Earlier in the day…
Liam arrived an hour before closing. He stopped his car in the small parking lot of Urban Paradise Farm. Ella was already waiting at the gate, her hands nervously twisting together until she spotted him. She forced a smile, though her heart was racing.
"Glad you could make it!" she called, her voice lighter than she felt.
Liam tilted his head back to read the wrought-iron arch above the gate. "Urban Paradise Farm, huh? Why that name?" His question was casual, but it disarmed her, pulling the tension right out of her shoulders.
Ella's lips curved into a real smile as she answered. "Georgia and I wanted to bring nature back into the city. Too many people think they need land to have a garden, but that's not true. Even if you're in a basement apartment, you can still grow something.
All it takes is the right pot, water, nutrients, and a little light—natural or artificial. The plant doesn't care, as long as the conditions are right."
