A Week for Love to Bloom (24 page)

Brett pulled his truck up to the gate. He was frustrated to see he would be buzzed in every time he arrived. He drove down the long paved driveway that was lined with trees on both sides. When he approached the house he noticed the perfectly manicured lawn.

The colossal home was made of brick and stone in hues of grey and tan. The huge center section had pillars made of stone on each side of the front entrance. Several more sections of the house branched off from the center, and an elegant fountain sat in the middle of a circle drive. He stopped his truck and stared in amazement for several minutes before he drove around to the back.

He found the in ground pool astounding due to its enormous size and small waterfall. A cabana with a bar sat next
to it along with a building that appeared to house restrooms. He could tell the property went on for several acres, most of which were wooded. He followed the access road that went along the side of the property until he spotted Jay’s truck. They spent close to an hour going over the plans for the landscaping.

***

Hannah Ray stopped in her tracks on her way to the kitchen. “Mom, do you know who this is out in the backyard?” she said, staring out the floor to ceiling windows that lined the back of the home.

Damn
... he looks hot.

“Is he going to be back there every day? I don’t want him creeping on my friends and me when we swim.”

“He’s the landscaper, and he’ll be back there all summer, so you’re going to have to deal with it.”

Her mother Lorna Ray Mason was a legendary country music star with many awards and multi-platinum albums among other accomplishments. She had more number one hits than any other female artist, so Hannah had grown up with a life of privilege.

She went up to her room to change into her bikini before her best friend Chelsea arrived. She thought of the hot landscaper and put on the most revealing one she owned. About that time, she heard Chelsea coming up the stairs. They were eager to swim, but it was only the beginning of May, so they were going to bask in the sun instead. “Hannah, where are ya, girl?” Chelsea asked.

“In my room,” Hannah answered loudly.

“There you are.” Chelsea looked her over.

“Hannah, you look great in that bikini.”

“Thanks, Chels. You look great, too.” Chelsea had her long, caramel hair braided to one side, and her hazel eyes shined against her green bikini she was wearing with shorts. 

“Ready to catch some rays? I need to warn you though, there will be a hot guy in the backyard all summer. He’s here to do landscaping.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go check him out,” Chelsea said.

They walked out the French doors and went to the bar to make virgin drinks before heading to their chairs. The landscaper was
in their view, but they couldn’t make out his face.

“You can sure tell he’s muscular from here,” Chelsea said.

“I told you he looks hot. We get to look at that all summer,” Hannah said, gazing toward the back of the property. “Mom will be on tour, so we’ll have the house to ourselves. We’re gonna have a blast this summer.” She smiled as she grabbed a bottle of sunscreen.

Lorna came to the French doors. “Hannah, can you come here for a sec please?”

“What does she want? I’ll be right back.” Hannah made her way back into the house and found her mom in the kitchen.

“What, Mom?”

“I made tea. I want you to take a glass out to the landscaper, and find out his name. I’m sure I’ll be talking to him at some point.”

“Why can’t you or Gloria do it?”

“I’m cooking lunch and Gloria is off today. Just because she’s our housekeeper doesn’t mean she has to do every single thing around here.”

“Fine,” Hannah groaned. “It isn’t that I mind helping. I just don’t want him to think I’m trying to meet him.” She stopped at the window to check her reflection before she walked outside.

Chelsea yelled at her as she walked past the pool. “Where are you going?”

Hannah pointed toward Brett. She felt her heart flutter as she approached him.

***

“Hi,” Hannah said.

Brett didn’t hear her walk up behind him, so he spun around startled. “Hi, can I help you with something?” Brett asked.

Shit, she’s gorgeous.

He thought his heart would beat out of his chest. He could tell from her features that she was Lorna Ray Mason’s daughter and wondered how he missed her on campus.

“I thought you might like some iced tea,” she said, smiling.

Brett wasn’t sure what to do. Jay telling him to be polite replayed in his mind.

“Sure, thanks.” He reached his arm up to wipe the sweat off his forehead before he took off his work gloves. When he reached over to take the glass of tea, he smelled a sweet scent from her that seemed familiar.

“I’m Hannah Ray. I live here.” He could see she was nervous as she fidgeted, shifting her weight to her other hip and tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear.

“I’m Brett Adams.” He tried desperately to keep his gaze on her rich green eyes so they wouldn’t wander past her face, but he couldn’t help noticing her bright yellow bikini set against her fair skin and her strawberry blonde hair in a messy bun.

“I heard you’re going to be here for a while, so I wanted to introduce myself and tell you that you’re free to take a dip in the pool when it’s hot. I hope we don’t have the heat we had last summer. It was miserable out. Do you work when it’s that hot?”

“Yes, but I usually start much earlier, so I can finish before it gets too bad.”

“That’s smart. I guess I’ll let you get back to work.” She stood staring at him for a few seconds.

“OK. Thanks for the tea.” He held it up toward her and smiled before taking a drink.

As she walked away, Brett couldn’t help but glance at her backside and the exposed, flawless skin showing on her petite body.

***

Hannah took a seat in her lounge chair and grabbed the sunscreen.

“Well? I can’t see him from here. What’s he like?” Chelsea asked.

“He’s gorgeous. I mean—like breathtaking. His body is amazing. He’s tall and has deep blue eyes. He seemed really nice, too. I wish we could pull our chairs back there and watch him all day. I’m such an idiot, though. I talked about the weather. Who talks about the damn weather when they meet someone that good looking? It was embarrassing.”

“Maybe he goes to Vandy,” Chelsea said.

“If so, he has to be a senior. He looks older.”

After Chelsea left, Hannah glanced out her bedroom window several times to see Brett. She watched as he drove away and found herself looking forward to seeing him again.

***

Brett finished up at four o’clock and was ready to get home. When he exited the gate, he thought about how nice Hannah seemed. He expected her to be a snob. He made it back to the house he shared with his four friends who were also going to be seniors at Vanderbilt. It was a large, old home with five bedrooms.

“Hey, bro. You worked late for a Saturday,” Matt said.
Brett and Matt had been friends since grade school. Matt was 6’3” like Brett with the same striking good looks but with black hair and dark eyes.

“I know, and I’m tired,” Brett said.

“Did Brittney wear you out last night?” Dylan asked.

“I’m not going to see her anymore.”

“How old will the next cougar be, forty? Dylan asked, smirking.

“Fuck off, Dylan.”

“What the hell is your problem? You’re the one who chooses to fuck around with older women.”

“I’m done with that.”

Matt chuckled. “Since when?”

“Since this morning.” Brett walked into the kitchen to get a drink, leaving them in the living room where they were playing on the Xbox.

“I’m outta here. I’m going to play guitar,” Dylan said with irritation in his voice. Brett overheard him from the kitchen and could tell he pissed him off. Dylan was a guitarist on the side, occasionally filling in for a local band. He spent a lot of his free time in his room practicing and spent all of his extra money on his special collection of electric guitars.

His dark hair was wavy and went just over his ears but was rarely seen since he wore a ball cap almost every day. Girls could hardly resist his charming smile and his thick black lashes that sat above light green eyes.

“I’m taking a shower and then lying down,” Brett said as he walked through the living room to the hallway.

“Don’t forget you have to get up in a few hours to go to Olivia’s party,” Matt said.

“Shit, I forgot. OK, wake me up.”

***

Hannah finished getting ready to go to a party she and her girlfriends were invited to through a friend. She put on a silky, turquoise Valentino dress and black high heels. Her shiny hair cascaded over her shoulders. Silver jewelry and a silver clutch purse finished her look.

Her mother yelled up the staircase. “Hannah, Hudson has the car out front. Are you ready?”

“I’m coming,” Hannah shouted. One last check of her hair and make-up, and she made her way downstairs. The house had open staircases on each side, just after you entered the front door.

Hannah gave her mom and dad a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Be safe, Hannah. Remember who you are,” her father said. Hannah rolled her eyes and said the last sentence at the

same time as her dad.

“I’m staying the night at Chelsea’s. See you tomorrow.”

Hudson was their main security guard and driver. He was ex-military, in his fifty’s with salt-n-pepper hair, and lived on the property. The family drove on their own during his time
off, but the Masons insisted Hudson drive Hannah as much as possible. Dressed in a black suit, he was waiting by the car to open the door for her.

“Hello, Hannah. How are you this evening?”

“Great, Hudson and you?”

“I’m enjoying this nice breeze.” He shut the door and went around to get in the driver seat. “So, are we making the usual stops?”

Hannah recalled her embarrassment from talking to Brett about the weather. “Yes. All the girls are going, and I won’t need a ride home. I’m going back to Chelsea’s, so her driver will pick us up.”

Hudson eyed her through the rear view mirror. “Hannah, I’m not trying to overstep my boundaries, but you know I worry about you when you go to parties. Remember you can call me anytime, and I’ll be there.”

“I know. That’s why I love you so much, Hudson, but we’ll be fine. I’m an adult now.”

“Yes, but it’s hard to remember sometimes. You were so young when I started this job.”

They picked up Chelsea first. Her father was a music executive and very close to Hannah’s family. Her parents were very affluent, as well. Next they picked up Morgan. She was on the college swim team, and the fittest of Hannah’s friends. She stood out with her dark hair and big brown eyes.

Jasmine got into the car last. “What’s up chicks? Are you
ready to party?”

She was the most free spirited of the bunch. Being half Puerto Rican and half Caucasian, she was blessed with silky, long, dark hair, and milk chocolate skin. She brought a lot of fun into her friends’ lives. Hannah, Chelsea, Morgan and Jasmine did almost everything together and never went to parties without each other. Hudson pulled into the long driveway.

“Damn, there’s a lot of cars here, and you know what that means … a lot of guys,” Jasmine said as they approached the home.

“You’re a mess, Jasmine,” Morgan said.

“Yeah, but I’m a hot mess,” she said, giggling.

“Remember you can call me, Ms. Hannah,” Hudson said as he dropped them off near the front door.

***

Matt drove Brett to the party while their other three roommates rode together in a separate car. Brett became aggravated when they pulled into the driveway. “Did she invite the whole damn college?” he asked.

The home was extravagant, but as Brett walked up to the door, he thought about how small it appeared in comparison to Lorna Ray Mason’s mansion.

It was total chaos in the house as Matt and Brett tried to move through the crowd. They spoke to a few people they knew and grabbed a beer from one of the kegs they found on the
back deck.

“I see we lost the rest of the guys,” Matt said.

“Let’s go downstairs and see if Olivia is there,” Brett said.

The basement was spacious with a couple of pool tables and a theater size TV. There were also doors open to a lit up patio where people were hanging out. They finally spotted her talking to a group of guests. “Olivia, give me a hug,” Brett said, smiling. Olivia was a beautiful blonde, and those who met her were fond of her.

“I’m glad you made it. Isn’t this crazy? I guess I let the party leak to a few too many people.”

“I think it’s because you become friends with everyone you meet,” Matt said.

“Good point.” She gave Matt a warm hug. “Thanks for coming. I know neither of you enjoy this scene anymore, and you’ll probably enjoy it even less tonight due to the number of underclassman here.”