When Gam initially told me to go back to high school, I thought she was insane. How the hell would high school me know how to talk to Eve Harper?
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
The point isn’t to literally become who I was in high school, but to let the carefully constructed facade I’ve worn since crumble.
I was not a natural when it came to taking over my dad’scompany. In fact, there were times when I thought I was only capable of running it into the ground.
But I got it, eventually. Created a persona that mirrored my dad’s while keeping my own moral code intact.
It was awkward and uncomfortable for many years until one day… it wasn’t.
But as easy as it is now to don a suit, shake the hand of someone who hates me, and swallow my pride to woo them, it’s even easier to pull on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. An old flannel worn from years of use and work boots that are uglyunlessyou’ve got some mud on them.
There’s something refreshing about it, really.
It feels a little bit like coming home.
Like I’m clicking back into a side of myself I’ve kept under wraps for too long.
Of course, I’m going to need to figure out how to control this very comfortable side of myself because even as the words came out of my mouth last night, my brain was yelling at me that suggesting your new neighbor is a bitch is not exactly a great start to a healthy working relationship.
I was feeling a little cocky, probably, because the way Eve Harper looked at me last night was a hell of a lot different than the way she looked at me when we first met.
She liked what she saw.
And no, I’m not going to use my body to convince her to sign an easement.
But if my body can warm her to me enough that we can become something along the lines offriendsand she signs an easement as a favor because of thatfriendship, that would probably be okay.
I chuck another small tree away from the path, glancing briefly behind myself to see how far I’ve gotten.
Fifty feet, if I’m being generous.
I let out a small groan as I turn back to the flat area that connects with Eve’s land. I’m going to need construction equipment to explore the rest of this. I got a drone video of the land already, which gave me a good idea of what to expect, but I really need to see it in person to know what I’m dealing with.
I’m not sure where the property lines of the old cabins lie, and if they’re too close, I might be making some offers to clear that land.
If I can even find the owners, that is. The only thing I currently know about the small cabins is that they’re owned by an LLC.
A branch scrapes at my flannel as I stomp through the brush, snagging on an already large hole at my elbow.
“Fucker,” I mumble, inspecting the damage as I stomp down back down the hill.
“What’d the tree ever do to you?”
The surprise of her voice ringing out in the silence of the woods nearly causes me to stumble over the uneven terrain, but I catch myself before I lose my footing.
But not before I go face first into a low branch.
“Motherfucker,” I mumble, holding my hand to my head to see if I’m bleeding.
And yup, there’s blood. Wonderful.
If I was sixteen, riding my bike through these woods, I’d shrug and move on. But I’m in my mid-thirties and trying to woo my neighbor, who’s now looking at me like the pussy I feel like.
“Need a band-aid?” she taunts, taking a step toward me. She’s wearing jeans, muddy sneakers, and an oversized cardigan that she pulls tight across her chest. Her hair is down today, long and brown with a few streaks of sun-kissed blonde framing her face.
I can’t help but think back to the pictures on her Instagram. The long, sculpted legs hidden behind those jeans. The joyful grin as she looked to the rainy sky.
