley. It’s a ridiculous name, and you’re not the first guy to make that joke. Trust me, I tried to talk my sister out of calling this place Dirty Hoes, but she was stuck on it.”
“It’s a memorable name, that’s for sure. I wasn’t actually quite sure what you were selling, but the web search said plants, so I figured I’d support local.” He lets out a sigh of relief. “Your sister, she’s the owner?”
“Co-owner,” I say, with pride coating the words. “A family partnership, her and I.”
“Congratulations on owning such a fine establishment, albeit with an interesting and amusing name. I know how hard it is to own your own business. Rewarding, sure, but it takes a stamina that many don’t have. Especially retail.” He looks around the twenty-by-eight feet footprint of a greenhouse that’s spilling over with plants.
Dirty Hoes is a tropical grove right here in our hamlet of Everville, North Carolina. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the town’s a tourist town, but also a place where those who live in Charlotte come to get away for the weekend. And those people want plants. And there we are.
“It’s quite impressive,” he adds, looking back over his shoulder while wandering
I can’t help but smile as I tuck my brown locks behind my ear.
He’s not wrong. Itishard. But impressive? I look around…I guess it is.
I clear my throat, desperate to bring an air of professionalism back to our conversation. “Can I help you find anything, Dr. Paisley?”
