Defy the World Tomatoes Read Free

blue ponchos, long braids, worn fedoras, and looked convincingly like modern-day Incas.
    “Thanks. Do you want to just add this to my bill, or would you rather I paid you now?”
    “I don’t really care, but our bookkeeper insists that we keep the landscaping commissions separate from the gift shop sales.”
    Griffin reached into his pocket, withdrew a gold money clip and peeled off a twenty-dollar bill. “Will this cover it?”
    “Yes. Just a minute, I think I have change.”
    “No, keep it as a delivery charge.” He stepped back to allow her to precede him into the house. “I hope the scent of fresh paint doesn’t bother you, and you’ll have to excuse the lack of furnishings. I haven’t had time to move in more than a bed and my piano.”
    The high, beamed ceiling caught Darcy’s notice first, then the wide staircase which curved up to the second floor. The interior had been painted a rich ivory which glowed against the dark wood but cried out for colorful paintings and tables to display huge bouquets of fresh flowers. On their left, she caught a glimpse of what appeared by the level of the chandelier to be the dining room, and on the right, a spacious living room.
    The highly polished dark hardwood floor was covered by a magnificent Oriental carpet with a navy blue background setting off a writhing pattern of gold and terracotta flowers. The stylized design was so intricate, Darcy thought she would have to crawl over it on her hands and knees for hours to truly appreciate its beauty.
    When her gaze finally reached the far end of the room, she found not simply a piano, but a concert grand in gleaming ebony wood. Amazed by the impressive instrument, she turned back to Griffin.
    “Do you play the piano, or is it merely for show?”
    A faint air of puzzlement filled Griffin’s expression, but, after a strained moment, he shrugged. “I enjoy playing it upon occasion. Let’s go out through the french doors.”
    He led the way through the living room to the three sets of french doors which opened out onto the terrace. He unlocked the center set and again waited for Darcy to precede him.
    The house was built in an L shape and, as they stepped outside, the kitchen and maid’s quarters were to their left. The brick terrace was bordered by an expanse of parched grass which Darcy agreed would be improved by the addition of a Zen garden. Beyond, the hillside sloped away to provide a panoramic view of Monarch Bay. The afternoon sun danced on the Pacific Ocean with a shimmering sparkle, and Darcy drank it in for a long moment before glancing up at Griffin.
    He appeared to be equally lost in the splendid view, and the seriousness of his expression again hinted at melancholy while his posture remained proud. Darcy had known several men with his height who had adopted a stoop-shouldered slouch, perhaps in an effort to reduce the distance between themselves and others. She’d always thought it a shame that they hadn’t stood up straight and had even told a couple to do so. From what little she’d observed of Griffin, however, she doubted he ever walked with a dejected slump, regardless of his mood.
    She wondered if he’d come there alone willingly, or perhaps had chosen a solitary exile at the end of a painful love affair. Who would leave him? she scoffed silently, but she knew only too well that love did not always guarantee happiness. Griffin glanced down at her, caught her observing him rather than the proposed site of the Zen garden and, embarrassed, she quickly directed her attention to the overgrown plot.
    “I bought the house from the daughter of the original owner,” Griffin explained. “She’s in her eighties, hasn’t lived here in half a century and was elated to find someone who’d restore the beauty, rather than merely throw together a careless remodel of her childhood home.
    “The interior renovations were all completed before I moved in last week, but I wasn’t certain what I wanted to do with the