"Is it really so painful?" I asked.
She swatted me and then caught my arm again. "No, really. I get so caught up in the paperwork, in the way it looks on paper, that I never even saw these roses. Without your help, I would have come across as a buttoned-up executive, and they would never have let us get this far. Thank you."
I rang Mrs. Davis' bell. "You're welcome. Now just do me a favor."
"What?" Tasha asked.
"Stop and smell the roses."
Mrs. Davis opened the door to Tasha swatting at me as I laughed. "Well, you two are certainly not what I expected to see. Looking to move into the neighborhood?"
Tasha's eyes widened. "No, ma'am, we're not together. I mean, we work together."
I put an arm around Tasha and held out my other hand to greet the older woman. "Mrs. Davis, I just had to stop by to admire your beautiful roses. We just met with Mr. Reynolds about the possibility of a community garden and everyone agreed we couldn't do anything until we talked to you," I said.
Tasha resisted my embrace but that only made the older woman's smile grow. "Maybe your colleague there would soften up a bit if you offered her a rose. I'll let you pick one while us girls talk."
I left a blushing Tasha on the front step while I headed back to the gate. The deep red, glistening roses there had caught my eye right away. When I rejoined them, I caught the end of their quick chat.
"I know he seems a bit slick and showy, but I think he's really committed to this project," Tasha said.
The older woman nodded and winked at me. "The red rose represents passion; guess we'll all just have to wait and see about the commitment."
"My colleague is the one with the five-year plan, Mrs. Davis. She's got it all laid out, the full commitment, if you'd like to see," I said. I handed Tasha the red rose and was rewarded with a brighter blush on her cheeks.
"Sounds like you two make a good team. I'll give my garden club a call and set up a meeting," Mrs. Davis said.
As we walked back towards the community center, Tasha sniffed at her rose. "I'll follow up with Mrs. Davis tomorrow. Anyone who can grow a rose that smells this heavenly can certainly help us make this whole thing something special."
"It's already feeling pretty special to me," I said.
Tasha rolled her eyes to deflect her disbelief. I wasn't to be believed, but it didn't bother me. I was out of the office, away from all the posturing and posing, and it was a beautiful day. And then there was the beauty of Tasha sniffing that single red rose.
My phone rang and sliced through the moment. "It's James, from the office," I said.
Tasha nodded with a stiff expression and walked ahead of me.
"Hello, James. Missing me so soon?" I asked.
"And here I thought it would be the other way around," James said. "From what I heard, you've been exiled to the East Bay with the Ice Queen. You frozen solid yet?"
"Things are going great, thanks for asking," I said.
James snickered. "Sure. Now, how about you escape and come back to civilization? We've got a group heading to the Cliff House. Drinks with a view; can't beat that, can you?"
"Sorry, old man, I'm still working," I said. Ahead of me, Tasha stepped aside to let a bright parade of preschoolers walk by. The line piled up as they noticed her red rose and surrounded her with bubbly chatter.
"I knew she'd turn you cold," James said.
I watched as Tasha knelt down to let the preschoolers smell her rose. They smiled up at her as she explained why she was at their community center. The teacher pulled out her phone and handed it to Tasha. Within seconds, Tasha had the app up and running and the whole class was clustered around her. The teacher smiled, relieved her students were engaged, and watched how to make GroGreen work. Tiny students clamored with excitement and more than a dozen gave Tasha impromptu hugs.
I sighed. "You only wish you knew what she was doing to me," I told James and then hung up the phone.
Tasha glanced up as I approached and flashed me a bright smile. I stopped on the sidewalk, feeling my pulse skip a beat. Rumors would be flying because of my off-handed comment on the phone, but it was true. Tasha did something to me every time I got near her, and all I knew was I wanted more.
"We have popsicle sticks and markers," the teacher told Tasha when I finally joined them.
"What should we use for the guidelines?" Tasha asked the cluster of preschoolers in front of her.