It didn’t make much sense for a forty-five-year-old man who had gone through what I had gone through, but maybe that’s why I was a landscape designer and not a doctor.
Brandon leaned against the back of my truck. “You didn’t ask her out then?”
“I don’t go to the gym to pick up chicks.”
“I know that, but that doesn’t mean you need to avoid them. You’re a good man and you deserve love. Everyone does.”
“Thank you and I’m confident I’ll meet someone. When the time is right, it’ll happen.”
“Not even a hello?” Brandon asked. “That’s all it takes to start, you know. Then next time another hello, and by the third hello you can introduce yourself. Nice and slow is the way to go, but it always starts with a hello.”
“Now, you’re a poet. And if it makes you feel any better, I told her she should put ice on her injured wrist.”
“Great!” He scratched the side of his chin. “But I still think you should’ve asked her out.”
We both got in the truck and I started the engine, turning to him before I pulled out of the parking lot. “Asking her out was the last thing on my mind. She could be married with five kids.”
Brandon fastened his seatbelt. “I get it. You’re holding the wedgie against her.”
I chuckled. “Yes—that’s it. Exactly.” I pulled onto the street and headed toward my client’s home. Luckily, it was only a few minutes away.
“Everybody gets wedgies, you know.” Brandon moved his butt around on the seat. “I think I have a little one right now.”
I shot him a quick look and then got my eyes back on the road. “I don’t need to know things like that. And true, people get wedgies, but not everybody falls off a bike in a spinning class. Not that I would hold that against her, but you need to give it a rest. Trust me—there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s hoping to never see me again after what happened.”
“Well, as long as you keep an open mind. You can’t let what happened between you and Crystal stop you from finding someone special.”
Crystal was my ex-wife.
She had worked too much, I had rarely seen her when we were married and when I had, she only wanted to talk about her work. She was the one who pushed my career path into a direction I hadn’t wanted it to go, which led to my health problems. We ended the marriage on good terms and we have a beautiful daughter together, Lindsey, who’s in her last year of college now.
“Crystal wasn’t a bad woman,” Brandon said.
“I know that.” I turned down the next street and slowed down since we were approaching my client’s house. “Crystal was a workaholic, and it takes a certain person to live with and be in a relationship with a workaholic. I’m not that person. Call me crazy, but when I’m in a relationship with a woman, I like to see her regularly. I gave it a shot, tried to be as supportive as possible, but being career-minded differs from being career-obsessed.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Brandon pointed to the driveway. “Back into the driveway, so I don’t have to carry the doors so far.”
“Of course.” I backed in, stuck the truck in park, and turned off the engine.
Brandon opened his door and was about to jump out, but then stopped. “I still think you should’ve asked out wedgie girl.”
“She seemed a little too serious for me. She didn’t even smile.”
“I don’t think anyone smiles in a spinning class.”
“Fair enough.”
“And most people aren’t filled with joy and happiness and smiles when they have something stuck up their butt.”
“Another fair point, but there was also a tiny incident of her threatening to sue the gym and get the instructor fired, even though it was her fault she fell off the bike. I heard the whole thing since I was right behind her. She knew exactly what to say.”
“Did it work?”
I nodded. “The instructor looked terrified.”
“She’s smart, too.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. I did love her confidence, I’ll give her that much. Anyway, she looked like she was out to bulldoze anyone who stood in her path. I snuck out of the class before she killed me for leaving fingerprints on her water bottle.”
Brandon arched an eyebrow. “What were you doing with her water bottle?”
“She dropped it. I picked it up for her.”
He nodded and scratched his chin. “Like when Cinderella lost her shoe . . .”
“Not even close.” I laughed and headed to the front door, Brandon trailing right behind me. “Oh . . . remember Ruth is the client, but she’s out of town on business again. We’re meeting with her assistant, Dee.” I knocked on the front door.
Brandon leaned closer and whispered. “Maybe that’s not a bad thing that she’s out of town since she works from home. There’s nothing worse than a client watching us as we work. Especially a control freak who keeps changing things on the fly.”
I put a finger over my lips to quiet Brandon since I heard footsteps on the tile approaching the front door inside the house.
Dee swung the door open. “Hi, Nick.”
She did a double-take with Brandon, like she recognized him.
“Hey, there. Good to see you again.” I gestured to Brandon. “This is my partner, Brandon.”
“Nice to meet you.” Brandon shook Dee’s hand.
“You, too.” She led us to the kitchen where she grabbed a key ring from the counter and began removing one of the keys from it.
I glanced around the kitchen and got the same feeling that I had the last time I had been there. It almost felt as if a woman didn’t live in the house. There was barely a hint of feminine touches and style. Very neutral colors, too.
Nothing on the refrigerator.
Nothing on the counters.
No picture frames.
No flowers.
No plants.
No lively decor like sunflowers, roosters, cows, or vibrant colors.
Dee handed me the house key. “Here you go. Just a couple of things and I’ll let you do whatever you need to do to prepare for tomorrow. Ruth asked me to stock the refrigerator with various drinks and juices for you both. Please help yourself.” She pointed to the coffee maker. “And you have unlimited coffee there. Just pop a capsule in and press start.” She pointed to the cupboard. “And nuts and dried fruits there. Don’t be shy. Grab something if you ever get the urge.”
“Thank you.”
I could say without hesitation that no client had ever offered me nuts and dried fruits on the job in the past. It was thoughtful and generous, albeit a little weird at the same time. Not weird enough for me to not partake since I loved nuts and dried fruits. There was no doubt in my mind I would be raiding that cupboard over the next couple of weeks.
“Okay, follow me.” Dee led us past the family room toward the hallway.
Ruth had an amazing house, roomy, clean, completely remodeled, and very modern. Too modern, if I was being honest, almost like it was a place rented out as corporate housing. If I didn’t already know it was a woman’s house, I would’ve been certain it belonged to a businessman with no life. It was almost as if Ruth only used the place to work and sleep.