Untimely Love (Book 3)

♤Chapter 12♤

"So," Reese started, "we don't have uniforms, but we do have to wear these." He handed me a dark green half apron with Botaniflor and a cute little leaf stitched on it.

  We were in the back of the shop and it was after closing hours, so a little after six. We decided this was the best time for me to learn a few new things so we didn't keep getting interrupted if customers came in.

  I got to go home first, drop my stuff off and eat something before I had to be here.

  The store was bigger than it looked, just narrow in the front because it was crowded. The back was more like a greenhouse, with so many different plants and flowers that I didn't know where to look.

  "Should I put it on now?" I asked hesitantly, holding the apron with both hands.

  He shrugged. "Sure, why not."

  Reese then went on a lecture, taking me around the store and throwing out the longest, hardest names for plants I've ever heard. At one point I felt like he was making them up. He told me I didn't need to memorize the names, that I'll get used to them eventually, but I needed to know general things.

  Like what set of plants needed watering on what days, how much water they needed, and what to do if they looked like they were wilting. That last one included letting him know before I tried to do anything, then he'd tell me exactly what to do and how—if I needed to do anything at all.

  Reese showed me soil and what soil and mixture were good for what plants. We went on to Ph and that threw me all the way off, he explained it though. There was a lot more that went down and by the end, my brain was fried.

  "Questions?"

  I blinked at him.

  "My whole life, remember?" he said teasingly. "Don't worry, you'll learn along the way. Just ask if you're not sure or you need help, yeah?"

  I let out an airy laugh that showed just how overwhelmed I was. "Okay."

  He gave me a charming smile, then pursed his lips. "You wanna help me repot a plant?"

  My eyebrows raised. "Right now?"

  He gave a nonchalant shrug. "I was supposed to do it a few days ago but I figured I'd hold off on it."

  "O-okay." I nodded like a bobblehead.

  He laughed. "I promise it's not scary at all." He left me to go to the back of the greenhouse. I watched him pull out a plant that was more than half my height from the rows of them stationed against the walls.

  He lifted it in his arms and brought it back, setting it on the high, rectangular metal table in the middle of the room.

  "This is a Monstera Deliciosa," he said, fiddling with one of the huge leaves. "She hasn't been repotted in about two years so we're gonna take care of that." He looked to his left at the tall shelf against the wall that was next to the door that led into the front of the shop. "You can grab a pair of gloves from over there if you need to and I'll get a pot."

  I did what he asked. When I went back to the table, Reese was still across the room, rummaging another tall shelf. There were a bunch of plant tools and different size pots on it. He got a pair of sheers, two thick stick things and a slightly bigger pot than the one the plant was already in.

  While he did that, I glanced back at the plant, fighting the urge to reach out and touch it. I'd never seen anything like it—like most of the plants in this room. I have a feeling they've been back here mutating plants or something. This one had huge leaves that had holes in them and not the kind that bugs put there. It just grew like that. That's what Reese said anyway.