Grinning, he thought to himself that Ella Adams must be a gold-digger too. However, the reason this supposed gold-digger was looking for a tenant was so that they could take care of the small green plants filling her room.
Ella Adams had written clear instructions on how to care for those plants, and when Elijah Smith first read them, he thought it was quite a hassle. He didn't think that a few pots of flowers were worth such careful attention.
At that time, he didn't realize his own uniqueness—though he was critical of it all, he still followed Ella's instructions and tended to her flowers.
Ella Adams also asked for his phone number and would even call him when she wasn't in Bellshire to ask if he was taking care of her plants.
That is how the two gradually got to know each other, and occasionally they would chat about other things during these calls.