He lifts my hand to his lips for a soft, gentle kiss that makes my knees tense up. "I can't wait, angel. See you then."
He walks out to the front, and I need an extra moment to relearn how to breathe.
Until this very second, I've never been grateful that my older sister Kayla is so terrible with money that she doesn't have her own car, and demanded to borrow mine today because she thought taking the bus was beneath her. It's awkward to admit, but I honestly don't even like her anymore.
Leaning against the doorframe, I'm also grateful that I've been working hard to rein in my shyness, and was able to speak with a gorgeous man like Ansel without making a complete fool of myself, even though I'd been semi-topless.
Most of all, for the first time in my life I'm grateful to have soup spilled on me. Ansel Oakley kissed my hand, touched my cheek, and acted as if he likes me.He wants to get to know me.
The squirrels are going to be doing laps in my stomach all day.
2
ANSEL
Oh. My. God.
I've never felt my skin tingle from head to toe just from looking into a woman's eyes. It was like the shell I've been holding around myself suddenly cracked open, with real feelings spilling out.
Lynn.
I can't even make sense of everything I felt. Of course I was struck by her willowy, sensual figure as she struggled to pull on that rough brown t-shirt. She's sexy as hell, and has absolutely no idea.
Yet it's her sweet, precious face, flowing auburn hair and luminous gray eyes that make everything deep within me buzz. Her beautiful image is seared into my brain.
She is meant to be mine.
I've never believed in those things before, thinking it's the stuff of fairytales and predictable movies. But I've already fallen for her as hard as if I'd fallen off one of our seventy-foot trees while trimming its branches.
Lynn is my gorgeous dream girl. So many of my life goals have come true that I never knew if I should dream of adding the perfect girl to the mix. Yet here she is.
By the time I bring four large coffees out to the wood shop, I've finally gotten control of my racing heart enough to put on my usual calm demeanor while working with my brothers for the day.
By four-thirty, my brothers and I have hit a natural stopping point for the day. Braden and Dash take off immediately, probably to hang out with their new girlfriends.
I duck into the bathroom to wash my hands and face, making sure I look somewhat presentable. When I come back out into the main area of our massive workshop, Corbin slowly looks me up and down. Then he rakes a hand through his hair, giving his head a shake.
"Another one bites the dust," he grumbles. He has a tendency to look grumpy, but I can tell his eyes are smiling.
"What do you mean?"
"Another oak falls. You have a date tonight, don't you?"
There's no sense hiding it. "I hope so. I'm going to pick her up, and either drive her home, or take her out."
Corbin's head tilts. "Is she debating whether or not to go out with you?"
"I think so. She seems pretty shy."
My second-youngest brother nods. He's the tallest and biggest of us, with a giant frame that some people describe as lumbering. He moves slowly so that he doesn't frighten anyone, but he's incredibly nimble when he needs to be.
"The thing with quiet people," he says, reaching for his two lunch bags before heading to his truck, "is you'll have to give her opportunities to be with you in situations where she doesn't have to talk. "
I clap him on the shoulder on the way by. "Good idea. Thank you."
As soon as he's gone, I throw on deodorant and change my shirt, then drive to Acorns. I arrive two minutes early, parking in front of the café as I peer inside.
Lynn is gesticulating strangely, and hiding her face while looking down. Finally I realize that she's entertaining a baby in a stroller with an animated game of peekaboo. After a few minutes, the mother returns from the bathroom, and Lynn rushes to hold the front door open as they leave. Then she grabs her purse and I barely make it to the door before she does.
