“Is there anything I can do? Set the table? Anything other than let you do all the work.” Normally she’d be at her office by now, not twiddling her thumbs and scraping for something to occupy her time. This was going to take some getting used to.
“Sure thing. Cutlery is in that drawer.” He nodded toward the built-in wooden hutch with multiple sets of drawers on the opposite wall. It had age on its side and the patina of worn paint Mia loved. She imagined how good it would look with some of her bespoke handles she’d just commissioned from Turkey. The blue and white ones would look amazing against the distressed paint and worn timber and the flecks of blue in the artwork on the walls.
“Do you want to sit at the breakfast table or the island?”
Matt looked up from the stove. “Wherever you like. We could go outside if you want. Garden is nice this time of year or we could go on the front porch and watch the ferry come in.”
The idea of watching the ferry didn’t appeal to her considering she couldn’t be on it when it turned around and headed back to Seattle. Mia chose the garden and wandered out to set the cutlery on the blue and white mosaic table as Matt plated up their breakfast. When he brought it outside, she was exploring the vegetable garden. The ground was damp underfoot and the straw mulch gave off a musty tang that wasn’t unpleasant, more earthy and rich. She ran her hand over the rosemary bush and inhaled the old fashioned but familiar scent. Lemon grass grew tall and rich in one corner. The thin grass like leaves felt like sandpaper on her fingers.
Layered over the garden was the faint smell of the ocean, salty and fresh. The smells coming from his plants made her want to take the time to enjoy it. Strolling leisurely in a garden had never been on her radar before. She touched a tiny purple flower with a white throat and bent to sniff its fragrance.
“That’s borage. Be careful of the bees; they love it.”
“So do I. It’s gorgeous.” She brushed her fingers over the almost fluffy green leaves.
“The blooms are nice for decorating salads. Tastes like cucumber. Try a bit.”
Mia picked a flower and sat it on her tongue, letting her taste buds savor it. There was a hint of freshness about it. She bit down on it and there it was, that flavor Matt had mentioned.
“Wow. I like it.” She saw a bright orange flower which made her feel happy with its deep color and gazed at the beans growing over the antique white archway, which looked as though it’d been in the garden forever. A butterfly landed on the purple flower and Mia watched it gather the pollen before fluttering to another bloom. How had she not had time for this before? She was fascinated.
“How on earth do you have time to do this?”
He put the plates down and leaned one hand on the white picket fence. “I only putter in this garden. A local family does the mowing for me and keeps the main gardens under control. I stick to what I can do well and leave the rest to someone else. Back in a moment.” He hurried inside and she wandered back to the table. She leaned over her plate and took a sniff of her breakfast. Matt had set it out so prettily, she could easily imagine herself in a restaurant. The bacon and egg muffin was positioned to one side of the plate with three small dots of ketchup and a sprig of greenery. Mia guessed it to be pea sprigs because of the curls at the end of the stem. She had linens with that very pattern.
She had to admit her breakfast smelled so good her mouth was watering. Normally food this early made her stomach want to heave, but the bacon made her change her mind. Maybe her problem was the early coffee, not the food.
“Here you go.” Matt put down two glasses of orange juice and pulled out his seat and sat down. He picked up his muffin, dipped it in the sauce and took a bite, closing his eyes as he chewed. Mia had never seen anyone so wrapped up in their food before. It was almost seductive watching him.
She followed suit and nibbled at her muffin. It was surprisingly good. Soon she was finished and licking her fingers.
“Good?”
Mia laughed. “You can say I told you so. I don’t mind.”
Matt shook his head.
“That was really good.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry if I came across as bossy, but I’m not used to my clients not eating. Makes me feel like I’m not doing my job if I don’t feed you.”
Mia smiled. “Thank you for being so kind when I was snappy with you. I’m finding it very hard to get out of my routine. I’m sure my four weeks here will go much faster if I embrace it for what it is: a chance to unwind and start fresh.”
He sat back and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just holler. Pretty sure I can suggest a few things to keep you amused.” He took a sip of his orange juice.
She straightened her knife and fork, then glanced up at him. “The fact is, the board of directors ordered me to take a holiday. They think I’ve been working too hard so I arrived here less than impressed and you got the sharp end of my tongue. It wasn’t directed at you personally.”
“Wow. No wonder you were unhappy. But no offense taken. As I said earlier, anything I can do to help, holler. What are your plans today?”
Mia shrugged. She hadn’t got that far yet. She was
