“Here, hold this.” She gently placed the seedling, sticking out of a small mound of soil, into my hands. She pressed her hands around mine so that my palms closed around the plant, and then smiled. Her hands were warm and soft, and I wanted them to stay there for the rest of the night. Instead, she turned her big eyes to me. “Good?” she asked.

All I could do was nod.

“’Kay. You just push the soil aside like this.” She reached into the planter and dug a small hole. “And then you’re going to want to tuck that little guy in there, and make sure the soil covers enough so that it’s secure.”

“Where did you learn all this, anyway?” I asked, genuinely impressed.

She shrugged like it was no big deal. “My stepdad is very into gardening. Occasionally, I paid attention.” She gave me a pat on the back and then got to work, grabbing more lettuce seedlings to plant.

Minutes later, she piped up. “Oh my god, Hayes!”

“Yes?” I said, confused at what could be so urgent.

“I forgot to tell you the best part.” She was peering around the side of the planter, and she looked like a kid at a birthday party about to devour a cupcake. “I got you a compost bin!”

Before I could respond, she added, “Two, actually. A gorgeous, sleek one for the kitchen—you’re going to love it—and then a worm-farm composter for out here.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone this excited about worms before.” I put my hands on my hips and watched as she practically rocketed off the roof in delight.

“Well, you’ve clearly never hung out with anyone who loves worms as much as I do,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “They’re the key to a successful garden.”

She smiled, a wide, blindingly white smile. Then her gaze fell, and she clucked disapprovingly. “Oh no,” she said, stepping toward me.

“What?” I asked.

Her expression was one of genuine concern. “I told you white was a bad idea.”

She leaned forward and studied a blotch of dirt on my shirt, right over my heart. She dabbed at it with her hand, swiping it off until all that was left was the shadow of a stain.

“There,” she said, looking back at me. “All better.” But she didn’t move away.

There it was again. And there was no mistaking it this time. There was an electric, energetic force field crackling between us. It suddenly felt like the thing so many random people on the internet had insisted was between us might actually be there. Was this flirting? Attraction? I couldn’t name it, but I could feel it.