Page 5

“ O uch!” Ava exclaimed as she smashed her thumb with the hammer for the third time.

Henry chuckled, taking the tool from her. “Here, you hold it again and I’ll finish.”

They were working on the back porch today after Ava realized they had missed some wobbly pieces and she had insisted she try nailing some of the supports in, irritated no one had ever taught her to use a hammer when she was younger.

“I’m not the most coordinated,” she huffed, sucking her throbbing thumb as the chill breeze rustled Henry’s hair.

Had she offered to help to be close to him? Maybe. Probably.

Yes.

Henry smiled, his gaze dropping to her thumb in her mouth and his eyes slightly darkened before he turned and began to hammer the railing. “It’s cute,” he said.

Was he flirting with her?

“I’m glad I’m cute, I guess.” She laughed, blushing as she grasped the top rail to hold it still .

“Much cuter than my last employer.” He briefly glanced at her.

He was definitely flirting with her.

“My grandpa? I should hope so.” She raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her nerves.

Why was she so nervous around him? She didn’t tend to get nervous around men. Usually they annoyed her, but there was something different about Henry.

They finished the back porch and Henry stood. “So, you used to do archery?” he questioned.

“Huh?” She looked at him, confused as she leaned against the newly repaired railing.

He gestured to her hoodie displaying the logo of her college archery team.

Glancing down, she replied, “Oh, right. I was on the team in college. I was actually really good.”

She was more than good; she was excellent at it.

Archery became a way to manage her stress throughout college, a way to escape from the all-nighters and relentless studying she often imposed on herself.

Though she had never been very athletic and hated team sports, archery gave her something to focus on, something to provide confidence. She missed it.

“So, you can’t hammer a nail straight but you’re good with a bow and arrow?” He shook his head.

“I never said it made sense.” She laughed. “Sometimes I’m clumsy but for some reason archery came easily for me. No idea why.”

He leaned forward and reached around her.

She straightened. “What are you doing?”

Continuing to lean, he extended his arm and grabbed something off the railing behind her, stopping a few inches from her face. “I’m grabbing my tool,” he said as he retrieved it and stepped back.

“Oh,” she squeaked, face flushing yet again .

Had he done that on purpose just to get closer to her? It sure felt like it. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she realized she wanted him to get close to her again.

He smirked. “Show me where you want the pet door installed.”

Pushing herself off the railing, she led him to the back door. “Here, please.”

“I’m going to have to keep the door open while I install this. Is that okay?” He grabbed his toolbox and carried it to the door.

“Yeah,” she responded. “I have some work I need to do in the office. Holler if you need anything.”

He nodded and she left the backdoor open as she went inside.

Entering the office, she found the bobcat, who she had dubbed Luna, asleep on the rug near the desk.

She shut the doors, embarrassed Henry might see her and judge her for keeping a wild animal in her house, and sat at the desk.

Fortunately, he never asked what the pet door was for and she didn’t mention Luna.

After ten minutes of staring at the binder full of information, unable to concentrate due to her stupid brain thinking about when Henry reached for the hammer and what his lips would feel like on hers, she picked up her phone and texted Eleanor.

So I think I’m crushing on the handy-man.

Of course you are. Like I said, he’s hot.

He called me cute.

Seriously?

Yea… I feel like a teenage girl. This is so dumb. I’m a 32-year-old grown ass woman. Why am I getting all giddy? I’ve known him for like two and a half days.

Is he there now?

Yea. He’s installing the pet door for that cat I told you about.

Awww. That’s sweet. Next time he comes over, you should answer the door naked.

NO. This isn’t a porno.

It should be. That would make a good porno. The young single woman running a flower farm is seduced by the hot handyman who always wears flannels.

That’s… an interesting visual.

You’d better text me the second he kisses you.

He’s not going to kiss me.

Sure. Whatever you say.

Come over for dinner Friday?

Ok!

A knock sounded on the office door and Ava jumped, dropping her phone. Henry was standing outside the doors, waiting. Rising from her chair, she grabbed her phone and slipped out of the office, closing the door behind her so Luna didn’t emerge.

“Sorry. I called your name, but you didn’t hear me.”

Face bright red from her conversation with Eleanor, she replied, “I was… distracted. Lots of paperwork is involved in running a flower farm, you know.”

“Uh huh.” He looked down at her. “I just needed your help with one last thing, and then I’ll be done.”

“Alright,” she answered as she followed him to the back door .

“Just hold this while I screw it in,” he said, sitting on the floor.

She sat down next to him and held the frame of the pet door still as he used his drill.

“I heard some fun stories about your grandfather’s farm,” he said, concentrating on his task as a lock of blonde hair fell in front of his eyes. She resisted the urge to brush it out of his face.

“Stories? What stories?” She glanced at him.

He shrugged, almost finished with the last screw. “Probably just a bunch of bullshit but people here can be superstitious. Something about spell books and witches. You know, stuff like that.”

“I’ve never heard anyone say that before.”

She wasn’t surprised people talked in this small town and was used to the accusations of witchcraft and spells following wherever she and her mother had moved. Rumors had likely circulated about her grandfather as well.

“It’s why people didn’t want to come out here,” Henry continued. “Abraham was… weird. It freaked people out.”

“But he didn’t freak you out?”

He sat up and shook his head, finished installing the door. “I don’t believe in that stuff. So, no.”

“I don’t believe in that stuff either,” she said. But she actually did.

Friday morning arrived and Ava got dressed in her usual farm uniform of a t-shirt and old jeans.

Henry was on his way to help her clean out the greenhouse and she wanted to get it done before Eleanor came over later.

He’d been coming every day for almost a week now and she was feeling more comfortable in his presence as time wore on.

Luna had settled in and was going in and out as she pleased.

Her injuries had healed miraculously well, allowing Ava to remove the bandages sooner than expected.

She had installed the pet door to let her new companion decide if she wanted to stay or go live in the wild again and so far, she seemed to want to stay.

She’d leave for a few hours to hunt or do whatever it was she did, but she always came back.

The cat had become a steady presence for her, something comforting as she continued to navigate this new life.

She had begun to feel less alone now that she had Eleanor, Luna and Henry, and though she hadn’t made any other friends, she promised herself she would go into town and try.

The rumble of Henry’s truck sounded outside, and Ava walked downstairs and met him in the driveway. “Good morning.” He beamed as he collected his supplies and they headed to the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was large with plenty of room for starting seeds and space for storage.

Framed with vintage windows which opened for ventilation, it let the perfect amount of light in for growing plants.

Set against a backdrop of old oak trees, the glass on the windows seemed to sparkle as the morning light of the sun bounced off the roof.

Excited to get it cleaned and in working order, Ava opened the creaky old door for Henry as he carried his tools inside.

It was full of dust, crumbling seed packets and broken pots. Old bags of soil were piled in the corner, some ripped open and spilling their contents onto the floor. Parts of the shelving were wobbly, and Henry got to work on repairing these while Ava discarded the trash.

“So… are you alone in this town?” Henry asked as he adjusted a loose board before drilling it back in place. “Got any family or friends here?”

“No family. It’s just me,” she answered, throwing a broken pot into the large trashcan they had brought inside. “Eleanor is a childhood friend, so we’ve been hanging out… but that’s it. ”

“The librarian?”

“Yeah. We used to play together as kids when I came to visit.”

Henry glanced at her. “Wow, that’s cool. Was it weird to reconnect with her?”

“Not really.” She shrugged. “It’s easy. We still have a lot in common even though it’s been twenty years.”

“Twenty years?” he asked as he turned to work on the next shelf. “Why have you been gone so long?”

Taking a rag, she wiped dust from one of the potting benches as she answered. “My mom and I just moved around a lot.”

He stopped and looked at her as something subtle flashed in his eyes but it was gone so fast, she surely imagined it. “That must have been hard.”

“Actually… yeah. It was. It was almost impossible to make friends.” She fiddled with the rag in her hand. “Umm… what about your family?”

He walked to his toolkit and grabbed more supplies, then stood in front of the shelving right next to where she was standing.

Taking a nail and beginning to hammer, he answered over his shoulder.

“Kind of the same story. Moved around a lot. Don’t have any family left and ended up here. I like the quiet.”

That was why he had that look. He’d been through something similar it seemed, though she decided not to ask about it. She didn’t feel it was appropriate to push when they barely knew each other.