A Little Green Magic (The Little Coven #1) - Isabel Wroth Page 0,4
mulch or dirt he needed for whatever job he was working on, he simply said, “I'll be back,” and gave her one hell of a show as she watched his unbelievably sexy ass bunch and flex as he walked off to the parking lot and peeled out in his big black truck.
One of the shop's other loyal customers, a sweet blue-haired old lady named Gladys, came up and patted Ivy's arm with an expression of great concern. “Honey, if you need to pee or grab a snack, you go right ahead. I'll use my cane to trip that sorry sucker if he comes out that door for anything other than one hefty apology.”
And that, right there, was one of the many reasons why Ivy loved working at the Mom and Pop Garden Shop. “Thank you very much, Gladys. I'm okay for now, but I appreciate your help. What can I get you today?”
*****
Ivy slammed the tailgate shut and waved to Mr. Abernathy, her arms shaking with fatigue. Loading thirty bags of mulch by hand wasn't usually a difficult task. Loading thirty bags after working three sixteen-hour shifts in a row doing nothing but heavy lifting? Brutal.
The garden center was empty now, and as she walked back under the cover of the awning, she glanced at the glass doors separating her from the indoor side of the shop.
She couldn't see Charles, but that didn't mean he couldn't see her. With visions of him storming out to make her pay for standing up to him, Ivy grabbed the nearest hose and got to work watering the veggie section. Worst case, she could blast the bastard in the face with water and make a run for it.
A door slammed in the parking lot, and she was somewhat surprised to see Uriah coming toward her with a brown paper bag in one hand and a clear to-go cup in the other. He set both items down on the counter at the register, and with a determined glare, wordlessly crooked his finger at her.
It didn't even occur to her to tell him where he could shove his unspoken demand. She turned off the water, put the hose down, and crossed the distance separating them.
“Sit down,” he told her after dragging a stool out from its hiding place behind the register. Mildly shocked by the uncompromising growl in his voice, she sat and took the drink he shoved in her hand.
When he tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing to slits, she wrapped her lips around the straw to suck in the sweet hibiscus tea. It had exactly the right amount of lime juice and agave nectar added, with just enough ice to keep it cold, but not enough to dilute the flavor. Her favorite drink from a local sandwich shop.
Uriah grunted, some of the tension leaving him after watching her take a few hearty swallows. He pushed the bag toward her next, and Ivy almost cried at the sight of the familiar green parchment paper wrapped around her favorite sandwich: turkey with sprouts instead of lettuce, sliced avocado, and a juicy, sweet sundried tomato sandwiched between two pieces of wheat bread. Her favorite cookie was also tucked inside the bag, a cranberry pistachio oatmeal the size of her hand.
Looking up at the huge man towering over her, Ivy practically hugged the sandwich to her chest. “How did you—”
“If anyone comes in before you finish, I'll handle it,” Uriah interrupted brusquely. He didn't give her time to even say thank you before taking off with huge, ground-eating strides to fetch a flat cart and head for the stacks of dirt and mulch.
After she shoved a piece of her cookie into her mouth, Ivy took a sip of tea while unashamedly watching Uriah move the heavy bags of soil from the stack to his cart like they were pillows.
It wasn’t every day a woman got lunch and a show.
CHAPTER THREE
Uriah watched the sweet, sexy little female from the corner of his eye to keep from thinking about the fat fucker sulking in the air-conditioned inside of the store. Never once had Uriah considered mauling a defenseless human, but hearing Henry's brother accusing Ivy of dressing like a whore while inhaling the sickening aroma of the sweaty bastard's lust had pushed Uriah to the edge.
Listening to Ivy stand up to the guy soothed the enraged bear roaring loud enough to rattle Uriah's bones, right up until the point where she admitted to not eating more than a snack