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“Hope Cassidy!” I clapped with excitement. “Isn’t that crazy? Your mom and my dad were a couple, apparently for a long time—all through high school.”
“She never mentioned that.”
“Did you ever have a conversation about who she dated before your dad? I never spoke to my dad about that, or my mom either.”
“I guess not.”
“Anyway… I managed not to laugh when she called yousweet. You’re welcome.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Any otherfun newsyou want to share, or can I get back to work?”
Fox being Fox, he didn’t wait for me to respond. Just grabbed the wheelbarrow handles and started walking again. I followed.
“Don’t you even find it the least bit amusing that our parents used to date?”
“Nope. Because now I’m going to get my ear chewed off about you when I go see my mother. You’re already the topic of conversation at work because of Opal.”
Fox set the wheelbarrow down on the driveway and picked up a broom to sweep the remnants of mulch. He scooped a shovel into the pile and dumped the last of the chips into the nearby flowerbed. I thought he was done, but then I noticed cases of plants lined up on the front porch.
“Are you making a vegetable garden?”
“Already have one.” He pointed in the opposite direction of my house. “It’s on the side. Better sun exposure there.”
“I always wanted a garden. We never had one growing up. I was thinking of doing window plants in my apartment, but there’s not much room.”
Fox shook his head. “I don’t know how you can live somewhere with no yard or grass.”
“It’s funny. I don’t think I noticed it was missing in my life the last few years.”
“Shame.”
I looked around and sighed. “Yeah.”
Fox scooped up two tomato plants from the porch.
“Do you want some help planting them?” I asked.
“Is that your way of saying you want to help, but we’re going to pretend it’s me who needs the help rather than you who wants to give it?”
I smirked. “Pretty much.”
After a pause, he lifted his chin toward the garage. “There’s an extra set of gloves in the top drawer of the cabinet on the right.”
“Okay! But I think I’m going to change first.”
“Whatever.” Fox shrugged. He clearly wasn’t as excited as me.
I returned a few minutes later wearing cut-off shorts and a tank top. This time, Fox didn’t take as long to notice I had a torso. Every time I’d caught him looking before, I’d given him a free pass, not calling him out. Well, except for when I’d mentioned seeing him watch me from the window. But today, I felt bold. When his eyes made their way back up to mine, I arched a brow.
He ignored the challenge and walked around the side of the house. “Plants go six inches down and eighteen inches apart.” He gestured to some garden tools. “Small shovel is there.”
Over the next hour, Fox and I planted more than three-dozen tomato plants. We didn’t talk much, which was perfectly fine with me. By the time we were done, I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the day anymore. Oddly, I felt very much at peace.
I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “I really enjoyed doing that. Who knew digging in the dirt could be so mentally relaxing?”
“Working outside is good for the body and mind.”
I brushed dirt from my hands and knees. “Thank you for letting me help. Especially since I know you would’ve preferred to do it yourself.”
