Fearless The King Series Book One - By Tawdra Kandle Page 0,43

she really would rather you call her Marly. She still thinks Mrs. Sawyer is my grandmother.”

“Okay, I’ll remember that. Sorry.”

“Tas.” He stopped walking and turned to me, putting both hands on my shoulders. “Stop stressing. This is not an audition or an interview. My parents are generally good, easy-going people. My mother already loves you, couldn’t you tell?”

“I didn’t listen to her, if that’s what you mean.”

He sighed in long-suffering patience. “I didn’t think you did. I meant, couldn’t you tell by her verbal clues that she likes you?”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. “She was putting off some pretty happy vibes. And yes, she is a very warm person. I liked her, a lot,” I added.

“I’m glad,” he said. “It would definitely make things easier if the most important people in my life get along.”

“Am I one of the most important people in your life?” I asked wonderingly.

He smiled at me, his eyes crinkling in the corners, and leaned into my ear. “You are,” he whispered.

The moment seemed to freeze as I looked into his eyes. “That might be the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me,” I told him softly. “Thank you.”

“I only speak the truth.” Michael dropped his hands from my shoulders and took my hand in his. “Ready for the tour?”

Sawood Nursery was a fascinating place. Michael took me into the small shop first, and I was charmed by the garden accessories and assorted knick-knacks.

“The shop was my sister Lela’s idea, and it’s still her baby, more or less,” Michael told me. “She does most of the buying, even now that she’s in college.”

Next we walked out into the fields that were adjacent to the parking lot. Michael pointed out plants to me as we wandered through, the names rolling off his tongue with ease.

“How do you remember all these?” I marveled. “Some of them look the same to me.”

“I grew up with all of this,” he reminded me. “This is how I learned to read. It’s in my blood.” He winked at me, and I giggled.

“So are you going to teach me?”

“Sure. We’ll work in a botany lesson right after the driving lesson.”

I groaned. “You’re seriously planning to try to teach me to drive shift? You don’t know how bad a driver I am. Even on cars without the extra pedal and the shifty thing.” I gestured with my hand, imitating a gearshift.

“I trust you. And I am an excellent teacher, so there’s no problem. Come on, let me show you the trees.”

We walked through the rows of citrus trees first, and I breathed in the heady fragrance. The ground was covered with black plastic, which made it easier going here than in other areas of the nursery. Michael noticed me enjoying the scent.

“My favorite thing to do is to stand over there—” he gestured widely, “—between the citrus field and the Christmas tree field. You get the pine and orange smell all mixed in—it’s the best.”

We made our way toward the evergreens. I noticed that they looked much different than the Christmas trees my parents and I chose each year.

“Do you have Douglas firs?” I inquired.

“No, that’s a northern tree. We import some of them already cut from North Carolina every year. Same with the frasiers. These in this field are native to Florida. The ones here—” he pointed to the row closest to us, “—are spruce pine. Then we also have sand pine and two other species of spruce. We encourage people to tag and cut their trees, because it’s better, both ecologically and economically.”

“Why is it better to cut down a tree? I would think ecologists would want people to not cut down trees.”

“Well, first, we grow these specifically to be cut. And the benefit that the trees offer while they’re growing is substantial. Also, remember having to transport the trees from out of state adds to air pollution, not to mention the cost of having to truck them here.”

I was silent, looking at the endless rows of beautiful trees. “Will you save me the best of the bunch this year?”

“Sure. I’ll tag it for you at Halloween. We don’t let anyone else tag until the weekend before Thanksgiving.”

“Thanks. Is that one of the benefits of being an important person in your life?”

“Definitely.” We were hidden from the rest of the nursery, standing in the midst of the evergreens. Michael pulled me close to him, drawing my two hands behind his back and linking his hands around my shoulders. “It’s very