Whispers of Danger and Love (8 page)

Chapter 7

Bugs, Salad Greens, and Fun in the Garden

By Cheryl

Everyone should by now be aware of the danger of the careless use of chemicals in the garden. My humble opinion is that heavy pesticides are best left to the farmers who are trained to control the critters who invade our food source. For instance, it’s fairly easy to capture those shiny black Japanese beetles without using a single obnoxious pesticide. Go into the garden in the evening just as the sun is setting.

For some reason the beetles are asleep or have fallen into a stupor. Use a coffee can with a bit of water in the bottom and a plastic lid to clap on. Hold the can underneath the largest wad of bugs and tap the plant gently. They’ll fall right into your can. Close with the lid and slushy around until they are wet. Keep doing this over and over in the evenings. Not this year, but perhaps by the next or the next, you’ll start to see less and less of the annoying critters with nary a pesticide in sight.

Alternately, there are commercial organic preparations to apply to your lawn which disturbs the life cycle of the beetles. If you insist on using the plastic lures, place them in the way back corner of your garden—preferably in your neighbor’s backyard, even better, down the street in the vacant lot where your kids play sand lot softball.

Some of you are wondering how to enjoy those crisp greens, which are so easy to grow in your own garden.

Cheryl tapped her foot impatiently. The volleyball game was on again next door and the grunts and shouts of triumph were distracting. She expected the ball to fly over the hedge any minute now. She was ahead on her column and the job at Toledo’s was coming along nicely. What could go wrong?

Something for sure. Her experience was that with David Larkin in the vicinity, anything at all could explode into confusion, mayhem, or kissing. Or all three. Cheryl wasn’t certain which was worse. Or more wonderful. She hunched her back, feeling as if both grandmothers were looking over her shoulder.

Sitting in her garden enjoying the last of the sun, she reviewed in her head the next steps to take in the elaborate plans for a two-acre landscaping design. She wanted to go over the list of perennials with Francine. Her plan was to give the client choices, but safe ones. Success in the completion of a beautiful garden was the goal, but she wanted satisfied clients in the process.

She was pleased with the hillside planting. It looked as if it had always been there with the carefully placed boulders and trees. Since money was no object, she was able to move larger trees and shrubbery into the natural terrain. Next came a discreet patio halfway down the slope. She considered should she use natural sandstone pavers. Her patio planters would brighten up the newly purchased metal and mesh table and chairs. Francine said the delivery would be in a couple of days. Cheryl knew she should be ready by then.

She became aware of the silence next door.
Game over?
She had mixed emotions about that. The quiet was nice, but it meant that David was on the loose again. She’d bet her last pair of clippers that . . .

“Cher?” David spoke quietly though the hedge. “You there?”

“I’m here. What’s happening?” She closed her laptop and tugged on the neck of her T-shirt. She reached for her glass of ice tea and waited for David. She looked up in surprise when not only David Larkin, but three more burly men trailed through the hedge with him.

“I wanted to introduce you to my friends, Cher. This is Bob, Tony, and Malcolm.”

The men, drenched in sweat and wet T-shirts, grinned, wiped their hands on their shorts, and reached forward to shake her hand.

“Sorry we disturbed you the other day,” Bob said. “We get a little too enthusiastic occasionally. Ole Dave here has mentioned how nice your garden is. Hope we don’t harm it again.”

“That’s right. We told Dave to pull up on that wild overhead smash of his. No good will come of it anyway,” Tony said with a sideways smirk at David.

Malcolm just smiled and said nothing.

Stunned, Cheryl floundered, trying to think of what to say to four hulking men all standing respectively in front of her and grinning. Finally, she managed to find a semi-gracious response.

“Thank you for your concern. It was only one lily. I barely heard you today. Are you all with the police department like David?”

They nodded.

“You look so familiar,” she said to Malcolm.

He dipped his head sheepishly. “I was with Dave the other night when we rescued you and your friend in the old garden. How is she, by the way?”

She answered his grin with one of her own. “Jane? She’s fine. Refuses to go with me back to retrieve my spade and basket however.”

“Probably not a bad idea. One of the boys can get them for you. Best if you and Jane, is it?, allow us to do it. Safer, you know.”

“I’m one of the crew assigned to look out for you, ma’am. I’ll be working for the landscaper. I’d appreciate it if you would pretend you don’t know me. It would help me do my job.” He relaxed with his hands clasped in front of him with David watching with a half-smile on his face.

Cheryl smiled back at Malcolm and nodded. In truth, she was floored to learn of the heavy involvement of the police department in this project. Did she feel safer or more afraid? The situation was far more serious than she’d first thought.

“Must say, if you don’t take offense, I really like what you are doing up there on that barren hill. The change is beautiful. Looks like it was always growing there.”

David then took over and hustled the men off the property. Cheryl sat waiting for him with the new information to digest.

When he returned, he trailed his fingers across her back, wrapping his hand around her neck, making chills run up and down her arms. Fumes of sweat and maleness wafted across the garden toward her mixing with the sweet fragrance of four o’clocks. David flopped down on the grass beside her chair, perspiration still rolling down his face. He reached for a bandana from his shorts’ pocket.

“Did we disturb you today? I still feel guilty about your plant. Did you get another? I’ll be happy to pay for it.” He grinned beguilingly up at her, his hair soaked and curling around his ears. She found herself smiling back. He could be so sweet when he wanted—sexy, sexy, sexy. If she was full of sweat and dirt with soaked clothes, even her mother wouldn’t come near her. It just wasn’t fair. Men could get away with anything.

“It’s okay, David. There isn’t another, but you didn’t kill it. Just stopped the bloom for this year. It’ll be back next year, but thanks for the thought.”

He frowned, looking down at his disreputable sneakers. “It was something really special to you, wasn’t it? I swear it really was an accident. Let me do something nice. Can I take you out to dinner? I know you probably have dates that do that, but you and I are old friends. We can go out occasionally, can’t we? Or I can cook for you. You won’t believe it, but I’m not a bad cook.” He patted her on the knee, and she braced for further liberties.

“I promise to behave, Cher. Don’t be mad at me for the other night. You were so cute I couldn’t help myself. We’ve known each other so long I thought . . . well, never mind what I thought. But listen, about that dinner? You aren’t going steady with anyone, are you?”

She ignored his rapid-fire questions wondering why he seemed nervous.
What’s up?
“Mom and Dad said to say hello to you and to tell you they were surprised that you decided to keep your grandmother’s house. I saw them the other night at dinner.”

“Did you? They are well? I can’t remember the last time I saw them. Was it? Yes, at the funeral. Good people, your folks. Not a bit like your grandmother, but very nice people.” He was quiet and looked thoughtful for a moment.

Cheryl allowed the peace of the garden to seep into her shoulders. It was nice sitting here with David when he wasn’t destroying her gardens. He seemed to be comfortable with her as well.

“Pretty,” he said, staring at the colorful flowers. “Cute little birds fluttering around those nice-smelling plants. What are they?” He wiped his forehead again.

“The flowers are called four o’clocks. I guess because they only open in the late evening. Hummingbirds love them. That tiny one over there isn’t really a bird. He’s a look-alike moth, called a Sphinx or a hawk moth. A fake, as it were. He only pretends to be a bird.” She lifted her eyebrows at him significantly.

“What? I’m really a cop, I swear. Just because I don’t wear a uniform . . . Oh, you’re kidding me.”

“Your friends seem very nice, David. Thank you for introducing them to me.”

“They’re good fellows. Give me a hard time, but I’d trust them to watch my back any time. They have families, well, two of them do. Malcolm is still holding out. Think he’s got a thing for Jane? I heard him perk up when he found out her name.”

“She hasn’t mentioned anything to me. She’s just getting over a bad relationship and may not be responsive to any overtures. I had almost forgotten about him being with you that night. He seems very nice.”

“Ah, well. I didn’t want you to think we are all ‘beasts’ like me.” He abruptly stood, towering over her. “I need a shower bad. You gonna have dinner with me? You choose where and when.” With his long stride, he rounded the opening in the hedge before she could make up her mind to answer him.

Did she want to have dinner with David? Perhaps that would be a good idea. If they could normalize the fact that they were neighbors and allow ordinary days to happen, then just maybe. It was her only hope. The man was invading her dreams and haunting her days.

David had gotten a job as a day laborer with the landscaper who was still working on the other side of the slope. She had been startled almost out of her hard hat when David looked straight up at her and winked. She knew her face had flushed, but Francine was already leaving. She was enthusiastically making shopping plans to buy the new patio furniture. Cheryl found herself in awe how that woman could navigate in those spike heels all through the mud and grass.

Cheryl blew out a breath. She couldn’t make up her mind whether having David that close was a good thing or not. For some reason she was pleased he could see her at her work. On the other hand, he was almost more distraction than she could handle. David Larkin in a tight T-shirt with his muscles bulging could distract a nun. And she was no nun.

There had been no visitors since she had started work on the Toledo property. What she was supposed to report on she had no idea. She had almost forgotten about it when she spotted David swinging a shovel like he was born to dig. He ducked his head and stayed out of sight when Sam Toledo stood at the top of the terrace surveying the ongoing work. So far, Cheryl had dealt only with Francine, and she sincerely hoped it would stay that way. If there were to be visitors, she assumed they would come next week to the big party.

Dinner?
Okay, perhaps
it
would be fun
.
A new Mexican restaurant had opened up a couple of blocks over. They could walk.
It was a nice night. She gathered her things together and went inside.
Finish the column tomorrow evening.
I swear I will.

She prowled through her dresser drawer looking for the blue blouse that matched her eyes. Just slacks and sandals. Nothing fancy. Gold bracelet. Tiny earrings. That’s okay, she thought. Why she was bothering with a dab of perfume behind her ears, she had no idea. She ran a comb through her curls and called it good enough. She had never fussed with her hair and she wasn’t about to start now. Her natural curls would stay fairly neat if she kept them trimmed. She grabbed the ringing phone deciding to tell David she was ready to go now.

Gordon. Damn. Damn and double damn. That man just wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was still irritated about the other night when he sat down at the table at the club, greeting her parents with a kiss for her mother and a warm handshake for her dad. As if he was a member of the family. That engagement had ended over a year ago, but he just wouldn’t accept it. Her mother was still giving her a sorrowful look whenever the subject of the doctor came up. What mother didn’t want her daughter to marry a doctor? It was an embarrassing cliché.

Gordon Moore was known as dermatologist extraordinaire. He was good looking and very comfortably fixed with more patients than he could handle, with the annoying habit of thinking he could control Cheryl’s every thought and action. It wasn’t a fault that was apparent at the beginning of the relationship, but after she accepted the ring, it doubled in intensity.

He called her at work. He insisted she be available to him no matter what her plans. She certainly had no intentions of becoming merely an appendage to a man no matter how eligible he was rated. She ended the relationship as quickly as she could. Her parents were shocked. Gordon was wrong in thinking the break was temporary.

“No, I’m sorry, Gordon. I do have plans for dinner. Not to mention that I’ve worked hard all day and I’m very tired. No, I don’t want to make plans to see you any time soon. Listen, Gordon.” She peered out the window to check for David. “I have to go. You have a nice evening. Bye.” She clicked off just as David knocked on the back door. Wow. He knocked for a change. Almost civilized. Cheryl wondered what had changed his mind.

“You ready, sweetheart? What did you decide, sexy lady? That blouse is exactly the same color of your big blue eyes. You don’t need boosting into my tree house, do you?” He chuckled.

Understanding the reference, she laughed. “Mexican suit you? There’s a new one over on Elm. It’s a nice night. We could walk.”

He nodded and reached for her hand. She felt his large fingers wrapping around hers, engulfing them. A satisfied, safe feeling came over her, and she smiled up at him. Home. Why did she feel as if she had come home?

Silly Cheryl. You are falling under the spell of David Gillard Larkin once more. Tonight he’s the handsome Irishman with a mouth full of sweet blarney.