“Yeah.”
“Well, she sits at home most days and most nights, watching reruns of her favorite shows. She gets all her food delivered. She’s not even motivated to leave the house anymore. And the last three times she did leave the house was to go to three memorials for friends who died. How sad is that?”
Dee nodded. “Very sad.”
“I want to do something for her.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t figured out that part yet. Maybe a weekly get-together over tea, unless I can think of something else. She seemed to really enjoy the time with me and being out. I think the only thing stopping her from going out is that she has nobody in her life, really.”
“Maybe she needs to find other ladies who get together regularly, like for a book club, a meetup, or something else. My mom is in a Bunco group and she has a blast. Well, I think they focus more on the food and drinks and chatting than the actual Bunco itself, but they do have fun.”
“Not a bad idea at all.”
“I know.” Dee smiled and gestured to the backyard. “What do you think of the progress in the yard? I closed the sliding glass door, just in case there was any dust.”
“I haven’t seen it yet.” I flipped back around to take a look at the fountain. “Oh, wow.”
It was already flowing with water. I knew what it was supposed to look like since I’d picked it out of a catalog, but it looked even more amazing in person. And Nick had already set up the two concrete benches I had picked out, one on each side of the fountain.
I opened up the sliding glass door to hear the water. “This I could get used to.”
“How could you not have seen it when you came in? You were looking through the glass when I walked up behind you.”
“Was I?” I could feel my face heating up, but I wasn’t going to admit that I was gawking. “Hmmm. I’m not sure.”
Dee leaned forward to get a look at my face and then laughed. “You were checking out the guys, weren’t you?”
I turned to her, grabbing her arm and squeezing it. “It’s all your fault. You put those thoughts of glistening muscles and all that in my head.”
She was still laughing. “Yeah, but I didn’t think you would believe me. Okay, I call dibs on Brandon. You get Nick.”
“Shhhh! Keep it down or they’ll hear you.” I shook my head in disbelief. “And you’re calling dibs on Brandon like he’s the last piece of pie?”
“Piece of meat,” Dee corrected. “Beef cake. And mama’s hungry.”
“Now, you’re starting to sound like Barney.”
She laughed. “I have no idea what that means, but let’s take a closer look.”
“No! I’m not going to go gawk at men.”
“Of course not, you already did that.” Dee slid open the screen door. “I’m talking about the fountain, silly.” She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me outside.
“Oh . . . that. Right.”
“Hey, guys!” Dee said, waving.
The guys turned around, both smiling and approaching us.
“The fountain looks amazing.” Dee continued to pull, but I was able to yank my hand free, and did my best to look relaxed. “How about some lemonade? You haven’t even taken a break in the last few hours and you must be thirsty.”
“I’m good, but thank you,” Nick said.
“I would love some,” Brandon said. “Thank you.”
Dee smiled. “Come inside and grab some while Nick shows Ruth the fountain.”
I can’t believe she is making a move on him right before my eyes!
I gave her a look to let her know I knew exactly what she was up to, but she just gave me a knowing smile and led Brandon back to the house.
Nick pointed to the fountain. “What do you think?”
I nodded, sitting on the bench. “I love it. It’s so peaceful.”
He sat on the bench next to me. “Yeah, I’ve always had a thing for fountains since I was a kid, tossing coins in. You picked out a good one. And you have excellent feng shui and an auspicious backyard since I made sure the water is flowing toward the house.”
“And what does that do again?”
“When the water flows toward the home it brings prosperity and abundance.”
I smiled. “I like that.”
“Plus, you get the additional health benefits of the fountain since the soothing sound increases your serotonin production, so you will feel happier, while helping relax the mind. Perfect for someone who needs to take a break from working too much.”
I blinked. “Who told you I work too much?”
“Well . . .” He scratched the side of his face, looking like he was caught off guard by the question. “I thought that was why you hired me. To create a zen garden, your own little spiritual retreat to disconnect from the stress of your job. Maybe I misunderstood Dee back in the planning stages. Are you saying you don’t have stress?”
I scoffed. “No—I would never say that. I’ve got plenty.”
“Well then, this will definitely help you, and we’ve only just started. We are going to kill your stress before it kills you.”
“Dee says the same thing.”
“Hey, I know all about stress.”
I studied him for a moment. “You seem like the most relaxed man in the world.”
He chuckled. “Now, maybe, but not before.”
I looked up into the sky when I heard the sound of a plane flying overhead. My thoughts traveled back to my flight from hell and thoughts of dying.
I didn’t like that feeling at all.
It was like I couldn’t control my emotions.
Nick leaned closer. “Are you okay?”
I tried to shake the negative thoughts from my head. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Maybe if I said it enough times it would be true.
“Close your eyes.”
I turned to Nick. “What?”
“Close your eyes. I want to show you something.”
“How am I going to see if my eyes are closed?”
Nick chuckled. “Believe me, you will. You will see and feel.”
“That’s okay. I’ll pass. I should get back inside.”
He crossed his arms, waiting. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” I stood to go back in and—
Nick stood as well. “Okay, let me just show you something you can do to relax, then you can do it when I’m not here, if you’re more comfortable with that. You’re going to use your fountain for your health.” He gestured around the yard. “I mean, that’s why you have me doing all this, so you might as well learn how to let it benefit you, health-wise. Deal?”
I nodded. “Okay, make it quick.”
“Great. Sit.”
I huffed, letting him know I didn’t appreciate being told what to do. “Are you always so pushy?”
“Only when I believe in something fiercely. Stress is like poison, but I’m going to help you.”
“I still don’t understand how you can know about stress when you work with plants and trees and fountains all day in the outdoors.”
“I’ll tell you one day after you try this exercise. I’ll even close my eyes and show you how to do it.”