“So you meant literally dirty,” he joked.
Indeed, the project would require a fair amount of labor and effort. There were dozens of potted plants and flowers waiting to be dug into the ground, patio furniture, a large grill-slash-island, a dining table set, chairs with cushions, umbrellas, a chandelier, a coffee table, and a range of gardening accessories and tools.
“You managed to coordinate and buy all of this stuff this morning?” he asked in amazement he scanned over everything.
“I had some help. It does seem a bit impetuous, doesn’t it?”
“No! Not at all!” he laughed, clearly at her expense. “What do you want to start with first?”
Zoe considered her options. “I have no idea,” she admitted. Truthfully, she was a bit overwhelmed.
“Okay well let’s start with the big stuff and then work our way to plants and pillows and whatnot. Sound good?”
She put her hands up in the air. “You’re the boss. I’m going to change. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Just some water, please.” He circled around the grill-slash-island and crossed his arms over his chest, his face pensive.
“Okay. Be right back.” She made her way through a set of cherry wood French doors leading into her bedroom just off the garden area. The air conditioned room was cool compared to the heat of direct sunlight outside, and she thought another dip in the pool would be a great end to an otherwise terrific day.
She quickly changed out of the golden cardigan and silk tank and slipped on white cotton tank top. After a second thought, she took off the tank and shorts, replaced her undergarments with the only bikini she owned - a bright yellow piece that had never been worn - and put the tank and shorts on top. She traded the blue suede wedges for a pair of lightly worn tennis shoes and laced them loosely against her feet before walking towards the main living area.
A flick of a switch and the entertainment system filled the room with contemporary pop music as she headed into the kitchen, the least used room in the house. She produced a chilled pitcher of filtered water from the refrigerator and filled two tall glasses. An acrylic tray holding loose envelopes and other assorted mail caught her eye as she put the pitcher away, and dumped everything out on the counter to place the two glasses.
Once outside again she set the platter down on the plastic sealed outdoor dining table and took a good look around at all of the other plastic-wrapped purchases. It was like the famous shopping trip all over again, only this time she vowed to herself to not let them sit untouched in the backyard like she had with the clothes in her closet.
“Evan, are you sure you don’t mind helping?” she asked tentatively. He looked up from his crouched position next to the grill and nodded reassuringly.
“It’s fine! Come over here. Where did you want this thing?”
She made her way to his side and scanned the backyard, her eyes settling on the pergola where the previous patio furniture sat. “How about there? Then we can put the dining set in front of it so there is a nice view of the pool.”
“Great. Let’s get started. Want to get on that end there?” he pointed. She did as asked, moving to the opposite end of the grill. “It has locking wheels so just flip the red tab and we’ll slide it over.”
The large piece moved smoothly over the wood so she didn’t have to exert so much effort. He was doing most of the pulling anyway. “So tell me more about Terra.”
“What would you like to know?” he asked as he guided the grill backwards towards the pergola.
“Your sister said that you were someone of importance. What did she mean by that?”
“It’s not as fascinating as it sounds. I’m basically a glorified advisor, which means I don’t really do anything at all except listen and make suggestions to certain people. It’s not anything really important or worthy of mention. I spend more time away from home than in it.”
“Who do you advise?” The grill moved into place in the pergola, a view of the pool on the opposite side.
“Owyn Straton. Although very few people call him that. He’s our King.”
Zoe nearly tripped over her own feet. “Did you say King?”
“Yep,” he rolled his eyes at the word.
“Terra is ruled by a monarchy?” she asked, the word sounding pungent as it rolled off her tongue.
“For as long as anyone can remember. Owyn and I grew up together and when he became King he took me on as his advisor. Not that I really do much. Terra basically runs itself so what could I possibly contribute?” He looked terse, even constrained by the thoughts he wasn’t verbalizing but that Zoe could see clearly bothered him.