Mitch pulled up in front of a colonial style house and killed the engine.
“This is it,” he said, sounding like he was choking. He wouldn’t look at me and I knew it had to do with the whole butt-grabbing thing. Things had gotten weird again, which made me incredibly sad because we had actually been getting along lately.
I climbed out of the car, tucking the notebook and pen into my purse. “Thank you so much for riding to my rescue yet again.” We stood there looking everywhere but at each other. We were so incredibly lame. “Um, well you don’t have to stick around. I can call Viv or Mays when I’m finished and have them come and get me.”
Mitch zipped up his coat and grabbed a stocking cap from the backseat, pulling it down over his dark head. “I’ll tag along if it’s okay. Like I said, I don’t have anywhere to be.”
I smiled, this time with total sincerity. “I’d like that.”
“I just have to walk around and take some pictures and I’ll be finished. I’ll just use my phone and hope they’re good enough,” I said to Mitch an hour later.
The interview with Mrs. Wagner, the director of the botanical gardens went pretty well. She was a lovely lady that answered all of my questions with a smile and plied me with homemade fudge and hot chocolate. She encouraged me and my “man friend”—as she referred to Mitch—to take a stroll around the grounds. The gardens were closing in thirty minutes but she assured me that staff would be around so I could take as long as I needed.
“You’ve got a decent phone. It’s high res with 1.9 mega pixels, the pictures should be pretty good,” Mitch informed me after having inspecting the camera.
“I had no idea you were so well versed in camera phone specs,” I remarked as we headed out to the topiary garden towards the back of the house. The light was starting to go and I needed to take the pictures quickly. I stopped along the path and snapped a few shots in the dwindling light.
“I’m well versed in lots of things, G,” Mitch said with a smirk.
“Of course, how could I forget?” I hadn’t meant for my voice to go all rough and seductive like. Mitch gave me a heated look and I had to turn away, pretending to be engrossed in the sculpted box hedges.
“Hey, check it out! These bushes are molded in the shape of musical instruments,” I called out, pointing to a grouping of plants towards the back of the garden.
“Pretty cool,” Mitch agreed.
“Come on, Mitch, give me a pose,” I laughed.
Mitch went and stood behind the smaller bush shaped like a guitar and made a show of banging his head up and down, sticking out his tongue á la Gene Simmons.
I took a few pictures, not able to stop giggling as Mitch’s faces became more absurd as he played rock star. I looked down at the screen of my phone, flipping through the snaps. “These would make a great album cover,” I teased.
Mitch jumped over the bush and grabbed my phone. “I look awesome!”
I snatched my phone back and gave him a playful shove. “It’s good to know your ego is in check,” I snipped.
“I only call it like it is.” He rustled my hair and I swatted his hand away. “Oh, I forgot how much you hate having your hair messed with,” Mitch grinned.
“You’re hair may look good in the just rolled around on the ground way, but mine certainly doesn’t,” I said, giving him a good case of stink eye.
“Whatever, G, you always look beautiful.” Mitch, realizing what he said, closed his mouth and quickly walked towards a wisteria that threaded around a statue of naked man
“What’s up with this guy? He looks like he’s in pain. And more importantly, why is he in the buff?” Mitch commented, clearly trying to change the subject.