I sighed and opened the door for her. “Let’s go. Don’t get upset if he doesn’t let you in theshop.”
Hanknot only let Margo in, he poured her a bowl of water and gave her some of his beef jerky. He did this all without acknowledging I was even there. So. I supposed this meant he was still mad atme.
When he finally deigned to look at me, I decided maybe pretending to want potting soil was lame. I went in for thekill.
“Thank you for delivering my plants yesterday. Someone dropped Margo off at my doorstep, so my day got turned upside down prettyquickly.”
He nodded. “You never paid me for themileage.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from saying something snarky. “I’ll pay on my way out,” I said instead. This could not possibly be the guy the dating agency had in mind for me. We’d kill each other in aweek.
He nodded. “Was there anythingelse?”
“I wanted to apologize for the abrupt way I acted. It’s not like me to do that, and I just want to reassure you I meant nothing byit.”
“Why did you even bother asking me then?” His face was still in his normal scowl, but his gaze was curious. The answer mattered tohim.
Hank wanted honesty. Huh. So I went for it. “I got this odd letter attached to Margo’scollar.”
His lips twitched. “Margo?”
“From The Magicians,” Isaid.
His stare wasblank.
Definitelynot the guy forme.
“Anyway, the letter was from that matchmakingservice.”
Hank scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Does anyone even believe in thatthing?”
“They set my parents up,” I toldhim.
Hank abruptly shut his pie hole and motioned for me to go on. “The note told me I needed to keep the puppy and that I would meet someone who wasdead.”
One perfectly dark eyebrow rose almost to his hairline. The silence was deafening. Margo lay down on the ground and put one paw over her face like, “this girl is an idiot. Lookaway.”
“And you thought it was me?” His voice wasdeadpan.
Abort. Abort. I raised a hand up and choked out a self-deprecating laugh. “I didn’t say it was you, but when you showed up, I had towonder.”
“I don’t like blondes,” he said abruptly. Hank stood from his seat behind the register. “Was there anything else I can help youwith?”
I sighed. “Since I’m here and we’ve established that not only were you not the man they were talking about, but that you hate blondes, which I happen to be one, a natural one, and not a bottle one, I was hoping we could talk a little bit about permaculture. As long as you accept my apology. Because that was awkward. And I’m not a speciesist.” I added because why not? I’d already made myself look like a massiveidiot.
“A speciesist?” he echoed. “Am I a species now and not a man?” Hank shook his head. “You have a real gift for words, Ms.Reaper.”
I was an idiot. “Permaculture,” I blurted before I could dig myself into an even deeper hole. “I’minterested.”
Hank gave me a long look. Margo whined. His lip quirked to the side. “Margo thinks you need some work,too.”
“Margo is a dog who needs to mind her own business,” Igrumbled.
He pointed over to the back of the nursery. “Head back there and wait for me. I’ll show you some examples after I take care ofsomething.”
I called forMargo.
“She can stayhere.”
