prime flirting material to her younger self.
âAll the tea tree benches are gone,â he said as he turned out of her street. âThe roses are a thorny mess. And the herb garden is a flat-out disaster.â
âI loved that herb garden,â Mel said, remembering its pleasing mix of orderly English box hedge, sandstone paving and flourishing herb varieties. Edna Walling was famous for designing garden ârooms,â and in Melâs opinion the herbal one had been among the most beautiful of the âroomsâ at Summerlea.
âIâm telling you all this so you can be prepared,â he said. âThe old girl ainât what she used to be.â
âIâll brace myself.â
A silver car was parked beside the open main gate when they arrived. A portly, middle-aged man emerged from the driverâs side and waved them onto the grounds. The gravel driveway was rutted and choked with weeds, and the car dipped from side to side as Flynn drove slowly past the house to where a dilapidated double garage stood.
âOkay. Letâs go see what Iâve gotten myself into,â Flynn said.
Mel unfolded herself from the low bucket seat and followed him as he walked down the driveway. The real estate agent was huffing and puffing his way toward them, his face already flushed with exertion. âSpencer.â
âFlynn. Good to see you again.â The other manâs grin was broad as he greeted Flynn. As well it might beâFlynn had guaranteed this man a very healthy payday by buying a property that had to be well into the millions.
âThis is Mel, a friend,â Flynn said easily.
âAs you can see, Flynn dragged me away from the garden,â she said when the other man glanced at her muddy clothes.
âMore power to you. Draw the line at wielding the lawn mower myself, and even then I usually pay one of the local kids to do it.â The agent switched his focus to Flynn. âIâm sorry to do this to you, but weâve had a bit of an emergency come up and I need to cover another agentâs open home. If it suits you, I thought I could leave you with the keys so you could look around at your leisure, then drop the keys at the office either today or tomorrow.â
âSure. No problem,â Flynn said.
âTerrific, much appreciated. I hate having to bail on you like this but thereâs no one else available to fill in.â
Mel drifted away as Flynn and the agent talked business for a few minutes. She was studying the bare branches of what she suspected was a flame azalea when Flynn joined her.
âThe keys to the castle,â he said, holding out his hand to reveal a chunky collection of keys, many of them old-fashioned skeleton keys.
âI hope he told you which one opens the front door.â
There were at least twenty keys on the ring. Flynn looked alarmed for a minute before singling out a key that had been marked with an asterisk.
âWhat are the odds?â
âAre you feeling lucky, punk?â she asked, doing her best Clint Eastwood impersonation. âWell, are you?â
He grinned. âLetâs see.â
There was a new energy in him as he led the way toward the house. She studied him surreptitiously. Sheâd always thought of him as the epitome of sophisticationâunfailingly well dressed, never at a loss. Yet right now he looked like a little boy on a visit to Disneyland.
He glanced her way and caught her looking. She racked her brain for something to say so he wouldnât think sheâd been ogling him.
âIâve never been inside Summerlea before, even though I think Iâve probably attended four or five open gardens over the years.â
âYou werenât missing much. I think Brian and Grace saved all their passion for the garden. Not that the place doesnât have good bones. Theyâre just really well hidden.â
Theyâd arrived at the foot of a set of six wide,
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