Page 100 of The Queen of Roses

A little blush flared over her cheeks, and she fell self-consciously silent. Fortunately, Matt filled the space, saying, “I tried to catch you before you left Rosewood House this morning, but I was sorting out a mess of a wholesale order. The kid I hired for summer work took down the quantities wrong. Look, I don’t suppose you’d like to go out with me sometime, maybe some dinner? Or we could see a movie? That new Billy Wilder film is still playing. The Apartment?”

She smiled at the hesitation in his voice, almost as though he thought she might turn him down.

“I think one of the secretaries at work was talking about it in the break room,” she said. “Jack Lemmon is in it, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. When do you finish work on Fridays?”

She cringed, knowing that her odd hours and weekends working had put men off in the past. “Eight thirty at night unless something happens and I have to stay behind. It’s not always predictable.”

“That’s okay. I work weekends, and there are some days when I’m up at the nursery at six o’clock in the morning to get everything done for the day. If you like, I’ll pick you up after work on Friday,” he said, seemingly unfazed by her schedule.

Journalists were the worst gossips, and she knew that if anyone at work spotted her climbing into Matt’s car, she would never hear the end of it. Instead, she gave him the address of her bungalow on Elizabeth Street and instructions to go through the wooden side gate and through the garden to find her studio.

“Okay, I’ll see you on Friday,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

She put the phone down with a smile, which kept popping up as she heated a can of Campbell’s tomato soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich. It was still there when she cleaned up the dishes before sitting down at her desk to load a fresh sheet of paper into her typewriter and open her first notebook full of shorthand notes to begin crafting Miss Pearce’s story.

February 3, 1907

The Gables, Pasadena

Dear Macalister,

Thank you for providing the list of suggestions for rose varieties. Also, after giving your question careful thought, I believe that agapanthus should be planted in the main borders nearest the house, with daylilies to supplement them.

Additionally, I like your suggestion of the addition of camellias for winter color, but where should they be planted?

Sincerely,

Mrs. Guy Whitley

February 9, 1907

Dear Mrs. Whitley,

The camellias could frame the shaded portion of the lawn to the front of the house.

I will need assistance digging the irrigation ditches. Do I have your permission to hire three men for the work? I anticipate that it will take two weeks.

Sincerely,

Alex Macalister

February 12, 1907

The Gables, Pasadena

Dear Macalister,

Hire whomever you believe will suit.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Guy Whitley

February 26, 1907