“I get it, I do.”
“You do?”
“My parents wanted me to be a lawyer.”
“They did?”
“Yep. Behind this very hot body, there’s a good mind as well.”
She chuckled. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” She winked at him.
****
Brett finished mowing the lawn in his yard, glancing across the space to see a bikini-clad Meredith still on her hands and knees across the fence border. The woman who lived here before him liked to do the occasional yard work, and some of the plant beds had gotten full of weeds.
He could mow the lawn and cook a good steak in the barbeque pit, but flowers and weeds, they were not his forte. But the bonus for him, they happened to be Meredith’s.
She’d driven to the florist shop and one of the yard centers the other day, and came back with so many plants and flowers, he’d been shocked.
Heading inside, he saw Ace was still on the phone, dealing with the gas company about their current bill.
Brett grabbed a pitcher of fresh orange juice he’d squeezed that morning, handing Ace a glass before making his way toward Meredith. She wore gloves, and perspiration covered her body.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “Thought you could use a glass.”
“Does it have vodka?” she asked. “Kidding. I don’t drink vodka.” She took a sip and sighed. “I stink. Are there flies around me?”
“No. You look cute.” He sat down on the grass beside her. “You didn’t have to do any of this for us.”
“Please, it’s nice to have a place where you can sit down, relax, and just enjoy the view. Besides, I love getting my hands dirty. It makes me feel alive. I will need to take a long, hot shower later though. This day is just crazy.”
She was working near the shade, but as the day wore on, that shade was disappearing fast. The gym had to close today to deal with some new regulation, so they had a rare day off on a Tuesday. It felt good to just have a day, to get a handle on the work, especially with the yard.
“How come you’ve not filled your pool?” he asked.
It wasn’t a large pool she had in her yard, but it would fit a small family to just have a game. It wasn’t the size of the one at the gym to swim.
“The previous owner said it needed some repairs, and, seeing as I don’t make a habit of spending so much time in water, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Getting my studio working, you know, the house. The pool can wait. Besides, we’ll have a couple more weeks of good weather, I’ll get it fixed, and then rain all the time.” She shrugged. “I’ll get it done soon.”
“You know the previous owner?”
“He was in a rock band or something. I don’t know. I like the classics, you know. I can handle some pop now and again, but yeah, I met him. I didn’t know him, know him, if that makes sense.”
“It does.” He patted his thigh.
“Why do I feel like there’s something else you want to say?” she said.
“I just wondered if you were aware of the history of this place.”
She burst out laughing. “You mean with the whole falling in love thing?”
“So you do know it?”
“The guy who owned the house mentioned it. Seeing as I was a woman, he thought it was only right to mention that there was a risk of me falling in love with whoever moved in next door.”
“What did you think when he told you?”
“It was complete bull. Come on, Brett. You have to admit it. Houses do not have the skill of making someone fall in love.”
“Why not?” Ace asked, finally coming outside to them.
“Any luck?”
“Yeah, they’re sending someone out to check the meter. Now are you pleased I take pictures of the numbers every single week? Stupid assholes wanted to overcharge us. Anyway, back to the house thing. Why couldn’t it be real?”
“Are you telling me you believe that in some miracle way, our two houses that are at the bottom of the street have magical powers that can help couples fall in love?” she asked.
“Said like that it seems crazy.”
“The couple before us got close. I don’t even know who lived here before.”
“The old deputy and his now-wife,” Brett said.
He saw her pause.
“They did?”
“Yep, and if you go grocery shopping enough you’ll see that they are very happily married with a couple of kids,” Brett said. “You see, when Wynter, the previous owner, told me about this place, I did a little digging. Both of these houses for the last owners have ended in their sale and the current owners married, living a long, happy life.”
“How far back did you go?” Ace asked. “Is this, like, an obsession?”
“I’m really curious now. I figured it was just a ploy to get me to buy the house,” Meredith said. “You know, being a single woman and seeing as we’re all after Mr. Right. Now I am curious.” She patted Brett’s arm. “Come on, let’s go and see.”