It’s just… her.
My brow crinkles. I’m not one to get caught up on pictures of pretty girls. She is attractive, yes, but there are many attractive people in the world. And the whole point of looking at her feed is to figure out herpersonalityso we can be friendly enough with each other that she eventually agrees to the easement.
That’s the only reason I’m looking at her Instagram. Theonlyreason.
I continue scrolling. Sunflowers, sunflowers, and more sunflowers.
Until I hit another one of her.
And so help me god, she iswet.
I glance around the restaurant, making sure no one is going to see my phone over my shoulder. And seeing that the coast is clear, I return my attention to her picture.
Late afternoon sun, with a rainbow in the sky over the sunflowers. It looks to be actively raining, if the pock marks in the mud underneath her are any indication. She has her arms spread as if to highlight the rainbow, the widest grin onher face even as her hair clings to her forehead, her legs glistening underneath a pair of jean shorts. And her white T-shirt clings to her chest in a way that has my heart thumping.
She is truly beautiful.
“Well, I’ll be damned. If it isn’t Olivia Harper.”
Gam’s voice over my shoulder has me throwing my phone into the air in surprise. I barely manage to catch it before it goes clattering down to the floor.
“Christ, Gam,” I swear, as I stand to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She’s small and seems to shrink a bit every time I come to see her, but she’s still got a beast of a personality and a hearty laugh. I’ve never once seen her without a smear of bright red lipstick across her mouth, and I make a mental note to wipe it off my cheek when she’s not paying attention.
She grins, taking a seat across from me. “Thatmustbe her granddaughter.”
I lock my phone, letting out a long breath as I leave it face down on the table. “I take it you knew Olivia?”
She nods. “Oh, we were good friends in high school. Drifted apart after that but she was always a kind woman. I meant to get in touch with her again, but… well, I take it you know she died.” She shrugs. “Guess I’ll just have to wait a few more years then.”
“Gam,” I scold, rolling my eyes as the waiter stops by our table to get us started. One of the many perks of this place is a clubhouse that functions like a restaurant. We place our orders quickly before I turn back to her. “Don’t say stuff like that.”
“What?” she asks, leaning back and throwing her hands out in front of her. “I don’t think I’m ready to go just yet, but I’m certainly not getting any younger.”
I shake my head. “We’ll just keep replacing parts as they fail. You’ve got two new hips, what’s next?”
“Could probably use a new brain.”
“Gam!”
“What? I’m just saying, it doesn’t work like it used to anymore either.”
“Do you need more puzzle books? I wish you’d let me put some games on your phone—they’re endless.”
She waves me off as the waiter drops off two waters for us. “If you run across one of those extra hard sudoku books, I’ll take one. But don’t go out specifically for that, okay? And you know I’m not into all those phone games. I like my puzzles on paper, as they’re supposed to be.”
“Your brain must not be having too much trouble because you’re just as stubborn as ever.”
She gives me another big grin. “Thank you, Ryder. You’ve always had such a way with words.” She unwraps her straw and sticks it in her water, taking a long sip and leaving a bright red mark on the straw when she’s done. “So tell me why you have Olivia’s granddaughter on your phone. Are you seeing her?”
I shake my head. “No, not seeing her. She took over the farm a few years ago when her grandmother passed, and in order to get a development plan approved by the town council, I need her to agree to an easement. Imightbe able to ask the town council to force it, but my gut tells me the fallout from her won’t be worth it. But if I want a two-lane entryway—whichwillbe a necessity, for how many units there will be—I either need to grade the hell out of that land or get her permission for just a few yards of asphalt on her land so we can pave a switch.”
Gam nods, thinking this over. “So naturally, the bestcourse of action is to stare at her white T-shirt contest pictures.”
I thought I had avoided any embarrassment, but my cheeks quickly heat. “I was just trying to figure out what makes her tick. If I know more about her, I can craft a deal that makes both of us happy.”
She nods, pursing her lips. “You know, Ryder, you don’t have to go through all of this for me. I’ve been going to the gym and walking through the courtyard. I already feel bad that you put out so much money for the land. Maybe it’s time to move on.”
I give her a flat look. “Gam, this is my job. Sure, I might not have chosenthatland specifically to build on, but my only choice otherwise is to go find someotherland to buy and build on. Besides, it’s nice to give myself a change of pace every once in a while. I’ve been doing the same thing over and over again in different places. It’ll be fun to do something new.”
