Just One Thing (The Alexanders 6)
The barn was so quaint on the outside that she’d originally felt overdressed. But once you were inside, there was a totally different vibe going on. The inside had been completely renovated and was a modern scientific lab. The ceiling panels on one side of the building had been converted to skylights and there were little pods of plants growing beneath the streams of light revealed.
Katie leaned down to peer at the plant pod things. They were set up in rows on metal tables and every few minutes there was a soft hiss and a mist of water sprang up covering the whole area.
“Fascinating. It’s a greenhouse.”
She was careful not to touch anything even though she really wanted to pick up one of the little pod things to see what was underneath. Not only was it fascinating but also really intimidating. She wasn’t even sure exactly what Bennett did for a living so why would he want to hire her?
From the way Ridley described him, he was some kind of intellectual prodigy, a brilliant scientist and inventor. She smoothed her skirt again and wished that she’d spent her time over the weekend reviewing science journals instead of brushing up on her typing. What if he asked her questions about his projects? She had no idea what any of these plants even were.
“You came.”
The voice behind her echoed throughout the space and Katie jumped a little. She turned to see Bennett standing in the doorway across the room.
“Yes. Hello.” When he didn’t respond or move any closer, she gestured awkwardly toward the plants and then the skylights, desperate to fill the silence. “This is very impressive.”
Apparently that was the right thing to say because his face lit up and he moved closer, dodging between the tables with the kind of certainty that told her he’d done it a million times. When he reached her side, he looked down at the rows of plants almost affectionately.
“Are you familiar with hydraponics?” he asked. “It seems counterintuitive but to create better soil, it’s actually helpful to study how plants grow without it. It also helps me design solutions for parts of the world where soil conditions are poor.”
It was so tempting to lie but she couldn’t do it. He looked so excited and she wasn’t going to build up his hopes and then dash them. If he hired her, it would be with full knowledge of exactly what she could and couldn’t do. All she could do was hope he was open-minded.
So she clamped her lips together, wished for the best and then shook her head slowly. “Nope. I don’t know anything about that.”
“Botany?”
At the slow shake of her head, Bennett smiled. “So basically my sister-in-law is full of shit?”
That startled Katie into laughing out loud. “Pretty much. Are you angry?”
“No. We all start knowing nothing. The most important question is are you willing to learn?”
She nodded. “I’m a fast learner and I don’t complain. I know being a mom isn’t considered valid work experience to most people but if I can handle a baby that screams for twelve hours straight and another that pooped on me every time I changed his diaper, I think I can handle just about anything.”
Bennett’s face was blank for a minute and then his lips stretched into a smile so wide it looked like his face might crack.
“Good. That’s good. Look, I have to go out briefly because I forgot I had an appointment this morning. But after I come back, we can figure out how to go forward. I’m going to need to train you in several areas, starting with caring for my babies.”
He gestured to the little buds of plants growing on the tables and Katie realized belatedly that he was trying to make a joke.
“No problem. I’ll hang out here until you come back. But I want to at least be helpful so point toward something that needs organizing.”
Bennett looked behind himself sheepishly. “My office is a disaster.”
Katie brightened. “Well, that’s where I’ll start. I’ll see you when you get back.”
He nodded and then walked past her. She walked to the other side of the room and opened the door he’d indicated. The desk in the middle of the room was empty save a small lamp and a laptop. A box sat on top of the filing cabinet with a single sheet of paper poking out.
Her mouth
dropped open. “A disaster, huh?” She turned around to face Bennett and then let out a soft sigh when she saw that he’d already left.
“If this is his idea of a mess then I have a feeling I won’t last long here.”
She picked up the single sheet of paper and filed it in the folder with the current month’s date. Then she sat in the office chair to wait.
?
Bennett parked his truck on the private drive behind his laboratory. The entire time he’d been meeting with his old classmate he’d been aware that Katie was back at his place waiting for him. Although he wouldn’t necessarily call it excitement, it had given him a curious feeling to think that she would be there when he returned.