Page 92 of Home Grown Talent
For a second, Mason wondered whether Owen was going to respond at all, but after a heart-stopping pause, he cleared his throat and said briefly, “Yes, it’s great.” He swallowed then, visibly struggling.
Mason’s heart twisted for him. “Owen is so modest,” he said, “but I’ve seen how dedicated he is to his work. And how much he believes that gardening is for everyone. Right, Owen?”
Mason shot him a hopeful look, willing him to pick up and run with the ball he’d lobbed at him.
And, with a jerky nod, Owen said, “Uh, yes. Everyone would benefit from gardening because—”
“But it’s not just gardening pictures we’re seeing online,” Marc interjected in a teasing tone, cutting Owen off. Mason could have killed him. “You two have been getting quite a lot of attention yourselves—I gather you’ve even got your own hashtag.” He looked at Leah, pretending bewilderment. “What was it you told me? Hashtag OwSon?”
Leah laughed. “Yes, there’s a lot of buzz online about these two. Never mind budding flowers. It’s budding romance that has everyone excited. So, tell us, Mason”—she turned back to him with a toothy grin—“are the rumours true? Are you two just good friends, or is something more blooming in the Weekend Wellness garden?”
Despite the gap between them on the sofa, Mason could sense Owen stiffening.
Mason tried to laugh lightly, but it sounded strained. “Let’s put it like this,” he said, “we’re very good friends. I don’t think I’ve ever clicked with anyone as quickly as I did with Owen.”
He glanced at Owen, who met his gaze with confusion, even as he tried to smile. The little lines around his eyes that creased so adorably when his smile was wide and genuine were making him look strained. Oh God, was he annoyed that Mason wasn’t admitting they were together? Was he annoyed that Mason was talking about them at all? Couldn’t he understand that this was simply part of the story they’d been teasing for weeks now?
Leah turned to Owen. “And what about you, Owen? What did you think when you first met our Mason?”
Our Mason.
Owen looked… pained. No getting away from it, he was hating this.
“Er, when I first met him?” He blinked, seeming a little confused. “Well, he was dating my brother back then, so…”
“Oh my God, Owen!” Mason forced a ridiculously camp laugh that probably sounded more alarmed than amused. Of all the bloody things he could have said, why that?
Leah leaned in, her innate nose for gossip twitching. “That would be Lewis Hunter, creator of the vampire drama, Leeches?”
Visibly panicking, Owen stammered, “No. I mean, yes, but, uh— Mason… That is, I thought he was pretty great.” Another of those strained smiles. “He’s very attractive. Obviously.”
Pretty great? Very attractive?
Even though Mason knew Owen wasn’t really lukewarm about him, the tepid words still hurt, bringing an unexpected lump to Mason’s throat.
“I can see you’re a man of few words,” Marc said, filling the silence left by Owen’s awkward reply. “And, as Mason said, you don’t like to blow your own trumpet either, do you? But we happen to know that you’ve got a bit of a secret project on the go.” He raised a brow.
“And it just so happens,” Leah said, taking up the cue, “that we have an inside track on that.” She grinned at the camera. “Take a look at this.”
Shit. Mason’s heart leapt into his throat. It was happening. Now.
The screen below the autocue came on, with sound this time, and there he was: Mason, standing in front of the greenhouse in that fucking rainbow hoodie that he suddenly hated.
“Don’t tell Owen,” on-screen Mason whispered. “But I’m going to sneak you into the greenhouse because I just have to show you this. It’s amazing.” He opened the door and beckoned at the camera—which was actually just Misty’s phone camera, since she’d decided she wanted this bit to look like a spontaneous film Mason had done himself.
Mason glanced at Owen anxiously—he was staring rigidly at the screen, face pale, lips parted in astonishment.
On-screen Mason stood aside, revealing the pineapple plants. “Look! Aren't they adorable?” He bent towards the plants and prodded one of the tiny pineapples with his forefinger, making it rock as he crooned, “Little baby pineapples!” Straightening, he added, “This is pretty wild, but did you know you can actually grow these from the top of a pineapple you buy at the supermarket? And I happen to know that because it’s exactly what Owen did a few weeks ago.”
He waited for the next part to begin—him saying that Owen’s own pineapple plants were back in his greenhouse at home, and that maybe next time Owen would let Mason show those plants off—but it didn’t appear. Instead, the VT cut to Mason leaving the greenhouse and closing the door behind him with exaggerated care before saying in a stagey whisper, “To find out how you can grow pineapples like Owen’s, check out the Weekend Wellness website. In the meantime, let’s go back to the studio where we have some sweet treats lined up…”
Misty had waved off Mason’s question during filming about the “sweet treats” sign off, making a vague comment about the next part of the show being the cooking segment. But as the film ended, and the camera went back to Leah and Marc, Mason had a sudden horrible realisation about where this was going.
The next few seconds seemed to unfold in slow motion. He watched helplessly as Marc bent down to retrieve something from the shelf under the table between the two sofas while Leah said, “So, we have a little surprise for you, Owen!”
Mason glanced at Owen and saw the expression of betrayed confusion in his eyes as Marc straightened, holding something in his hands…
A pineapple.