A MOVABLE TREE 


Claire opened the door to the Greenhouse, sending the delightful sound of a windchime singing through the interior space. Joimus came out of her office, smiling at the new arrival. "I rigged that up," she explained, "since I'm here alone right now. You must be Claire." The young woman matched Ahnna's description quite well.

"Yes, I've come about the job you mentioned."

"Come," Joimus said, "let me show you around, see what you think of the place."

It was bigger than Claire had expected and with a much more diverse array of plants. As the two women walked, Joimus asked Claire questions and she explained about her grandmother and how she was currently working at a small florist shop. Joimus took an instant liking to the young woman and guided her back out front and around to an outdoor section where there were young trees and larger shrubs for sale.

Claire could see the top of a tree bobbing along several rows over. Joimus caught where she was gazing and laughed, "Oh, that will be Cort. He's helping me with some heavy lifting today. Come on and I'll introduce you."

Cort's sleeves were rolled up nearly to his elbows and he had on jeans, boots, and a pair of thick leather gloves. The root ball of the tree he was moving was heavier than he thought and he paused, bending his knees a moment to let the burlap rest atop his thighs so he could shift his grip. It was thusly that Claire first saw him.

"Cort!" Joimus called, and he jerked his head around, trying to locate where her voice was coming from. She stepped out from behind a row of birch trees, followed closely by a young woman. As the woman moved out from the shade of the trees, sudden sunshine caught her hair, making it glow with brilliant light. His breath hissed in, his grip slipped, and the burlapped root ball slid down his legs, leaving him standing there, his face buried in young eucalyptus leaves.

Slightly mortified, he closed his eyes, then pushed aside some of the branches and peered out. She was smiling at him, not really laughing, but with a definite merry twinkle in her eyes. The heavy root ball was perched on the front of his boots and he pulled them out, one by one, taking a step back, still behind the tree.

 

Joimus put a hand quickly to her mouth to cover a chuckle. "Um, Cort," she said, clearing her throat, "I'd like you to meet Claire Francis. Claire is thinking about coming to work at the Greenery."

Cort stayed behind the tree a moment more, rubbing his gloved hand across his chin, forgetting about the dirt on the gloves and quite successfully transferring a fair amount of it onto his lower face. He sighed, unaware of what he'd just done, blew out a long
breath and stepped out into the hard-packed dirt aisle. "Mornin', Joimus." He dipped his head a bit. "Mornin', Miss."

Again both women tried to cover their amusement. He was simply, utterly adorable as he stood there, looking so discomfited. And then, to make matters worse, the root ball rocked and tipped, sending the seven-foot tree into his left side. Grabbing for it, he tripped, his boot getting entangled in a flapping bit of loose binding twine, and he and the tree fell together backwards on the path. He lay there, unmoving, waiting for the earth to open and swallow him, but the women thought that meant he'd been hurt and they both ran forward. Joimus gripped the trunk of the tree, pulling it off him and propping it against some others to one side, while Claire knelt in the dirt beside Cort.

"Are you all right?" He had his eyes closed and she put a hand lightly on his right shoulder.

He sighed again, briefly squeezing his eyes even more tightly shut before opening them. She was leaning over him, the sun directly behind her head creating a halo effect. He blinked, something new and almost sharp, piercing through his body. Claire saw the quick expression pass over his face. "You ARE hurt!" she exclaimed.

"No," he said quickly, his voice cracking a bit, "no, miss, I'm...fine." He sat up and she leaned back. Taking off his gloves, he slapped them against the tight denim over his thigh.

Joimus looked down at him. "You're sure you're all right?"

"Very sure," he said, giving his head a toss to flip his hair out of his face. With what was actually a very graceful motion, he got to his feet, then extended a hand to help Claire up. Pressing his lips tightly together, then licking the bottom one, he gathered what was left of his dignity. "Glad to meet you, Miss," he said. "Sorry about the tree."

Claire thought it the most remarkable first meeting she'd ever had with anyone. "Claire," she repeated, smiling again.

"Claire," he said, his deep voice doing marvelous things to the single syllable.

"Cort lives in the house with us," Joimus explained. "For the time being," she added. "He's been helping me with the Greenery lately and also works with my husband's horses and cattle."

Cort's green eyes flicked over to Joimus then back to Claire. "You're thinkin' of workin' here, too?"

"I am working here," Claire nodded. "That is, Mrs. Meridius, if you're agreeable."

"Quite agreeable," Joimus smiled. "I can really use your help."

"I...I can start Monday, if that's all right."

"Monday's fine. Would you like to look around some more, get acquainted with the place?" A car pulling into the parking lot caught her attention. "Cort, will you show Claire around? I see I've got customers."  Without waiting for an answer, she hurried down the path back toward the greenhouse.