Ten minutes later, Micah wandered in. “Hey, man.”

“Hey.” Zane glanced up.

Micah wore his hair in a stub of a tail, sported a single tiny hoop in his left ear, and a little goatee that actually worked. He wore carpenter jeans and a faded Avengers tee.

Hippy nerd, and the look suited him.

“You got a tree out there. It’s cool.”

“Yeah, I guess it is. News? I’m going to hire your mom.”

“Hire my mom? For like what?”

“For like my administrative assistant.”

“No shit?”

“None. You know she worked in a law firm?”

“Yeah, sort of. Wow.” He dropped down in one of the pair of wine-colored leather visitor chairs, shot out his legs, crossed his ankles over his red Nike high-tops. “That’s cool. She didn’t say anything.”

“I just read her résumé.”

“My mom has a résumé?”

“A damn good one. You’re a reference.”

“I am?” Micah’s grin spread. “Kick my ass and call me Sally.”

“She helped you get your business going, Sally.”

“Damn straight. The Computer Guy wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without her. Setting up the books and all that, helping me design the website. Does Dad know?” Micah waved the question away as soon as he asked it. “Sure he does. They’re like a unit. This is totally cool news, man. I guess, now that I think, she’s been rattling around some since Chloe got married last fall. All the wedding planning kept her way busy.”

“How’s she doing? Chloe, I mean.”

“Good. She and Shelly dig the Outer Banks. You know, it’s still weird how I dated Shelly a couple times in high school, and my sister ends up marrying her.”

“Things change.”

Micah put his fingertips together, bowed over them. “Wise words, my brother. I got a gander at the bungalow the new girl and Roy did, and the one they’re working on. Man, the new girl is hot.”

“Darby?”

“Superhot. Not like your sister hot—and you know I say that thinking about Britt like she’s my own sister, only straight and married and a mom.”

“Yes. Fortunately for both of us, I do.”

“This one’s different hot. Britt’s like head cheerleader hot. The new girl’s like kick-your-ass-if-it-needs-it hot. Like Black Widow, man—her hair’s even sort of red. She’s ‘I can do what needs doing.’ That’s hot.”

“Huh. It is, now that you mention it.”

“I’m totally devoted to Cassie, right? My chick’s the coolest chick in the universe of chicks. But if I wasn’t, I would offer my ass up for kicking with the new girl.

“So, how about I set you up with some data, some communication, and some security?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

He hung with Micah awhile, answered questions about his needs, shot the bull, watched his old friend work his magic. Then he got his laptop and drafted a formal employee contract, with a full job description.

He fiddled with it awhile, let it sit while he took delivery on more furniture, some office supplies.

Went back to it, read it over, then emailed it to his new administrative assistant.

Now, if he could cop himself a summer intern, he’d be in business.

* * *

In business herself, Darby stuck her fists on her hips to check the positioning of the chairs—sanded, painted, dry—just placed back on the porch.

She’d sent Roy to the next bungalow on the list to start the grunt work of removing gravel while she finished the final touches here.

The only uniform element with the first was the lamppost. It gave the cabins symmetry, recognizability to her mind. And she hoped when she finished all of them, Emily would consider names instead of numbers, have signs added to the posts.

But the rest? Unique to the space, flowing, but unique.

Now she only had to finish the pots, sweep up, check all the lighting one more time, and voilà.

She turned at the sound of a car, waited when it pulled into the drive. A woman got out. Young, Darby noted, early twenties. A tough build in jeans, a soft cloud of hair around a face the color of good cappuccino.

“Miss McCray?”

“Darby McCray. Can I help you?”

“I’m hoping. I’m Hallie Younger. I heard you might be hiring.”

“I might be. You’re looking for work?”

“I might be.” Hallie offered a smile. “I’m interested in this kind of work. I’ve got a résumé. There’s not much to it that applies, but I added in how I gardened with my grandmother every spring and summer since I could walk, and helped my daddy build some fencing. I can do some stonework, too. I built a walk for my parents a couple summers ago. I’m not afraid of physical work.”

“You couldn’t be in this line. Are you working now?”

“I’m working at the Lakeview Hotel, in the office. I went to school for business, but, well, I just hate it. Not the people,” she added quickly. “It’s a good place to work, and a fair place, but I don’t like being cooped up inside all day, every day. I gave it a year because I promised my daddy I would.”

“So, you keep your word.”

Hallie lifted her shoulders. The hair above them flowed in a cloud of curls. “Your word’s no good if you don’t. I saw what you did at the other bungalow, and now this one. It’s what I want to do, too. I think I’d be good at it.”

“Why don’t you give me your résumé?”

“I appreciate you giving me consideration.” She took it out of her bag.

“Before I do, why don’t we have a trial. Tell me what you think, and why.” Darby gestured to the bungalow.

“I’m going to say it looks beautiful. And I think you chose that turquoise blue for the porch chairs because you wanted them to pop along with that bright pink on the azaleas.”

When Darby gestured to keep going, Hallie took a breath, dived in.

“I think you wanted a happy kind of look, and went softer with that weeper, the white dogwood. You’re using native plantings, and they won’t need a lot of fuss. You wanted them to look like they just grew up here on their own. I sure do like the slate and the moss. I used chamomile at our house.”

“That’s a good choice, too. Here, take my gloves, I’ve still got the pots and planters to do. You do the two for the porch.”

“I’ll be glad to. Which plants do you want me to use?”

“You choose. I’ll read over your résumé.”

Hallie bit her lip. “I reckon that’s a kind of test.”

“See what works for you, then we’ll see.”

While Hallie worked, Darby sat in one of the turquoise chairs, read the résumé. Business courses, solid grades, part-time office work during the school year and summers. She added pictures of the walkway—nice job—the fencing, some gardens.

She walked inside, called a couple of the references.

When Darby came back, Hallie sat back on her heels with a look on her face Darby recognized. The sheer pleasure of planting.