Page 6

Chapter Six

The Moreton Bay Fig

( Ficus macrophylla )

An enormous tree with a canopy up to twenty metres wide. If growing one from seed, the Moreton bay fig tree should not be planted in the ground. This tree is very aggressive and its roots can cause a lot of damage. It is perfect for bonsai due to its aggressive growth and ability to be trunk-braided.

S teph was a natural with the customers. She really listened to their needs and wants regarding the plant, where the plant was going, or what the plant was for. That last one was important. I believed in plants having a purpose besides filling an empty corner or sitting on a window sill. Plants could heal. Sometimes they were the reason for a person to stay put on earth.

It sounded all a bit philosophical but both Lucas and Kahlia had jumped on board with my thinking. And now so had Steph. My heart warmed.

Mr G was delivering our homemade hamburgers for lunch—additional pineapple and beetroot for me. Steph’s level of wide-eyed appall at my additions made me laugh.

“You’re ridiculously Australian,” she said, still staring at my creation.

“And proud of it. Besides, there’s no rule book for a hamburger in Australia.”

“No, but I’m sure having both pineapple and beetroot heaped on top of the regular lettuce, cheese, meat, tomato, sauce business is just taking it too far,” she chuckled.

I delivered a one-shoulder shrug at her, grinned, then took an enormous bite, and Steph shook her head then turned to Mr G and delivered a string of Greek. His face lit up and he quickly responded, hands gesturing elaborately now that he’d been relieved of lunch.

“Mr and Mrs G have had some customers mentioning the Walker’s Warehouse getting built. The customers are not happy, particularly the tradies on the reno sites around the corner. Those guys will be there for another six months or so doing the row of heritage townhouses, and apparently they’d be pissed off if Mr G’s place shut up shop.”

I grinned and softly bumped Steph’s shoulder. Her paraphrasing was adorable. I was absolutely positive Mr G hadn’t used the words ‘reno’, and ‘pissed off’.

I caught Lucas eye from a few metres away, where he was barcoding bags of potting mix, and he gave me the thumbs up. For what reason I had no idea. Perhaps because Steph was doing so well with all the customers. But he followed the gesture with a nod and an accompanying smirk.

Impudent, observant teenagers were annoying.

* * *

I was tapping away at the keyboard that afternoon when Steph knocked on the open door.

“Hi,” I said, looking up, then I hit enter and stood. Tough shook himself awake and walked out. Clearly I’d interrupted his slumber under my desk.

“Hi, yourself.” Steph stepped into the office which really only fitted two people in relative squishiness but the person I was squished to was very welcome. I grabbed my takeaway coffee while I waited for her next sentence. The cup was still warm and I sent a silent thank you to Jules and her knowledge of customer’s preferences. Mine was extra hot. I searched for the little drinking hole in the lid with the tip of my tongue and held Steph’s gaze, which I really, truly, hadn’t meant to make flirty or sexy, but the action made Steph’s breath catch, then she exhaled slowly. I was simply trying not to spill coffee on myself, but apparently the tip of my tongue was breath-hitch-worthy.

Steph watched my mouth. She watched my tongue dart out. She watched my throat moving as I swallowed. She watched me and I felt swallowed whole by her gaze.

I lowered the cup.

“Angel, “ Steph started.

“Yes?”

“I like you. You give me goosebumps.”

Unexpected. And lovely because Steph’s goosebumps were reciprocated.

I blushed. Steph was so bold. I thought I was a blunt, unfiltered sort of person, but not when it came to declarations about attraction. I was a little shy when it came to that sort of thing. I preferred subtly declaring attraction through the medium of shivering with joy when on a motorcycle ride with a really pretty woman’s arms wrapped around my waist.

“I like you, too,” I said, picking at the lid of my coffee cup. Brilliant. Next thing I’d be turning the toe of my boot around on the concrete.

“You’re unexpected.” Steph leaned against the desk, resting the palms of her hands on the edge, fingers hanging over. She delivered a slow smile.“I’m attracted to you.” Then she tilted her head. “I love how attraction can’t be helped. It's just what it is.” She flicked a finger between us. “I can’t help being attracted to you but it’s very okay if it’s not reciprocated.”

I set my cup of coffee on the top of the printer.

“Steph, I’m attracted to you as well. You’re really pretty and lovely and slightly taller than me which is kind of nice.” I blinked, then grimaced at the admission.

Steph smiled.

“And,” I continued. “You seem to look past the bit of roundness going on here.” I waved vaguely at my body. “I’m hardly prime real estate. I’m forty and a bit pudgy with some rough edges, like a house that’s seen a good life so far but the lawns haven’t been mowed for a while.”

Steph paused for a moment, then cracked up, bowing forward so that she nearly fell over. Then she straightened and reached for my hand, squeezing my fingers. “Haven’t you mown your lawns for a while?” She winked and I blushed, quietly dying inside.

“I…It was an analogy,” I muttered.

“Angel.” She held my hand more firmly. “I’m only in my early thirties but I decided long ago that when attraction exists, there’s no use fighting it. It only results in angst, longing, and yearning, and while that’s dramatic and creates great fiction, I choose to tell the person straight up that I’m attracted to them. And.” She held my other hand, bringing us closer together. “It would have been fine if you’d said that the attraction wasn’t mutual. We’d move on.” She tugged me even closer. “But it is mutual.” She gazed into my eyes.

“By the way,” she said. “I don’t look past all of you. I see you and find the whole package rather delightful. You are gorgeous and generous and kind and funny and I like all of those qualities.”

Steph was so fearless and I wished I could be just as much. I wanted to tell her that I thought she was funny and her humour had me in fits of laughter all day. I wanted to tell her that when the breeze from the streets came through the front doors, her hair moved almost in slow motion and I wanted to touch it.

I had a go at the fearless.

“Well, if we’re giving compliments. You are also gorgeous and?—

Steph cut me off as she stood, leaned forward, and delivered a full on hold-onto-my-shoulders lip-smothering kiss. My mouth then caught up and joined in wholeheartedly.

When she broke away, she slid her hands down my arms and brought them to my palms.

"Sorry. I didn’t ask permission.”

I huffed a quick laugh, somewhat dazed.

"Permission granted from now on. If you want to, that is.”

“Yes, please,” she replied. “I liked our date the other night.” Then she smirked. “And our kiss.”

“It wasn’t meant to be a date date but apparently I’m a delusional lesbian with a huge dose of cluelessness.”

Steph cocked her head, still holding my hands. “Do you want this?”

I hummed. Did I? My body was certainly a fan. My heart said that I should give it a chance. That was all the permission I needed.

“Kisses, and looks-but-not-looks, and brushing against each other accidentally-on-purpose, and dates?”

Steph smiled, then enveloped me in a beautiful hug. “Yes.”

I rested my cheek against her chest. “Okay.” Then I smiled into her apron string. “I like the way you manhandle me.”

There was a cough at the door, and we sprang apart. Well, I did the springing. Steph simply stepped backwards to lean against the desk again. So smooth.

Lucas stood there, grinning.

“Just letting you know that I’m off and I’ll see you next week.”

I nodded, shot finger guns at him, which was seriously uncool but I was flustered, and Lucas knew it because he rolled his lips in to stifle another grin.

“Goodo. See you then,” I replied, slightly manic, my voice pitched higher than normal.

“Okay. Oh, bye Steph.” With another look at me, he disappeared from the doorway.

I repeated my thought from earlier. Impudent, observant teenagers are annoying.

Steph laughed at my expression and delivered another lovely kiss.

* * *

On Saturday, I found my gaze drifting over to Steph who was chatting and laughing with Lucas at the front counter. We’d had a few kisses during the week similar to those first ones in the office. One memorable moment occurred at the small loading dock at the back roller door. I was sitting on the bars of the miniature forklift—the kind that has a one-person plate for standing on at the back and hand-held operating device and the capacity to lift a pallet of bags of soil, etcetera. Steph grinned, reached for the hand-held controller, and pressed it to raise the forklift arms. I gripped the edge of the steel bar to steady myself, not only because of the bar’s movement but also because I felt myself liquifying in Steph’s intense gaze. Within a few seconds we were at eye level. Steph pushed the stop button, then hung it over the handle. She stepped forward so that I was compelled to open my legs to let her into my space.

“Hi there,” I said, grinning. “So this is what it’s like to have your head in the clouds.”

Steph laughed. “Hardly. You’re a head shorter. That’s all.” She pressed into my body and I squeezed my legs.

“I don’t know what this is but I’m enjoying you.”

“Me, too.”

I patted the forklift bar. “Probably shouldn’t use business equipment like this. We could be breaking some sort of workplace health and safety law.”

We shared a grin, then I put my hands on either side of Steph’s head and brought her lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss: a one-two-three pressing of lips, until I couldn’t wait anymore. I slipped one hand around the back of Steph’s neck and held her against me, held the kiss, held her cheek with my other hand, then dipped my tongue into her mouth. Just a touch, and she gasped. I’d never felt anything like this before. Sure I’d had girlfriends because of that common attraction situation. But the attraction with Steph was lightning. I couldn’t help myself. We weren't just colleagues or friends now. We were something else. Affection was seeping in.

I shivered at the memory, then returned my attention to the Bonsai Brains and found that Kadee had followed my gaze to the front of the store. She’d paused her tiny clipping and wetting of her base sponge to deliver a tiny nod.

“Does Lucas work every Saturday?’ she asked.

“Yep. Every Saturday and Thursday afternoon.”

Kadee lowered her voice to a murmur. “Would you introduce me? I can’t do it myself. He’ll probably think I’m pathetic. I’ll stumble over words and things. I’ve heard him talking to the customers and he’s so smart, and I’m a nobody.”

My heart broke. “Kadee,” I whispered. “You’re not a nobody at all.”

“Nope. Definitely a somebody,” Benji piped up, joining our quiet conversation from where he sat next to me. He’d stopped raising his hand to speak which was a positive step. “I think your idea is excellent, Kadee. Lucas respects Angel and that means your introduction will transfer the respect across to Lucas.” He waved his hand to make his point, his bracelets jingling and clicking together. “Not that he’d only respect you because of Angel’s say so. He’ll work out how great you are all on his own. He seems like the sort of guy who would pay attention to people.” Then he gave a definitive single nod.

It was one of the longest passage of conversation that Benji had uttered in ages. He nodded again, his floppy blonde locks dancing about, then bent his head over his work.

Kadee and I made eye contact.

“What Benji said,” I answered quietly. Kadee had a fan club consisting of me and Benji and whether she liked it or not, we’d be waving pompoms at the edges of her bravery.

I was touched that Kadee wanted me to act almost as an old-fashioned chaperone. I tried to fulfil my duties when the teens had packed up and were heading to the door.

“Hey, Lucas,” I called, grabbing his attention. “Kadee was telling me that the Moreton Bay Fig would make an excellent addition to our nursery.” I smiled at Kadee. “A Ficus macrophylla in miniature, right?”

Kadee took an enormous breath. “Absolutely,” she said, the air in her lungs whooshing out. “It’s capable of being tamed and cultivated.”

Lucas nodded in thought. “It could, you know. What about the Port Jackson Fig?”

I took a small step back so that Kadee was on her own. I willed her on.

“I guess so. It’s more dense than the others.” She took a step forward, and I cheered internally.

Go, Kadee!

“I’m just going over to the azaleas to commune with the tan bark,” I said. “Safe sleeps, Kadee.”

Then I surreptitiously glided away.

Steph caught up to me when I’d rounded the corner.

“That was sweet. You’re rather lovely, Angel Whitlock.” She grinned and reached for my hand. “I’m glad you let that part of you show. Some people don’t and make others dig deep just to discover it.”

“That’s me. What you see is what you get,” I replied, and shrugged, swinging our joined hands.

“I like what I see.” Steph gave me a top to toe scan and I shivered with delight in all the best places.

I blushed.

“Why do you wish safe sleeps to the Bonsai kids?” Steph reached for my other hand. I liked hand-holding. It was intimate, as if our palms were having their own little tryst while the rest of our bodies could maintain a whole conversation.

“Those kids have an hour with each other on Saturdays. Hopefully in that hour their demons don’t sit on their shoulders and whisper horrible things. But the rest of the day? Those demons steal those kids, so why should the night take them as well?”

Steph blinked, her eyes glistening. “You are seriously wonderful,” she whispered, then leaned forward to kiss me.