Green's Thumb (Men of Retail) Read online

  He really wanted me! I was having difficulty figuring out what to say. “Umm, tomorrow? Will you be at the park again?” He nodded his head, “Yes. Same time. I’m going to fix you dinner at my place afterwards, though. Say yes.” I did, and then I kissed him one more time. We hurriedly exchanged phone numbers, and parted with a final hug. “Goodnight, Karl. Thank you for dinner.”

  We got in our cars and drove off in different directions, and I trembled all the way home. Never in my life had I felt anything so intense for another man, especially one I only met a few hours earlier. Lisa was going to be insufferable when she found out I met someone so quickly. When I got back to the apartment, I discovered she sent me several texts. Apparently Grant spilled the beans about my date, and now she was eager for more information. I decided not to respond for the time being. After all, there are some things you just don’t need to share with your children!

  CHAPTER FOUR – KARL

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  MORNING CAME WAY TOO SOON, and I was groggy from lack of sleep. From the moment we met yesterday, my mind was consumed with Mitch – even my dreams featured the extraordinary man. Around 3 a.m., I startled awake with a throbbing erection, limbs twisted awkwardly in the sheets. I grabbed the lube and went about relieving myself, replaying those few incredible moments together in the parking lot. I loved the feel of his skin, the softness of his lips, and the warmth of his body against mine. The more he responded, the more I wanted him.

  In my fantasy I stripped him naked, threw him on the hood of the car, and pounded his gorgeous ass until we both cried out in release. The orgasm hit me like a freight train, but it relieved the pressure and allowed me to relax. I got a few hours sleep, but when the alarm went off my first thought was of Mitch. I had been alone for so very long, but never met anyone who got under my skin the way he did. I sensed a lack of self confidence in him which was understandable, considering his past, but I was going to do my best to let him know how I felt about him. If he needed me to take the lead, I was happy to comply – as long as he ended up in my arms.

  I took the dogs for their early morning walk, but instead of our usual route, I chose to walk through the more upscale part of our neighborhood. The homes here were much nicer and the large yards well-kept. Since Friday was trash day, the dogs were busy sniffing each and every can along the route. Nike wanted to mark all of them too, but being a good neighbor, I made him keep moving. I didn’t resent the extra time we were taking today, as the walk was helping to settle my mind. I noticed someone up ahead cleaning out the flower beds near the street, so I drew the dogs closer and intended to give them a wide berth. As we drew near, a gray haired woman with a kind face looked up at us and waved.

  “Good morning! It’s going to be another lovely day I think.” She removed her gloves and allowed the dogs to give her a quick sniff. Nike let her rub his ears for a moment, but Blaze put her paw on the woman’s forearm and wagged her tail. “Good morning! Blaze is usually shy around strangers, so she must really like you.” She introduced herself as Suzanne Bennet, and later revealed she was the president of the East Side Garden Club. “Do you do any gardening, Karl?” I shook my head. “No mam, I tend to kill green things, so I gave up trying years ago. I probably have the only yard in the neighborhood with nothing but grass.” The look on her face made me want to skulk away in shame. “Well, Spring is the perfect time to turn things around, and I know just the person you need to see. The Green’s Thumb over on Collins Avenue has everything you need. Just ask for Mitch Graham, and tell him I sent you. Make sure you steer clear of the owner, though – nasty man!”

  I was stunned for a moment at the mention of his name. I never asked Mitch exactly where he worked or what he did for a living, and I felt a little guilty. “Well, I appreciate the recommendation, Suzanne. I’ll have to look him up and see if he can fix my brown thumb. You have a wonderful day now.” She laughed and waved goodbye as I gathered the dogs and turned back towards home. When we got closer, I took an objective look at my property and cringed. The house was obviously kept up, but the yard was so plain and ugly it was embarrassing. Lord only knows what my neighbors were saying behind my back.

  A plan to remedy the situation began to percolate in the back of my mind as I went through the rest of my morning routine. Settling down in my office, I got to work on the files Mindy sent. They weren’t complicated, and I was making such good time I decided to skip lunch so I could finish up the days’ work early. At 1:30 I made myself a sandwich and let the dogs out into the back yard. Glancing in the mirror, I decided to put on a nicer shirt and then jumped in the car. It only took about ten minutes to get to Green’s Thumb, and as I pulled in the lot, began to wonder if this was such a good idea. He might not appreciate being bothered at work, and I didn’t want to upset him. He wasn’t expecting to see me until later this afternoon, but I suspected he wouldn’t mind too much. Besides, I was also here for a perfectly legitimate reason, which meant I was just another customer…yeah right.

  I entered the store and immediately felt out of place. Everywhere I looked were reminders of my inability to grow anything but a dandelion. Well, if I was serious about improving my yard, this was the place to be. I took a deep breath and went in search of Mitch. I found him near the back, stacking bags of potting soil on a large pallet. I cleared my throat, “Excuse me, I’m looking for Mitch Graham.” His head whipped around and the look on his face was priceless. Eyes crinkling with amusement, he removed his work gloves. “That’s me. What may I do for you?” I winked at him and extended my hand, “Pleased to meet you. I’m Karl Hartman. I’m here on the recommendation of Suzanne Bennet. She was sure you could help me improve the look of my yard, so I came right over.”

  His smile told me he was willing to play along. “I would be happy to assist you, Karl. How do you know Suzanne?” We began walking towards the outdoor greenhouse area as we talked. “Honestly, I just met her this morning while I was out walking my dogs. Let’s just say my track record with growing things is somewhat abysmal. My place has a few trees and grass and not much else. If they had a contest for the ugliest yard, mine would win the blue ribbon. So…think there’s any hope?” He nodded his head and smiled. “Never fear, Mr. Hartman, you’ve come to the right place. Why don’t you explain what type of look you want for your yard, and I’ll show you what we have in stock.”

  I told him what I had in mind and warned him any plants I chose would have to be both hardy and easy to care for. Mitch was really in his element here, explaining various shrubs, flowers, and ornamental grasses. The man was obviously passionate about his work, and very knowledgeable. “It would be helpful if I could see a photograph of your yard, Karl. My recommendations would be more meaningful if I had a better idea of what the space looked like.” I raised an eyebrow and grinned. “I could take some photos, or better yet, you could look at it in person when you have the time.”

  He got a mischievous look on his face. “I might have a few moments later today, though I do have another commitment this evening. Why don’t you give me your contact information, and I’ll see what I can do?” Mitch handed me a small notepad and pen from his shirt pocket, and I scribbled my address down, along with a short note. I handed it back to him and he blushed when he read it – “Can’t wait!” He coughed to clear his throat, and then extended his hand. “It was great to meet you, Karl. Come back and see us again real soon.” I shook his hand, holding on just a little longer than necessary, and leaned closer. “I plan on seeing you as often as possible.” He smiled and waved at me as I headed for the parking lot.

  When I got in the car, I glanced back and could see Mitch speaking with a bald, heavyset man. He was red in the face and making broad gestures with his hands. Perhaps this was the nasty boss Suzanne warned me about earlier. It looked like Mitch was getting chewed out, and while I wanted to come to his rescue, it was probably best if I didn’t get involved. I felt badly for him, especially if my visit created the problem. I would have to ask
him later when we met up at the park. Meanwhile, the other man stormed off into the building, leaving Mitch looking defeated.

  I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up the things I would need for our supper. I planned on serving a veggie pizza which was both delicious and healthy, intending to keep our meal casual and fun tonight. Once I got home, there was just enough time to mix up some whole wheat pizza dough and put it in a warm oven to rise. I checked to make sure I had everything else for the meal, and then gave the house a quick once-over. I was naturally a neat person anyway, but I wanted to make a good impression on Mitch. I stopped to send him a text I was running a little late, and then rounded up the dogs and took off for the park.

  As I approached the gates, I noticed Mitch was there already and was seated on the same bench we used yesterday. He was no longer in his work clothes, but instead wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a white V-neck pullover. The man was eye candy of the finest sort, and I enjoyed just looking at him. He waved at our approach, and as soon as I released the dogs, Blaze made a beeline straight towards him. Nike stopped long enough for quick pat on the head, and then went in search of other amusements. Blaze was basking in his attention by the time I reached the bench, and I set down the bag of things I always brought with me to the park. After a good scratch down Blaze’s back, I gave her the command to run, and she took off like a rocket. Mitch stood, and I surprised him with a hug, pulling back to kiss him on the forehead. The smile I received in return was warm, his eyes wide and soft.

  “Hello, you. I’m glad you’re here.” “Me, too” he said, as we sat down close together on the bench. I wrapped his hand in mine, resting them both on my thigh. He looked uncomfortable for a moment, and then sighed and relaxed. “I wanted to apologize if I caused a problem for you at work today. I assume it was your boss who was talking to you after I left?” Mitch nodded, a look of distaste on his face. “It’s all right, Karl. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I was really glad you stopped by. It was the highlight of my day, until now. My boss is an idiot, and he’s on a mission to find fault with everything I do. He tore a strip off me today because he believed I was wasting too much time on one customer and ignoring everyone else. Of course, he apparently didn’t notice there weren’t any other customers in the store at the time. It doesn’t matter what I do or say with him, because I’m always going to lose. Sorry, I don’t mean to be a downer today. Just forget about it.”

  I was ready to let it go for his sake, but I still needed to reassure him. “Well, I’m sorry you have to put up with that kind of crap. It must make going to work very difficult. Anyway, I really do need your help with my yard, as you will soon see. Would you be willing to do some freelance work on the side for me?” He looked surprised at the question. “Sure…if that’s what you want. Let me get a good look at the project and then we can discuss the details later.”

  We spent the next hour or so playing with the dogs and watching them interact with all the other animals. It was comfortable just being with him, as though we had known each other for years. I experienced this before with other people, and we usually ended up becoming good friends. I realized, of course, I wanted much more than friendship from Mitch, but I was determined not to move too fast. We continued to hold hands at the park, eliciting a few raised eyebrows and double-takes. No one said anything, and we didn’t care. I wanted Mitch and everyone else to know he was mine, even if I wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  Once the dogs were loaded up, Mitch followed me to the house. I pulled into the garage, let the dogs into the back yard, and went out through the front door to join Mitch. The poor guy appeared to be shell-shocked, and I waited until he was done looking around. He turned to me and started to say something, then closed his mouth with a low chuckle. “Sorry, Karl, you did warn me after all, but I thought you were exaggerating. Did the yard look like this when you bought the house?” I had to think for a minute, “No, it wasn’t this bad. There were some bushes up by the house and a row of flowering something or other along the fence line. There were some other plants scattered here and there as I recall, but I don’t know what they were.” The look he gave me was two parts pity and one part disbelief, and I thought for a minute he was going to smack me in the head. “Hey, don’t look at me in that tone of voice! This is the part where you tell me you’re not a miracle worker, isn’t it?”

  Mitch grinned and moved closer, and putting his hands on my face drew me into a tender kiss. “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll take care of it. This place will look so good your neighbors will need to seriously up their game.” He walked away from me to get a closer look at the other side of the house, but I couldn’t move. He kissed me in the front yard. He called me babe. He was willing to fix my awful yard. I jumped when Mitch touched me on the shoulder. “You all right?” I didn’t say anything, just grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house and closed the door. His eyes went wide as I crowded him backwards against the door, pressing my body against his. I captured his mouth and felt him respond to the heat. He gave as good as he got, and when I finally managed to pull away, we were both breathing heavily.

  Mitch looked into my eyes and swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving up, then down. “If this is how you pay the gardener, where do I sign up?” We started laughing and I stepped back to give him space. With the sexual tension temporarily abated, I was able to think clearly again. “Sorry, Mitch, you are just so damned irresistible…Come on, I could use your help with dinner.” I took him by the hand and gave him the nickel tour of the house, ending up in the kitchen. We washed our hands and then I pulled out a cutting board, knife, and all the fresh vegetables I purchased this morning. Mitch knew his way around a kitchen, so he got right to work while I tackled the dough and grated cheese.

  We were about ready to assemble the whole thing, and I turned to see what he was doing. He had his back to me, rinsing off the cutting board at the sink. I came up behind him and kissed his neck, slipping my hands around his slim body to stroke his lightly muscled chest and stomach. He arched into me and moaned at the contact, managing to reach out and turn off the water. I pulled him tighter to me and closed my eyes, enjoying the contact and the warmth of his body. I’m sure he could feel the steel rod between my legs, pressing into his lower back. He turned around, resting his hands on my chest, a smoldering look in his eyes. “Mitch, I feel…” He put two fingers against my lips to quiet me. “Shhh. I know. I feel it too, Karl.” He arched up on his toes to give me a chaste kiss on the mouth, and we let the moment pass.

  We enjoyed assembling the pizza, not saying much, and occasionally pausing for a kiss. Once it was in the oven, we put together the salad, set the table , and poured the tea. With a few minutes left on the timer, we slipped out to the back yard to play with the dogs. Nike brought me a chewed up ball and dropped it at my feet, but Blaze was content to press herself against Mitch and ignored me completely. I never let the dogs in the house while I was preparing or eating food, so we went back inside without them. Mitch wanted to know why. “If you ever owned a lab, you would know most of them are chow hounds of the first order. Nike would sell his soul for a morsel of food, so there’s no way he can be in here when I’m cooking or eating. Between him and Blaze, with her big sad eyes, how long do you think you could resist handing over your plate?” He laughed, but acknowledged it would definitely be a problem.

  The timer went off and I cut up the pizza and brought it to the table. The only way I would be able to eat was to seat Mitch across from me. If we were sitting side by side, he would end up in my lap and dinner would be forgotten. We ate and laughed, enjoying pleasant conversation about everything and nothing. Afterwards, we cleaned up the kitchen in companionable silence, and then retired to the living room. We looked at my collection of movies for a few minutes before I pulled Mitch over to the couch with me. We lay down and I spooned him from behind. He was warm and smelled good, and fit just perfectly against me despite the difference in height. I began to nibble his ear
, feeling him squirm and moan quietly as I drove him to distraction. “You don’t play fair,” he complained, running his free hand over my ass and thigh. We both stopped the teasing, and just lay together quietly.

  “I’m beginning to have serious feelings for you, Mitch. I know we just met, really, but we have such a strong connection already and I needed to let you know what I was thinking. How about you?” He kissed the back of my hand and let out a contented sigh. “I feel the same way, Karl. There is a lot we don’t know about each other, but I want to learn. I thought about you all day, and dreamt of you last night. I want you to know I don’t have any interest in anyone else, and I don’t share. Is that going to be a problem?” I chuckled and squeezed him a little tighter. “No problem at all. For as long as we are seeing each other, you are the only one. Can I call you my boyfriend now? Say yes.” He laughed. “You can call me anything you want, as long as you call. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

  Feeling more secure in our budding relationship, we made out for a while without letting the heat overpower our senses. It wasn’t easy, but we were enjoying the calm softness of careful exploration. The time came for him to go home, but I didn’t want him to leave. I knew if I offered him my bed for the night he would turn me down. There was no doubt we wanted each other, but it seemed right somehow to wait for another time. We got up from the couch, both yawning, and then laughing together. With a final hug and kiss I sent him home with a promise to be in touch tomorrow.

  CHAPTER FIVE – MITCH

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  THE NEXT FEW DAYS FLEW by, as Karl and I spent as much time together as possible. I would join him at the bark park in the late afternoon, and then we would share the evening meal together. Since we both had Sunday off, we decided to take a little road trip to hunt for antiques. Karl owned a number of very nice pieces, as did I at one time, though they had all been sold along with the house. After stopping for brunch, we walked through at least a half dozen shops, large and small. Our tastes differed somewhat, but we could both appreciate a nice piece when we found one. He employed more of a “wait and think about it” approach, while I was a proponent of the “grab it when you find it” method. Nothing was more frustrating than finding a wonderful item, and then discovering someone else purchased it before you got around to doing it yourself. We headed home in the late afternoon, empty-handed but full of good memories, and stopped for dinner on the way. I pulled up to the apartment building and invited Karl in for a nightcap. We snuggled up on the couch, enjoying a glass of wine, and got to talking about our families. Since Karl never mentioned anything about his relatives, I had no idea what he was going to share.