Sunday, 21st August 2022
Jamie bounced outside as soon as he saw Ruth's car through the window.
Phoebe clambered out the moment the car was turned off, rushing over to Jamie.
"Heya," Jamie waved at Ruth.
"You look perfect," Jamie told Phoebe.
She stopped and twirled, she was wearing a pair of purple wellies, dungarees, and a straw hat over her twin braids.
"Phee was very definite about needing to be dressed appropriately," Ruth explained.
"I love an outfit suited to the task." Jamie told Phoebe and then looked up at her mother. "Ruth, the bench over there is a nice spot to sit and enjoy the garden unless you're gardening with us."
"I'm sitting back and watching with a nice glass of something cool to drink."
"There's an esky next to the bench."
"You're a good man, Jamie Tartt."
Jamie beamed at her. "Where should we start, Phoebe?"
"I don't know."
"Then let's start by working out where all of the plants are going to go, we need to organise them by the size the fully grown plant with be and then we can make sure they go in the right places."
Phoebe and Jamie organised the plants while Ruth watched on. They were just starting to move them into their future positions when Roy drove up. Phoebe placed the plant in her hand before rushing over to the car and beaming up at her uncle.
"Did you come to help us garden?"
"Fuck, no." Roy growled down at her.
"That's a pound."
"I'll pay you after lunch."
Phoebe nodded and rushed back over to Jamie who was waiting patiently for her.
Roy went and sat next to Ruth.
"What's this one called, Jamie?" Phoebe asked.
Jamie glanced over and saw that the plant Phoebe was holding was missing its tag. "That's china aster."
"It's pretty."
Jamie nodded.
Once everything was laid out, and the tiler and his crew had arrived to start working on the bathroom, they started digging holes, Phoebe matching Jamie's actions in a spot next to him. Jamie threw some potting mix into the bottom of the hole and then knocked the plant out of the pot and loosened the soil at the bottom before putting it into the hole. Phoebe struggled to get the plant out, Jamie reached over to help and then held the plant while she loosened the roots. She took the plant off him to put into the hole and he went back to his, filling it back in and pressing down on the soil. They continued like that until they reached the brick path that bisected the garden. Jamie stood up and clapped his hands together before taking his garden gloves off. Phoebe followed his lead and then looked up at him with dirt on her cheek.
Jamie laughed and brushed it off gently with his thumb. "Time for a drink and some lunch?"
Phoebe nodded. "I'm starving. I get why everyone eats so much in 'Darling Buds of May'."
Jamie laughed. "Aren't you too young to know that show?"
"Mummy and I watch it sometimes."
"I watched it when me Grannie used to look after me."
"If we had a kitchen, we could make Uncle Roy make us big roast lunch or bacon and eggs."
"One egg or two…two eggs or three…"
"Three eggs or four," Phoebe finished, giggling.
"When the kitchen is done," Jamie said. "We'll gang up on him for a big proper one."
"Yeah!" Phoebe said.
"We're going to wash our hands," Jamie called out to Ruth and Roy.
Roy nodded.
"Then you can buy us lunch, Roy," Ruth threw in.
Jamie and Phoebe headed around the back of the house to the portable bathroom to wash their hands. Jamie left her to run back out the front while he relieved himself and stretched out his back. He slipped into the house and walked upstairs to see how the tiling was going. He paused when he saw the floor tiles, they were a beautiful pattern of vardusky rose, blue and grey. Jamie rushed back out the front and stopped in front of Roy.
"You bought patterned floor tiles for the bathroom."
"You said it would look best," Roy said with a frown.
"But you said you were going with plan grey tiles and white on the walls…like your other projects."
"This place is special," Roy told him, staring up at Jamie.
Jamie nodded, something in his chest easing with those words because this house was special. It could be even more special if they let it be. "It is," he agreed quietly.
"The walls are still white, but I found ones with a bit of texture like you suggested."
Jamie beamed at him.
"I'm hungry," Phoebe said, pressing into Roy's side. "What's for lunch, Uncle Roy?"
"What do you want?"
Phoebe thought for a moment… "sushi and dutch pancakes."
Roy made a face, then elbowed Ruth. "You have that app thing, I'll pay."
Ruth rolled her eyes aggressively. "You have a phone."
"Don't have the app though."
Ruth looked at Jamie. "Can you believe this man?"
Jamie shrugged. "He's such a tech granddad."
"Fuck you both," Roy said. "That pound was worth it."
"You know what I like, Mum," Phoebe said. "Jamie, can we go look at the tiling?"
"Yeah, let's go…I want cooked tuna with cucumber…none of that poopy avocado."
"Cooked tuna?" Ruth asked.
Jamie nodded. "I also like katsu chicken but…" Jamie pointed at Roy.
"No fried food."
"I'm lucky if he let's me have two poffertjes."
"What's that?" Phoebe said, grabbing Jamie's hand to start moving into the house.
"It's Dutch for dutch pancakes."
"You know Dutch?"
"Only a little…don't tell Jan."
Phoebe laughed and nodded as they disappeared into the house.
Ruth finished their order, using the card she had saved for when Roy got all Roy about paying for dinner, and then turned to look at her brother. Roy fidgeted and looked at her, he cocked an eyebrow, but she'd learned early on how to sit in silence with him. Sitting in silence came in very handy; and not just with Roy.
"Fuck, what?" Roy growled.
"You're an idiot," Ruth told him.
"What?"
"I just want you to know, I know you're an idiot and when you stop being an idiot, I'll be here…with wine."
"Fucking hell."
"Yep," Ruth said, standing up. "Wait for the food, I'm going to have a look at the tiles you bought for Jamie."
"I didn't fucking buy them for that twat."
"Okay."
When the food came, they sat on a picnic blanket from the back of Roy's car… "Never know when Phoebe is going to want to sit in the park after playing kick about with Jamie," Roy growled out when Ruth stared from him to the blanket.
Jamie laughed. "Phoebe and me love having a kick about…do you think we should fix up a spot in the backyard for kids to do that, Phoebe?"
Phoebe squinted in thought. "There would also need to be a place to sit for adults who don't sit on the floor."
Jamie clicked his fingers and pointed at Phoebe. "A spot outside of the kitchen with some nice paving and an outdoor table then next to it on the other side of the extension some nice grass."
Phoebe nodded. "Then there is still some space for a pool and to keep lots of garden."
"And all of the big trees," Jamie said.
"What about some shade for a hot day?" Ruth asked.
Roy grunted. "We could flip the sides and use that big tree next door as shade on sunny afternoons; that's the side that will get the most shade."
Jamie nodded aggressively. "Mint."
"I'll contact my landscaping guy," Roy said, putting one piece of katsu chicken sushi onto Jamie's tray.
After lunch, and some ice cream Jamie had hidden in the Engel he'd bought the day after he moved in, Jamie and Phoebe went back to planting the rest of the garden, getting closer and closer to where the siblings were sitting.
"I feel a bit silly sitting here and watching," Ruth said.
"I don't," Roy responded. "I told him I had a guy who could do this."
Ruth aggressively rolled her eyes. "I love you."
Roy grunted in alarm.
"Just needed to remind myself," Ruth said.
Jamie laughed from where he was pressing down on the latest plant.
"What do we do when we've finished?" Phoebe asked.
"Then we need to water them in, give each one a nice bath with the hose. Do you want to start doing that and I can finish off the last of the planting?"
"Yeah!" Phoebe said, standing up and yanking her gloves off.
"Wait!" Roy said, standing and heading after her. "I haven't checked the hose…or got a hose."
"Don't worry, mate, bought one the other day…nice retractable one and asked Nigel to attach it for me."
Roy grumbled and continued following Phoebe to make sure she didn't need any help.
"What's your favourite colour, Jamie?" Ruth asked.
Jamie looked up and frowned at her. "Dunno…lilac probably…maybe emerald…gonna need ta think about it."
Ruth nodded. "You have some time."
"What?"
Ruth just smiled at him.
An hour later, Jamie had finished planting everything and Phoebe had watered them all in. Ruth and Phoebe headed off with hugs all around.
Roy took Jamie inside, took him to his bedroom, and hand over his mouth licked at the sweat on Jamie's neck while his hand slipped into Jamie's pants and stripped his cock hard and fast. Jamie came with Roy's fingers in his mouth. Jamie panted into the bare wall in front of him, trying to get his breath back as Roy's stubble rubbed back and forth against his shoulder blade. When he got his breath and brains back, Jamie turned around, planning to offer his hand, mouth, or arse to Roy to find that the other man had come rubbing against his clothed arse. Jamie pulled his pants up and dragged Roy out to the backyard bathroom. He hustled them both inside and took his time washing himself and Roy off. Jamie gave him a new pair of pants to wear.
The tilers were gone when they made it back inside, so Jamie pulled Roy to his bedroom and pushed Roy onto the bed.
"Wanna watch a movie?"
Roy grunted out his agreement but offered no suggestion, so Jamie found something on his laptop and snuggled into Roy's side. They woke up an hour or so later, Roy's leg thrown over Jamie's and his hand curled possessively at Jamie's wrist. Jamie stretched and looked up to see Roy watching him. Roy was silent as he bent down to kiss Jamie, not saying a word as he took off all of the younger man's clothes and set his mouth to making Jamie fall apart before sliding into him and fucking him into the mattress.
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