“Yes, of course, I should have mentioned them. Are you allergic to anything?”
“Poison ivy, like everyone else, but you wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
Darcy was truly amazed by how easily Griffin turned even the most innocuous of subjects into a personal comment. “That would be unethical,” she answered.
Griffin began to chuckle. “I admire a woman with principles. The Architectural Digest would like to do a feature on my house. I’d insist that they include the grounds. That would help your business, wouldn’t it?”
Darcy’s heart leapt to her throat. “Are you serious?”
Griffin shrugged. “I’d not tease you about something so important.”
“Well, it would be phenomenal publicity, of course, but I imagine you’d have to purchase some furniture.”
“Yes, I thought of that. A decorator from San Francisco has handled everything thus far, so the color scheme is set, and the kitchen and bathrooms have all been redone. Well, not redone, really. I insisted upon keeping the original art deco tile work in the baths. Would you like to see them?”
“You’re inviting me to tour your bathrooms?”
“That does sound rather odd, doesn’t it? Still, I might be able to convince the Architectural Digest to do a feature on art deco tile, and then I’d not have to bother with purchasing more furniture.”
Darcy was unable to tell if he were simply pulling her leg. He appeared to be completely serious, but she still found it difficult to trust anything he said.
“I thought we were talking about landscaping,” she reminded him.
“We are. I like your ideas. Go ahead and prepare your written estimate, and I’ll sign it. Now, let’s go.” He stood and offered his hand.
Darcy ignored the gentlemanly gesture, scooted forward and stood on her own. “If there’s a possibility my work might appear in Architectural Digest, then I’m going to go ahead and make watercolor versions of the sketches. Not that I wouldn’t have gone all out for you before, but I’d like to be thoroughly professional.”
“For the magazine’s benefit?”
“For yours, actually,” Darcy explained. “I haven’t had a project this large, and I want to do it right.”
“I’m sure you will. Now, I’ve been sitting here thinking this would be a good place to fly a kite. Do you know where I might buy one?”
Had he mentioned a hot air balloon or a blimp, Darcy couldn’t have been any more surprised. “As a matter of fact, I do. There’s a shop in Monarch Bay called Fun in the Sun that carries big, colorful nylon kites. Most people take advantage of the breeze off the ocean and fly them on the beach, but you could certainly fly one up here. You’d just have to watch your step so that you wouldn’t fall off the bluff.”
“Obviously. Come with me. Let’s go buy a kite.”
“Really, Mr. Moore, I have work to do. The Fun in the Sun is just up the street from Defy the World. They hang windsocks out front. You can’t miss it.”
“You complained about not having time to date. Take off an hour now. You’ll not regret it.”
His sly smile made her wonder just what flying a kite with him would entail. All too easily, she imagined him wrapping himself around her to guide the string. She began to fan herself with her clipboard.
“As you so cleverly informed me yesterday, I can’t afford to turn down commissions. Neither can I afford to neglect the ones I already have. I also need to be down at the nursery pushing cacti.”
“Yes, I noticed you have a remarkably diverse collection. Let’s put some around somewhere. There, you just sold several dozen. Now you can fly kites with me.”
Darcy couldn’t help but laugh. “Mr. Moore, clearly you’re used to women eagerly accepting your invitations, but I really do have work to do.”
“Another time, then.”
Darcy opened her mouth to tell him not to hold his breath, but he appeared to be so sincerely disappointed, she thought better of it. That he could offer such outrageous invitations and then leave her feeling guilty when she refused confused her completely.
“Didn’t we agree to stick to business?” she asked. “I’ll need to bring in a bulldozer to grade the yard. I don’t want to disturb your practice schedule. Would it be better for us to work in the morning, or the afternoon?”
Griffin jammed his hands in his hip pockets. “I’ve stopped rehearsing. Work whenever you please.”
“Can you just stop like that? I mean, don’t you have to play every day to keep your edge?”