Good in the Garden (Extended)

Sub-Genres: Romantic

NOTE: This is an extended version of Good in the Garden.

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Alan Jenkins looked at Beth Perkins, watching her as she dug in the earth on her hand and knees, her fingers becoming gritty with the freshly turned dirt. He couldn’t help but smile slightly noticing how carefully and precisely she was planting each pumpkin seed. She had a piece of string with her to measure the distance between each one to ensure that they were the proper distance apart.

He didn’t think he could have hired a better assistant to help him with his pumpkin patch. He had been asked to provide at least fifty pumpkins to the town’s annual Fall Festival and he was determined that his would be the biggest and healthiest pumpkins donated. He didn’t make much as a college professor but he had saved enough to hire a part time helper for the summer months.

Beth had been the first person to apply for the job and he had hired her after talking to her for only fifteen minutes. Her background in gardening wasn’t extensive, but she knew enough for his purposes and she seemed to have a genuine love for plants.

“This row is finished.”

“Just a few left,” Alan said, kneeling to finish his own row. “After we’re done we’ll soak them down.”

“When will we see if they’ve taken?” she asked, walking a few feet toward him. She kneeled, taking out her string to make sure she was the proper distance away from the last row.

“We should see leaves in about a week. They’ll be small and innocent looking, but they’ll start planning their takeover of the garden very soon afterward.”

“I can’t wait to see fruit,” she said and he could hear the excitement in her voice.

“It’ll be a while before you see any. But when you see the flowers starting to bloom, start looking for small green spheres with small flowers on the end. That will be the pumpkin, as long as the bees cooperate and pollinate them.”

“What if they don’t?” she asked and he almost laughed at the concern in her voice.

“Then we’ll have to pollinate them ourselves.”

“I never thought I would ever be trying to impregnate a pumpkin plant.”

Alan laughed and said, “I’ve never had to before. There are usually plenty of bees around here.”

They both fell silent as they finished planting pumpkin seeds.

* * * * * * *

Beth was the first to finish her assigned number of rows and she stood to admire her work. There were five rows of small hills of dirt, holding the promise of large, orange gourds in just a few months time. She smiled at the excitement bubbling in her stomach.

She looked down the garden at Allen – Professor Jenkins, she corrected herself – and smiled. He had been her World History professor this past spring semester and when he had posted an ad on the student bulletin board asking for summer help in his garden she hadn’t wasted a moment applying for the job. Not only did she love gardening and working outside, but she had found Professor Jenkins quite attractive. She had no delusions of having any kind of relationship with him outside of this garden, but she enjoyed his company and found it to be more fulfilling than being with any man who had expressed interest in her.

She snapped out of her reverie when Professor Jenkins stood. He placed his hands at the small of his back and leaned backwards. She heard a few pops and he groaned softly but she knew men his age that would be prone on the floor, unable to move, if they had put in the day that he had.

Professor Jenkins faced her and said, “Get out the hose. We’ll water them down then we can take it easy for the day.”

She gave him a small salute and he smiled. She felt her stomach quiver at the smile and hoped that he couldn’t see how much he affected her. She quickly turned to the side of the house where the garden hose was coiled and began unfurling it.

They took turns soaking the newly planted seeds and after thirty minutes, Professor Jenkins was finally satisfied that they were done for the day.

As he coiled the garden hose back onto its rack, Beth stood close by ready to help him if he happened to drop any of the coils.

“You can probably have the next couple of days off,” he said, not looking at her. “The weeds won’t start appearing for a few days at least. When they do, I want us to go after them aggressively. I don’t particularly like using weed killer so I’m afraid the rest of the summer is going to have you on your knees.”

Beth caught the laugh in her throat but he heard her and looked up at her sharply. She coughed and said, “Sorry. I think I inhaled some dirt while we were working.”

He just nodded and continued. She turned, trying to hide her face that was slowly turning red, and began to gather any stray gardening tools that they had left behind. She had hung the last trowel just as he finished with the hose and they walked out of the storage shed together.

“I’ll call you the night before, but I suspect I’ll need you here on Thursday.”

“No problem. If you need anything before then, feel free to call. I know you hired me just to help with the pumpkin patch, but I would love to help with the other vegetables and the flowers.”

He looked at her for a moment and said, “I would appreciate the help but I wouldn’t be able to pay you anything extra.”

She laughed and said, “I think I made it clear a month ago that I’m not really doing this for the money.”

“You did. But I wasn’t sure you would still feel the same way after finding out just how much work this is.”

“I still feel the same. When should I get here?”

“Same time. I’m planting seeds tomorrow. I’ll be staking the tomato plants next week.”

“I would like to ask for one thing to compensate for my extra help,” she said.

He arched his eyebrow. “And what is that?”

“A few of those tomatoes when they’re ripe. I absolutely love home-grown tomatoes.”

He smiled and said, “No problem. I always grow too many to begin with.”

“Then it’s good that I came along.”

* * * * * * *

Alan had a hard time falling asleep that night and it wasn’t just the slight ache in the small of his back. He couldn’t stop thinking of Beth no matter how much he told himself his attraction was completely inappropriate. She wasn’t as young as most of his students – he believed she had told him she was thirty-two – but she was still more than a decade younger and she had once been his student.

‘But she’s not anymore,’ his mind whispered to him and then gave him the image of her on her hands and knees in his garden, her round behind moving slightly back and forth as she dug.

He groaned softly.

“Stop it,” he whispered out loud. “You’re acting like a dirty old man.”

But he didn’t stop. It had been four years since his wife had died unexpectedly from a brain aneurism and it had been four years since he had even looked at a woman the way he was looking at Beth. He found it a bit frightening and he couldn’t stop feeling the slight hint of guilt, as if he were contemplating cheating on his wife. However, he was glad that he was at least starting to feel attraction and lust again. He had started to believe that his libido had been buried with his wife and while he knew he could live like that, he also knew that he didn’t really want to. He and his wife had had an extremely healthy sex life and sex was something that he didn’t want to cut out of his life, even if the woman he believed was the only woman who would ever understand him was gone.

‘Beth could understand you. Hell, she’s put up with your dictator-like tyranny in regards to the garden. She’s even seemed amused by it but not making fun. Can’t you see that she likes you?”

Alan contemplated this new thought his base self was projecting to him. She had been remarkably patient. And he had noticed her looking at him when she thought his attention was elsewhere. She was always smiling slightly when she did so.

“But I’m still fifteen years older than her,” he whispered out loud again. “I’m almost old enough to be her father.”

‘Who cares? She’s legal.’

He groaned again and almost laughed at himself. He was lying in bed, arguing with himself about his growing attraction to a young woman that seemed to have an attraction towards him as well. In his younger days he wouldn’t have hesitated to act on his feelings. He had always been a man to take chances, knowing that they may never come again. As a result, he had few regrets and was, for the most part, quite satisfied with his life and lifestyle.

His main regret at this point was having no one to share it with. His attraction to Beth was more than just physical, but would she be interested in pursuing a relationship with a man so much older than she?

He finally fell asleep with his final thought following him into his dreams; ‘You’ll never know unless you ask her.’

* * * * * * *

Beth arrived the next day at ten o’clock on the dot. She was dressed for garden work, but he noticed that her clothes were just a bit more enticing than the clothes she had worn the previous week. He allowed his glance to linger on her small breasts which were bound by a snug white tank top that she wore under a simple blue work shirt. She was wearing a tan ball cap today instead of the large straw hat that she normally wore and she had put her long, light brown hair in a pony tail, threaded through the back of the cap instead of putting her hair up into a bun.

“What’s on the agenda for today, Boss?” she asked, her bright, inviting smile covering her face. That smile transformed her normally plain features into something quite striking and Alan couldn’t help but return her smile.

“Today, we will be planting cucumbers, cantaloupe, carrots, lettuce and potatoes.”

“Is that all?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Smart ass,” he muttered, turning away from her but he couldn’t stop his grin and he saw that she was grinning as well.

They worked hard, as they had for the past seven days, but there wasn’t nearly as much silence as there had been previously. Alan was thrilled to find that she shared many of his interests and that she planned to take many more history courses as she continued her studies.

“I have to ask,” he said as he made a small hill for his cucumber seeds, “why did you start college so late?”

“Well, that’s a long, boring story.”

“I doubt it’s boring and we have plenty of time.”

She was silent for a moment and he stopped digging and looked back over his shoulder at her. She was still digging but her face had become stony.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s none of my business.”

“No, don’t be sorry,” she said, shaking her head, but not looking at him. “It’s just still a little painful for me, that’s all.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it –“

“Actually, I think I do. But you may not want to hear it.”

“I do, Beth.”

She looked up at him then and her face softened. “Okay.” She looked back down and continued to dig while she talked.

“I got married just out of high school. High school sweetheart, blah blah blah. We were happy for quite a while. We both worked for my family’s printing company and when Daddy passed away, he left it to the both of us. Dave is a business genius and in no time, the company had grown in size and profits.”

She paused for a moment, covering her carrot seed and moved down the row to plant the next one.

“About seven years ago we decided to hire more people and take some more time for ourselves – start a family. We had the money and we gave ourselves the time. After a year I still wasn’t pregnant and when we saw the doctors it was determined that I can not have children. A month later, Dave left me.”

She paused again and Alan said, “I’m sorry, Beth. If you don’t want to tell me anymore – “

“It’s all right. I mean, I’m all right with it now. At the time I was devastated but I quickly realized that if all he wanted was a baby factory then I didn’t want to be with him anyway. While I would like to have a child, it was never something I found necessary. I can be happy without a child.”

“Did he not even consider adoption?”

She laughed and he heard the cynicism in it quite clearly. “No. He wanted his child. Someone else’s would never be good enough for him. I loved Dave but he had his flaws and he had a streak of bigotry in him that I was never able to deal with very well. For him, adopting meant settling for second best and that was something he never did.

“After he left me and I finally was able to go on, I decided to go to college, which I had always meant to do anyway but just never had the time. Now, I have all the time in the world.”

They were silent for a while, continuing to plant and Alan began to become uncomfortable, afraid he had caused her to open old wounds that she wasn’t ready to deal with. He was afraid his curiosity was going to drive her away.

“He got re-married a year after our divorce was final.” Alan jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. He settled and realized that she didn’t sound bitter anymore or sad. “Two months later his new wife was pregnant. I’m honestly happy for him and I get to see their daughter a lot.”

“Why is that?” Alan asked.

“I still own half of the company. Dave does most of the day to day operations but we still work together on the ‘big picture’ issues that have to be dealt with. I sometimes miss being there everyday, but we’ve found a good balance and get along well enough to work together.”

“So – that’s why you never really cared about how much this gardening gig paid.”

“That is correct, sir.”

“Oh.”

* * * * * * *

Beth looked up at Professor Jenkins, hearing deep disappointment in his voice. He didn’t look at her and she bent back over her work trying to figure out why he had sounded so hurt.

‘He couldn’t possibly had hoped I took this job because I –‘

She gasped slightly and looked up quickly. He was looking at her now and she knew she must look ridiculous, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide. She closed her mouth with a snap and tried to smile but she was sure she just looked like a stunned cow.

“You all right?” he asked. “Maybe we should take a break.”

“Uh, yeah, maybe we should,” she said, sitting up on her knees. “I need something to drink.”

“I have some water in the shed. Just leave the trowel there.”

She did as ordered and carefully followed him out of the garden, making sure her steps didn’t tread on any freshly buried seeds.

The shed was located beneath a huge Maple tree and was therefore much cooler than it had been outside. Professor Jenkins opened the small refrigerator he kept inside it and pulled out two bottles of water. She took one from him and they leaned back against the work table to rest and drink their water.

“I – I’m sorry if I dredged up bad memories,” Professor Jenkins said. “It certainly wasn’t my intention to depress you.”

“I’m not depressed,” she assured him. “I haven’t talked much about my first marriage and quite frankly, it felt good to talk about it. I’ve been over Dave for a long time, but getting over the rejection has been something I’ve struggled with for a long time.”

“I don’t talk about my marriage much either,” he said, looking down at the ground. Beth saw that he was making circles in the dirt on the floor with his boot.

“I didn’t know you had ever been married,” she said softly.

“She died four years ago. Well, four and a half now.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice low.

“I’ve pretty much accepted it. I don’t believe you can ever truly get over something like that but I’m okay now.”

“I take it you loved her very much.”

He looked up at her and said, “More than I could ever express verbally.”

“Did she like gardening too?”

Professor Jenkins smiled. “She absolutely loathed it.”

Beth couldn’t help but laugh out loud and he followed suit.

“It worked for us, though. While I was out here digging in the dirt, she would write. It gave her time to concentrate. She wrote some beautiful poems while I was out here getting filthy.”

“That’s nice to hear. So many people think their soul-mate has to like everything they do.”

“You don’t believe that?” he asked in a curious tone, then took a drink from his bottle.

“Not at all. Frankly, I think that would be monotonous. How can you learn from each other if there weren’t any differences? And like you just said, having different interests gives you time apart. Being together constantly can sometimes lead to resentment and boredom.”

“But having common interests is important.”

“Of course. I just mean that having identical interests is almost as bad as having no shared interests at all.”

“Interesting point of view,” he said, looking forward, obviously contemplating what she said. “And after thinking back on my marriage, I would have to totally agree with you.”

“It’s always best that you do. I’m very rarely wrong.”

He looked at her and she couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious dubiousness.

“Would you like to stay for dinner tonight?”

Her laugh caught in her throat and she stared at him for a few moments. Finally, she was able to stutter, “Uh, yeah. Sure. I’d love to.”

“I find you very attractive, Beth.”

She swallowed hard, feeling a bit nauseous from the butterflies that had quite suddenly burst from their cocoons in her stomach.

“I feel the same way, Professor Jenkins.”

“Oh,” he said and winced. “Please. Call me Alan. Calling me Professor Jenkins makes me feel like a wanton old man.”

She smiled and said, “You are not an old man.”

“Well, sometimes I feel like one.”

“Perhaps I can help relieve you of that unwarranted feeling.”

He looked at her and she saw that he was the one swallowing hard now. She set her bottle of water on the work table and moved to stand in front of him. Although he was a tall man, she didn’t have to reach up very far to give him the lightest of kisses.

She moved to pull away, but he quite suddenly looped his arm about her waist and pulled her back, holding her against himself. She was still smiling but his face had become quite serious. She grasped his upper arms and leaned up to press her lips against his once again.

After a few light kisses, she parted her lips and nudged his with her tongue. He parted them and she tilted her head, pressing her mouth fully against his and meeting his tongue with her own. She heard the clunk as he dropped his own bottle of water – felt the water splash up soaking her right pants’ leg – but didn’t pull away. His second arm went about her, pulling her even closer and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as their kiss deepened.

She wrapped her arms about his neck, moving her fingers into his hair, and pressed her breasts firmly against his chest. She heard a soft grunt escape his throat and she smiled even as their kiss continued. She could feel herself becoming warm all over, especially between her legs, and wondered if he would think badly of her if she suggested that their dinner date extend into breakfast.

* * * * * * *

Alan held Beth as tight against himself as he dared but still found that it wasn’t close enough. He fought to control himself but found it difficult. He hadn’t had a woman pressed against him in over four years and his body was responding dramatically. His erection had formed so fast that it was becoming painful and he knew that after this kiss was over, he would have to excuse himself to take care of it.

But he was in no hurry to let her go and she seemed to be in no rush either. Her tongue was wrapped around his and he couldn’t help the sounds escaping from him, imagining that tongue wrapped around other various pieces of his anatomy.

He felt the brim of her hat hitting the side of his head so he reached up and pulled it off of her, being careful not to pull her hair as it slid through the opening in the back, or to break their kiss. He threw the cap onto the work table, hoping it had missed the pile of dirt he had spilled there the day before. He reached up into her hair once again and began to remove the band that was holding it in the ponytail.

She broke their kiss and gasped, whispering, “You’re pulling my hair.”

“I’m sorry, I just – “

“Let me,” she said, interrupting him. She reached up pulled her hair from the band, shook her hair loose, threw the band on the floor, then wrapped her arms about his neck again. He grasped her head with both hands and brought her lips back to his once again.

Although his hands were dirty, he allowed himself to sink his fingers into her long hair, loving how it felt against his skin. It was soft and full and he hoped to see it draped over her shoulders, spilling down onto her breasts as she –

His thoughts were cut off when she broke their kiss and looked at him.

“What is it?” he asked, slightly out of breath.

“I’m thinking,” she said and he was glad to hear that she was breathing hard herself.

“About what?”

“It – it’s been a very long time since I’ve been with anyone.”

“Same here.”

“I – I don’t want you to think badly of me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I like you. I like you very much and I want to keep seeing you.”

“Good. That was my plan.”

“But I don’t want to wait.”

“Who says we have to?” he asked, amazed at how calm his voice was because his heart was racing.

“I don’t want you to think badly of me,” she repeated.

He smiled and said, “I wouldn’t. And I promise you, that’s not just the hormones talking.”

She laughed softly and he could see relief in her eyes. His smile faltered a bit when he felt her hand grasp him firmly between the legs. Her lips parted and her breathing seemed to get just a bit faster. He reached down and grasped her wrist, holding her hand against him.

He moved his mouth against her neck and she threw her head back, closing her eyes. He bit at her gently, causing her to moan softly. With his free hand, he grasped her ass, sliding his fingers between her legs. He moved his lips up her slender neck until they reached her ear then he moved his tongue inside.

“Oh god,” she moaned and he felt her grind against his hand. He continued to probe her ear with his tongue, occasionally nibbling the edge and her gasps and moans were constant. He made a mental note – Beth Erogenous Zone One: The ears.

“Your hair smells wonderful,” he whispered. He breathed deeply through is nose, breathing in the scent of honeysuckle then let his breath out gently against her ear which caused her to gasp once again.

He let go of her wrist but her hand did not move. It continued to gently squeeze him. Alan moved his hand up and placed it against her breast. He squeezed but quickly moved to the right. She moaned aloud when his hand pushed underneath her tank top and onto her bare breast.

“Your nipple is very hard,” he said into her ear, his tone conversational as if commenting that it had begun to rain.

“I can’t imagine why,” she said, mimicking him, although she still sounded out of breath.

He pulled away from her ear and looked down at her chest. He pulled his second hand from her behind and reached up to push her work shirt off of her shoulders. He then pushed the straps of her tank top down until both of her breasts were visible to him.

He gazed at her small bosom for a few moments then looked up into her eyes. She gazed back at him, seeming a little dazed. He pulled her hand away from his crotch and grasped her hips.

She gasped and cried out when he quite suddenly spun her around, picked her up and sat her on the worktable. She cried out again when he pushed her onto her back and crawled onto the table with her. She grasped his shoulders, however, when he moved over her and pulled his lips onto hers.

He quickly pulled away and moved down to place his lips over her right nipple which was hard and surrounded by a large pink areola. He flicked his tongue over it while gently sucking and he was rewarded with her guttural moans and the rotation of her hips beneath him. His right hand covered her left breast, squeezing firmly. He began to run his forefinger over her second nipple, which was just as hard as the first, and her moans were accompanied by gasps.

He moved over her again, pressing his body fully against hers. She parted her legs and he fit between them. He moaned as she wrapped her long legs around him, squeezing.

“Beth,” he rasped. “I’m about to – I – Will you…”

She only smiled and pushed on his shoulder. The table was small, but they were able to reverse positions. She sat up, straddling him, and he watched as she shrugged off the blue work shirt and then pulled the tank top over her head. He whispered a loud “Yes” seeing her light brown hair spilling onto her breasts as he had imagined. His eyes couldn’t pull away from the curl at the end of her hair, perfectly framing her nipple inside it.

She moved off of him and stood. He propped himself on his elbows to protest, but stopped when she began undoing his belt buckle. He stayed on his elbows, but quietly watched as she undid his fly, unzipped his pants and began tugging on them. He lifted his hips and allowed her to lower his jeans and shorts. He hissed a little, feeling the grit of the dirt against his behind but he completely forgot about it when her long, slender fingers wrapped around his pounding erection.

She leaned over and began kissing his lower stomach, slowly stroking his rigid cock. Her other hand pushed his shirt further up his stomach until her hand was rubbing his chest. He sighed, feeling her fingers rubbing his nipple and he lowered himself off of his elbows and rested his hand on her neck.

She had moved down his stomach, running her lips and tongue over his skin and he could now feel her cheek rubbing against his cock. He couldn’t help the sounds coming from his throat and when he felt her lips on his shaft he let out a rather loud affirmative. Her tongue soon followed, covering him, swirling about him. The hand he had on her neck moved up into her hair and when her mouth finally engulfed his cock head, he unconsciously pushed her down. She did not protest or resist and moments later he found himself deep inside her mouth and slightly down her throat.

“Jesus!” he cried as she sucked. Her tongue was still swirling about him and her hand had just cupped his balls.

When he realized he was holding her down on himself, he removed his hand and murmured, “I’m sorry, Beth. You just feel so good.”

She pulled back for just a moment and said, “Don’t apologize. I’ve been dreaming of this for months.”

“Then you should get back to it,” he said with a slight laugh. She did not answer. She moved her mouth onto him again and began bobbing at a relaxed tempo, sucking and swirling her tongue about him.

He lay back and sighed deeply, enjoying her slow pace. Her warm mouth and tongue felt wonderful and he wanted to enjoy it for a while.

After a few minutes he grasped her arm and pulled gently. She removed her mouth from him and looked at him.

“I think it’s time we went inside,” he said in a low voice.

“Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head, but standing up straight.

“I’m enjoying this, believe me, but I want to be inside of you and if you make me come we’ll have to wait for a little while.”

“I’m not waiting,” she said defiantly. “Not even for us to get inside.”

He watched as she began undoing her jeans. She kicked off her shoes, removed her pants and then slid out of her panties. He sighed deeply at the sight and she smiled at him, noticing his appreciative glances. She picked up her pants again and dug into her pocket.

He smiled widely when she pulled a strip of condoms from it and he said, “Were you planning to seduce me, young lady?”

“No. But I’m ever hopeful.”

She lost no time in sheathing him and hopped up onto the table. She straddled him once again and he grasped her hips. He watched as she placed her pussy against his cock, rubbing it up and down her slit several times. She closed her eyes and parted her lips. He could feel her clit bumping against his cock head and each time it did, she moaned softly.

Finally, she began moving down his length. He could feel her stretching around him and he groaned deep in his throat. His hands grasped her hips tighter and tighter as she moved. She began at a relaxed tempo but her excitement took over and it wasn’t long before she was bouncing in his lap, making sharp yelps that he found extremely sexy.

Her small breasts were bouncing enticingly and he couldn’t help reaching up to grasp both of them. She threw her head back when both of his thumbs began manipulating her nipples and she surprised him when she quite suddenly yelled in climax and fell forward on top of him.

“Oh god,” she said weakly. “I just came. I can’t – I can’t keep going.”

“I’m not finished with you yet,” he growled and she cried out when he suddenly rolled them both to their sides, withdrawing from her. He got on his knees, flipped her face down and spread her legs wide.

She yelled when he plunged back inside of her, moving fast and hard against her. She propped herself on her elbows and it was then that Alan realized she was lying in the pile of dirt he had spilled. Her breasts were covered with it, her arms and hands.

Alan was also propped on his elbows, his chest pressed firmly against her back as he took her. He was rasping harshly into her ear, his chin resting on her shoulder.

“I’m going to come Beth,” he moaned. “Oh god, I’m – “

“Yes Alan!” she cried weakly.

His cries were harsh as he came, thrusting into her hard several more times as the pleasure rushed through him. He finally stopped and collapsed onto his side, holding her hip against his. She intertwined their legs and he wrapped his arms firmly about her.

“You’re filthy,” he muttered and she laughed.

“There’s dirt in places I didn’t even know I had,” she said.

“I warned you that this position would be a messy one.”

“I like to get dirty,” she nearly purred and he closed his eyes, letting out a soft sound of desire.

“Why don’t we go inside, clean up, have that dinner I invited you too – then go to bed.”

“It’s only 3:00 in the afternoon.”

“We just had sex for the first time in a garden shed, on a work table covered in dirt and now you want to get conventional?”

“I just meant it’s way too early for dinner. Let’s just go to bed and worry about food later.”

“I like how you think, my dear.”

They stood from the table with a little difficulty and pulled their clothes on. When Beth had finally slipped back into her shoes, Allen grasped her hips gently and pulled her against him once again. She smiled at him, wrapping her arms about his neck.

He gave her several lingering kisses then whispered, “That one was of the most erotic things I’ve ever done.”

She laughed softly. “Me too.”

“I have a feeling this summer is going to be a good one.”