Page 28 of Love Is…?
Tessa patted the leaves of the grevilleas. “Grow well, little plants,” she whispered, then looked up to find Angel staring at her with a bemused expression.
“Even I don’t talk to the plants and I work here.” She threaded her fingers through the small stems of the basil plants which had grown so much that they’d taken up apartment living,then turned the pot upside down and shook out the clump of soil. “Pass me those ones, please.”
Tessa reached across and separated the small pots so they were lined up like soldiers. Angel placed the cluster of herbs on the table, and shook potting mix into the new homes, then replanted each seedling.
“I just don’t want to come across as a stilted lump of cardboard.”
Angel laughed. “You’re never a lump of anything. You’re great with people.”
“I know, but not great at picking up a woman.”
“Is Jayde giving you flirting tips for tonight seeing as she’s the one doing the teaching?” Angel paused and tilted her head.
Tessa grimaced. “I guess?”
Angel huffed. “Oh, for the…Okay.” She pointed and dirt fell off her gloves. “Eye contact, running your finger over the condensation on your drink, touching your lips?—
“Got those. Thanks,” Tessa said, and poked at the soil in the pot again.
“Good. How about sexy jokes? They work sometimes. Do you know any?” Angel asked, abandoning the little pots. Apparently their conversation was much more interesting than the health of the nearby flora.
Tessa blinked. “No. Should I?”
“Absolutely!” Angel exclaimed. “How about…” She hummed as if opening a file in her brain. “Oh! How many screws are there in a lesbian’s coffin?”
Tessa shrugged.
“None. It’s tongue and groove,” Angel said, deadpan, and Tessa groaned.
“I amnotusing that as a pick up line or any other line. Oh my God, Angel.”
Angel was laughing so hard that she had to use the table to hold herself upright. “Oh, come on. It was funny. Seriously, you must have one line up your sleeve.”
They stared at each other until finally Tessa rolled her eyes.
“Okay.” She squared her shoulders. “How you doin’?”
Angel’s mouth dropped open. “Joey fromFriends. That’s your pick up line?”
Tessa dropped her head and moaned. “This isn’t going to work. I’d rather go to a coffee shop where there’s a barista who comes over and sits with me and we chat and I find out she likes rare cacti and I applaud her dangerous yet adorable hobby and we hang out for a while and it’s friendly and…” She trailed off.
“Yeah…nah. Look, try the joke. All that’ll happen is you’ll die quietly until that person’s time is up, then you can move on in life.” Angel grinned.
Tessa decided that she’d eventually see the funny side, but not quite yet. Maybe next month.
“So tell me.” Angel ducked her head to catch Tessa’s eye.
“What?”
“The speed dating is getting you completely flustered but I also think…Is Jayde good-looking?”
“Not answering.”
“Okay, that’s a yes.”
Despite the timecommitments required to produce Abby’s profile, Jayde still needed to earn enough money to keep life rolling along. Hence the small articles she’d submitted to a couple of local magazines and a council newsletter. The latter paying very well because governments had unlimited budgets, and Jayde had discovered early on in her career that she couldquote any figure and it was paid without question. Pitching to councils was a buzz all on its own.
Jayde stood at her small desk, reread the last paragraph of her most recent piece, then hit send. She braced her arms on the desktop and stared at her pinboard.