“It’s not.” He chuckles. “I’ve done it before, a few times. Why? Are you worried about me?”
I narrow my eyes, covering up how the question makes me feel—flustered, palms sweaty, heart racing. “Of course, I’m worried about you. You’re the one who signs my paycheck, aren’t you?”
He roars with laughter. “That’s all I’m good for, huh?”
“Yes.” I smile to myself and cut a meatball in half. “It is.”
“As I suspected. What’s on your agenda for the rest of the day?”
“You meanouragenda?” I lift a brow. “We have a phone call after this. I hope you didn’t forget.”
“How could I?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Well… I think you would forget your head if I weren’t around to remind you about it.”
“What about tomorrow, then?” He seems to be pressing me with his words, his eyes sparkling as he leans in. “I want you to come into the woods again.”
“Do you?”
I only went into the forest with him on the first day. Between mosquitoes and a lack of cell phone service, it’s not the ideal place for me. I have plenty of work to attend to back at the cabin.
He nods. “You haven’t planted your first tree.”
“Is that a requirement?”
“Well… no.” He frowns. “But I would like to allow you to do it. There’s no better feeling than giving back to the earth.”
I don’t know why I’m so nervous about the idea. I’ve seen him plant a tree, and the others have done it, too—even people who are new on the job, like me. It seems easy enough. They all work together, and I know I won’t be alone.
Still, my heart races like there’s a spotlight on me. He wants to make sure I get the chance to help give life to a new tree, and for some strange reason, I want to make him proud.
“All right,” I say. “I can free up our schedule for tomorrow.”
“Good.” He grins and leans back, accepting the answer. “Because I’m putting you to work in the forest. You’re getting your handsfilthy.”
My jaw drops. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves!”
“Oh, you’ll love it.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
Chapter Fifteen
EVIE
Ishove my gloved hands into my pockets as my feet crunch through twigs and leaves. Shadows pass over me, alternating between dark and light as we weave through the crowded woods. It’s not raining anymore, but the air is still cool and moist. All the layers in the world can’t make up for the frigid air.
Given that Theo lives in a beachside city, one would think he would be worse at handling the cold than I am, but he isn’t. He’s wearing a thick work jacket and a beanie, and he doesn’t so much as shiver when he struts through the woods.
I realized he was at home the first day we were here, with him teaching us how to plant trees. It was obvious in how he spoke about the task, as though it were loving, not a chore to be finished quickly.
There’s nothing more attractive than listening to someone talk about their passions, and I hope I don’t have to sit through thatagain. He doesn’t need to be more appealing to me at this point. I’m already a goner.
Today is different than the first day. There are no big speeches, and Theo doesn’t attract as much attention. The others are diligently working in small groups. Everyone seems to know what they’re doing now—everyone but me.
Aside from small pauses to greet us, they don’t pay us any mind when we walk through the forest.
There’s no turning off my thoughts—they all know we kissed, they hate me, I’m someone who sucks up to the boss to get his favor. I don’t, though. Do I? Theo is as friendly with everyone else.
