The VIP Room(99)

"Figures," she muttered as she headed to the door. Even though she knew it was Derek on the other side, what she saw startled her.

Derek was dressed in work clothes, and he stood holding her travel mug in one hand and a bunch of wild flowers in the other.

"You've changed!" she said, and wanted to smack herself in the head. Duh!

"And ready to get to work." He grinned and held out both hands. "Here's your mug back. And some handpicked flowers to show my appreciation. That was one fine breakfast, even if I did have to enjoy it on the run."

Lauren smiled broadly and accepted his offerings. "You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed." She put the flowers to her nose and inhaled. "These are so pretty. Where'd you get them?"

"On the way here from my last appointment, I took some back roads to save time and saw a patch of grass with them growing along the side of the road, so I stopped and snipped a bunch."

"Well, you've managed to arrange them quite nicely, too. All ready to be placed in water. Thank you!"

They stood looking at one another, seemingly unaware of anything else around them.

"Hey, boss," one of the men shouted from the bed of the truck. "We're ready to plant the hibiscus and ixora."

"Coming," Derek called back to the worker without turning around.

"I'll check back with you once it's all done," he said to Lauren.

"I've got to get back to work, too. I've brought some paperwork home from the office," Lauren said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my yard when you're all done. Oh, by the way, I put out pitchers of water and lemonade on the patio table for your men. Help yourself, if you're thirsty. No muffins left, though."

"I'm not surprised--about the muffins, that is. Thanks for being so thoughtful. I'm sure the guys appreciate it, too," Derek said.

Lauren watched as he turned and walked to the truck. She heard him directing the men as to where the place the plants as she closed the door. Once she put the flowers in a jar of water and set them in the center of her kitchen table, she returned to the living room and placed her desk chair so she could look out the window and watch Derek while he worked without being obvious about what she was doing.

It was rare that Lauren couldn't focus on her work, but today it was useless to even pretend she had anything on her mind besides the handsome, muscular Derek working in her new gardens. She noticed he was totally absorbed in the job at hand and that he spoke to his crew with authority but in a kind way.

When the work continued into her backyard, Lauren decided it would be a good time to go into the kitchen and clean up the mess from the morning's baking. Standing at her sink gave her another excellent view of yard, and she found herself at the sink long after the dishes were washed.

It appeared the work was finally done, and she watched as the workers started to clear away their tools. She heard them in the front again, loading the equipment and any remaining bags of mulch and soil that weren't used. She didn't venture into the living room to watch from the window because she didn't want to be discovered or thought to be spying on them.

The sound of a motor starting and the truck pulling away sent her into despair. Had Derek forgotten his promise to show her the final product? Lauren headed toward the living room, but before she could see the yard, she heard the doorbell ring again.

"All done?" she asked when she opened the door, relieved to see him.

"Yes, Ma'am. Want to come out and take a look?"

"Oh, yes!" she said and joined him on the narrow front porch.

"Let's start out by looking at the yard from the street. That will give you the best idea of how you increased the value of your property by improving the curb appeal of your home."

They walked the short distance to the street and turned around. Lauren gasped. He was right. Replacing the scrawny hedges with new, flowering shrubbery improved the appearance of the small home. The beds of flowering plants along the short walkway made the entrance far more inviting. Her house no longer looked like just another row house on the street of homes with similar exteriors.

Lauren looked up and down the street. "What a difference the new plants make! I'm sure when my neighbors see this, they'll want to know what service I used. You better leave lots of cards for me to pass out!"

"Sure, but let's walk around the back and see the rest of it before you make such a generous offer," he said with a smile.

As they walked, he pointed to every item they had planted, named it, and explained why he had chosen it. "I used plants and shrubs that will survive with little maintenance, but I recommend that you run your sprinklers every day for a week, and if you have time, hose down the flower beds daily, too. After that, you can cut back to three or four times a week with the sprinklers, depending on how rainy it is. I checked all the heads and reset them so they're properly aimed and not clogged."

"You certainly were thorough."

"No extra charge for that, Ma'am."

Lauren stopped walking. "Oh, I didn't mean to imply I was concerned about the price. I mean, of course, I'm concerned about price, but I'm impressed at what a good job you've done." She groaned inwardly and wondered what it was about him that kept her sounding like an idiot.

"Well, we're almost to the backyard. Let's wait until we turn the corner to see if you still think that."