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“Well, I’d go wherever you wanted, but I'll be much more comfortable in a brewery than a flower shop, so yes.”
I laugh again as we pull away from the curb. I enjoy making him squirm a bit, but it’s nice to know that he’s open-minded enough to try something new.
When we reach the brewery, we each order a drink then select our materials. Chris chooses a simple, masculine design that’s a basic black square, while I choose a round glass sort of like a fishbowl. Then we pick the succulents and decorative stones. Chris sticks to plants in varying shades of green with white and black pebbles while I add some splashes of color to mine. Then we set about adding dirt, rocks, and plants, arranging them so everything is visible and has room to breathe. As we build, we converse easily, learning more about each other.
“How did you end up working for my brother?” Chris asks.
“It was Jen’s idea, actually.” I pour decorative rock over my soil.
“Who’s Jen?”
“Do you remember the woman I was talking to when you got to the launch party?” I arrange the succulents in my bowl.
“Not really. I was too busy noticing you then trying in vain not to notice you.”
I smile bashfully, feeling both flattered and grateful for his honesty. “Well, Jen is a friend of mine from the gym. She took the same MBA program Charlie did, and when Charlie mentioned he needed a writer, she thought of me.”
“Why did she think of you? Have you worked together before?” Chris fumbles with the plant in his hand, trying to find the best spot for it in his vase.
“That’s the funny thing, we haven't. But she knows I'm a writer and want to write children’s books, and Charlie works in education, so she thought it might be a good fit.”
“You want to write children’s books?” He takes a sip of his beer.
“I have written some. I just haven’t had them published yet.” I shrug.
“Why not?” He sounds genuinely curious.
“It’s a hard market to break into. I haven’t had much success so far. That’s why I thought working with Charlie might help. Being able to list my writing for the education industry in a proposal letter might give me a bit more credibility.”
“Has Charlie read them?”
“No.”
“Will you let me read them?” Chris’s voice takes on a husky yet gentle tone, and I immediately understand that he recognizes the intimacy of what he’s asking.
I study the plants in front of me. Would I? So far only Harper and a few members from different writing groups have seen them. If I ever get them published, anyone could read them, so it's silly to be shy about it. But given that they’ve been rejected over and over again, I’m not sure they’re ready for anyone to read. That rejection still stings, making me think they aren’t any good and that I’m wasting my time. And this is Chris, someone I’m starting to feel a connection to, and someone whose opinion might really matter, on a personal level. Am I ready for that? Am I ready to share something that so far has been a failure? I can feel Chris looking at me, waiting for an answer, but rather than feel pressured, I feel safe.
“Yes.” I exhale. “Eventually.”
Chris sets down his beer and reaches for my hand, urging me to face him instead of my terrarium. He leans down and looks deep into my eyes and places a soft, sweet kiss on my lips. “Thank you,” he says.
All I can do is nod. “What about you?” I change the subject. “How did you end up as a landlord?”
Chris takes a sip of his beer then picks up a handful of rocks to cover the dirt in his terrarium. “I got that building years ago, when Erik needed office space for his company. He’d been building it from his garage, typical start-up story I suppose, but once he got a little traction, he needed space to grow. I used what was supposed to be my college fund and some money my grandfather had left me.” He sneaks a peek in my direction, then goes back to arranging his rocks. “My parents were livid, of course, but I just wasn’t cut out for school. I thought tuition would be a bigger waste than just putting the money toward something I could start working on right away. I put a down payment on the building, having no real experience with construction or real estate except a few summers I spent working for my uncle building houses, but fortunately since there are several office suites there, I had tenants from day one, which kept me from losing everything. Especially since I wasn’t charging Erik rent."
“The early years were pretty lean,” he continues. “I had to live with my parents, and I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to maintain the building, so I just had to do it myself, learning along the way. Any free time was usually spent at the office, because what broke twenty-year-old wants to hang out with his parents every night?” Chris shakes his head at the memory. “Anyhow, Erik eventually started to turn a profit, which meant I got paid, and then real estate in the area started to come back, so I borrowed against one building and bought another, and so on. It’s enough to keep me busy without taking up too much of my time.” He shrugs.
Chris finally seems to get the rocks placed where he wants them and shows me his effort. “That suits you,” I say, admiring the monochromatic arrangement, which is elegant in its simplicity.
“Really? How?”
“It’s masculine but still soft, simple without being plain. And it matches your eyes.”
Chris inspects my terrarium. “Yours suits you also.”
“How so?”
“The colors are cheerful. The glass bowl is feminine but still strong. It’s beautiful in a subtle but striking way.”
