Page 142 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
Were the flowers likely going to die within two weeks? Definitely.
“You realize they make other colors of flowers, right?”
“Ahh!” I screamed, jumping up to my feet and whirling around. Dirt and a large petunia went flying through the air.
“Sorry!” Nick said, holding up his hands. “I thought you heard me pull up.”
“I did not,” I gasped. The music filtering from the house had been too loud and I had been concentrating on my task. “You scared me half to death!”
He sucked his lower lip in between his teeth and tried to stop his chest from shaking.
“It’s not funny, Nick! I nearly had a heart attack!” I crossed my dirty arms over my dirty shirt and glared at my husband as he burst into hysterics.
“I’m sorry. You look adorable,” he said, crossing the yard.
“I’m a mess.”
“An adorable mess.” He picked at the dirt and leaves stuck in my ponytail.
“You’re home early,” I said. “How did your training go?”
“Awesome. The team rocked the course in record time. I see you’ve been busy,” he said, surveying the porch.
“They’re probably all going to die within a week.” I frowned.
“Then you can just replant them all again,” he said, kissing my forehead. “That should give you something to do at least.”
“I’m going crazy,” I said. “I’ve never been this antsy before. What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing. You’re just adjusting to a new routine. By the end of the summer, you’ll love the slower pace.”
“Doubtful.”
“Ryan called me while I was driving home,” Nick said. “They’re ready to start on the garage next week. I told him that you were going to coordinate everything.”
“Thank goodness. I can’t wait for a project.”
Nick grabbed my hands and pinned them behind my back. With his chest pressed up against mine, he looked down at me and grinned.
“Got some more good news today too. Michael Holt is looking to quit his job so I talked to him about replacing me at the fire station.”
“Really? That would be great! What did he say?” I asked.
“He was a little intimidated at first but I talked to him for a while. I think he’d be a good fit,” Nick said. “As long as I stay on as a volunteer, the rural council should sign off on him. He’s pretty young but I think he’d do a good job.”
For the last couple of weeks, Nick and I had been talking a lot about the garage and how we’d run it together. Every day he’d gotten more and more excited, but he was hesitant to leave the fire department completely.
He had built his life as a firefighter and if he wasn’t going to run the department, he felt he should at least stay on as a volunteer. It scared me a little but mostly I was proud of his courage and dedication.
“I’m glad it could all work out,” I said.
“Me too. You realize I hate the color yellow, right?” he whispered.
“What?” My mouth fell open. If he hated yellow, then the plethora of flowers I had on the front porch was a gigantic mistake.
“Kidding,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes.
