As I drank my morning coffee, ready to head for the office, I looked out the window at my back yard, not knowing what to do about the tall grass, the bushes growing out of control. When I bought this house back in January, I somehow imagined I'd never have to deal with these things that were completely out of my experience. But now that it was July, I was in over my head.
I should back up a little. My name is Cassie, and I'm a 26-year-old single professional - an accountant, to be exact. I had moved from my parents' condo in the city, to my dorm at college, to an apartment during grad school, directly into this perfect little house in the suburbs. It was a great investment, and a nice quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of my downtown office, but I had absolutely no experience with taking care of a house.
Luckily, everything inside had been updated by the previous owners, so it would likely be years before any work would need to be done. Unfortunately, though, the grass and trees weren't being so cooperative - they were expecting attention, even though I didn't have a clue. Oh, and did I mention that I didn't own even a pair of pruning shears, not to mention a lawnmower? And, just to top it all off, neighbors who expected things to be well tended? I would have to deal with this one way or another, couldn't just let it slide.
A thump on the front porch interrupted my train of thought - the newspaper had arrived. Oh, wait, hadn't I seen that same young man working on lawns in the neighborhood?
"Hey, um, Josh, isn't it?"
"Yup, that's me," replied the recent high school grad, turning around and walking back towards my door.
"I didn't realize you were delivering papers now, too - haven't I seen you mowing lawns for some of my neighbors?"
"Yeah, I've been doing that for years now. The paper delivery thing is just for this summer, I'm trying to put some extra money in the bank before heading off for college in the fall."
"So, um, any chance I could hire you to work on my place? I'm desperate - I know it's in bad shape, but I work long hours in the city, not to mention I'm clueless about lawn care!"
"Yeah, sure, happy to. I should have time to get over here within the next couple of days - how's tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that's great. And you have your own mower and stuff? I'm afraid I don't have anything. This is my first house, I haven't had time to get around to that yet."
"Hey, no problem - I'll take care of everything. So, I'll be back here tomorrow, say, just after noon?"
It was a huge relief, as I headed off for that Friday at work, knowing that this confident young man would be taking care of my lawn the following day. I realized after I got to my office that I hadn't asked him how much he would charge, but figured I didn't need to worry, since I'd seen him do work regularly for several other neighbors.
The next day, he arrived in early afternoon just as promised, pulling up in a pickup filled with lawn equipment just as I was finishing up my lunch. "Hi Josh, I'll just be inside, let me know if you need anything."
"Will do, Cassie," he said, pulling on his earphones and starting up a gas-powered edger. I picked up a book to read, but couldn't get past the first few pages before I started feeling guilty, a perfectly able-bodied young woman incapable of mowing her own lawn after a fairly pampered upbringing. I found myself watching Josh through the window, as he effortlessly moved from one piece of equipment to another, clipping, trimming, edging, mowing.
It was a very hot afternoon, and before long Josh's shirt clung to his skin, damp with sweat. That was easily remedied, as he stopped the mower long enough to pull the shirt up and over his head, tossing it into the back of his truck. I couldn't help but notice that he was an impressively fit young man, about 6'2", with dark hair and tanned skin from all his work outdoors.
I caught myself daydreaming about his body, and realized, suddenly again the responsible adult, that he was probably thirsty, working outside with the hot summer sun directly overhead. I went to the fridge, and finding nothing to drink but juice and white wine, instead poured a big glass of water with ice and took it outside to him.
I stood on the porch until he noticed me, turned off the mower, and walked over with a smile. "Hey, thanks, that's just what I needed!"
I was sure he caught me watching him as he gulped down the cool water. When his blue eyes met mine, I blushed, quickly trying to play it off as a response to the heat as I pretended to fan myself with my hand.
"Thanks again, Cassie. Well, I'll get back to work. I should be done in about another half hour." And now I was equally sure that he was checking me out as well, his eyes focusing on my chest rather than my face as he spoke.
"OK, well, I'll just go back inside, you let me know if you need anything!"
Once back inside, I had to pinch myself. This was the first time I'd ever hired someone to do work for me, and I felt guilty. I knew I'd be paying him for his time, but somehow that didn't seem like enough. And here I was, seeing him as an object, daydreaming about the beads of sweat glistening on his skin!
Oh well, I would try to distract myself, move on with my afternoon. I turned on the radio, sat down on the couch with my book, and put my bare feet up on the coffee table. My sundress fell away from my legs as I stretched them out in front of me, leaving my long legs pleasantly bare. The fabric clung to my chest, tightening around my 36C breasts with each breath, as I again became bored with my book and decided it would function better as a fan than as literature.
I must have dozed off, as the next thing I remember was Josh standing over me, gently tapping my shoulder to wake me. My eyes met his, and again I flushed with embarrassment, this time at being caught asleep in the mid-afternoon heat, after he'd been working so hard for the past few hours. I flushed redder as I stood up, my eyes briefly falling to his crotch, where I noticed a distinct bulge in his shorts.
How long had he been standing there, watching me? Was he daydreaming about me, just as I had been about him, or was this all just in my imagination? I decided the best thing to do was to quickly bring things to a professional level. "So, Josh, what do I owe you?"
He quoted me what I thought was an extremely fair rate, and I grabbed my purse to count out the cash for him. "Anything else I can do for you before you go? More water? I'm sorry I don't have anything more interesting to offer you to drink - I'll have to get something else in the fridge before the next time you come back!"
Laughing, he replied, "No, that's OK, Cassie. But I do have one favor to ask if you don't mind. Could I possibly use your shower?"