Touched a nerve, did I?
“Anytime.” She patted his knuckles.
Still grumbling, he collected their empty plates. “You’re probably spinning bullshit so you can have your way with my plants.”
She shot to her feet. “Now just a goddamn minute. I didn’t come here to be insulted. I came to help you. And Zora, someone you claim to care about.”
He glared at his boots, his jaw working.
Clearly her so-called intuition was on the fritz today. She’d read him as a secret softy, but he was just another prickly, hostile dude-bro, out of touch with all his feelings except anger. The electricity she sensed between them was merely wishful thinking, triggered by her bruised ego.
Finally, he took a halting step toward her, his gaze lowered. “Look, I’m sorry. You did nothing to deserve that.”
She crossed her arms. “Correct. I didn’t.”
“I apologize.” He pronounced the words like he was swallowing bitter medicine. “And I do want to hear your plans. For my plants, I mean.”
He was drawing a line—business connection, maybe. Personal connection, a firm no.
She sucked in a huge breath and tried to exhale the tightness from her chest. “Here’s what I was thinking—custom tea blends for sweet dreams, mental clarity, insight, calm in times of stress, opening the heart to new love…”
His chuckle rang as dry as burnt toast. “That’s a lot to ask from a cup of tea.”
She lifted her chin. “Herbs have proven properties going back to ancient medicine systems. A botanist like you should know that.”
Again, his gaze dropped to the floor. “Told you, I’m just a farmer.”
Her patience snapped. She jabbed her finger into his broad chest. “Well, open your mind, farmer boy. You’d find lots of new customers if you’d get your head out of your—” Catching herself just in time, she sucked in a breath and raised her palms. “Sorry. I shouldn’t yell at you after you let me into your inner sanctum.”
Shaking his head, Jesse shrank back. “It’s a greenhouse, Gemma.”
She softened her tone and laid her hand on his forearm. “Yeah, but this place holds your heart. I’m honored you invited me in.” She moved to the front door and shrugged into her coat. “I’ll send you a list of herbs we’d like to buy. Could we get some potted plants too? I’d like to try making fairy gardens.”
His forehead rumpled. “Do what now?”
Why did he have to be so damn cute?
“You know, little terrariums in a dish, with aromatic plants and figurines. Big sellers at the farmers’ markets in Eugene and Portland. Zora has a ton of tiny tchotchkes we could use. Buddha meditating under the sage tree, Ganesha dancing in the creeping thyme…”
At last, his stiff posture relaxed. “Sounds cute. Okay. As long as you’re not using my plants to hex anyone, I’m game.”
She held up three fingers in a Scout’s Honor gesture. “No hexing, only healing.” She reached for the doorknob.
His big hand fell onto her shoulder. “Listen, Gemma, I’m sorry for sounding disrespectful. You and Zora aren’t hurting anyone, and if you can help her business and mine, well, I’m grateful.”
“From skepticism to gratitude. That’s quite a leap in just one morning.”
Their eyes met and held. Maybe it was the welcoming spirit of his home, maybe the phase of the moon, but she found herself gripping his shirt, rising on tiptoe, and aiming a smooch at his cheek. Startled, he jerked so her kiss landed at the corner of his mouth. His wide, soft lips parted on a sharp inhalation. They both staggered back.
Her face roasting, she clutched her coat over her chest. “Okay then, I’ll get to work. On the, uh, plants.” She backed through the door, heart fluttering like a hummingbird.
Jesse followed, his steps jerky. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Say, you want to have dinner sometime?”
“Sometime?”
“Like, maybe Friday? Farmer friend of mine is delivering some organic lamb. I was gonna make stew.”
Knocked completely sideways by this turn of events, she gawked like an idiot.
