She reaches up, her hand trailing down my arm. "I'm so sorry."
"Thank you. Mom asked us to all come back, so we did. Luckily, I have wonderful managers and department heads who keep everything running. Basically, I can run Oak Tech Analysts with a couple of emails a day, and a weekly video chat."
Lynn nods, then stops suddenly. "Oh! I haven't seen Queen Anne's Lace in ages." She points to a plant made up of tiny clusters of little white blooms.
"Is that a flower? I thought it was a weed."
Lynn tips her hand back and forth like a seesaw. "Kind of both. It's also known as wild carrot. It's from the parsley family."
"Huh." I stare at it carefully. "It kind of looks like the fussy doilies that Mom's friend Gretchen has under her teapot collection."
Lynn laughs out loud again, the beautiful sound triggering my own chuckle.
"Also, who is this Queen Anne person, and why does she think she can just leave her lace all over our forest? Talk about pushy."
Lynn laughs again. Reaching down, I wind my fingers through hers. "When I woke up this morning, I never thought I would end up on a date with a gorgeous girl who is a wildflower expert."
She blushes sweetly, not letting go of my hand. With the other, I reach out, running a thumb along her porcelain cheek. "It's not embarrassing to be a wildflower expert," I whisper. "You don't have to blush on my account."
She laughs again, squeezing my fingers. "I never realized that you're a bit weird. Everyone says that you're the steady one. Level-headed."
I roll my eyes so much my entire head moves. "Just because I was born first doesn't mean I have all the answers. Like just because Dash is the baby doesn't mean he's a flake." I wink. "Okay, once in a while he has his moments."
We amble slowly, with Lynn pausing to admire buttercups, and something called a coneflower that I always thought was just a purple daisy.
"You mentioned that you have a sister. Are you close?" I ask.
Lynn looks up at me and crinkles her nose. "Close as in, she lives in the apartment across the hall from me? Yes. Close as in, friends?" A loud sigh. "Not really."
"That's too bad. But I guess we can't pick our families."
By the time we get back to the truck, I've learned that her parents bought a large old house as an investment property, and rented out the two top apartments to their daughters. It sounds like Lynn is the frugal one, since she saved up for a car, which Kayla is always borrowing.
It also sounds like Lynn enjoys quiet things like reading, watching documentaries, and doing a little freelance design work. As we reach the truck, I ask, "What kind of design?"
"Just simple web design for local businesses. Like Rose's Diner."
"Best Chinese food in town. Corbin orders from them all the time."
She smiled. "I also made a furniture website for the Clendenings."
She seems surprised when my eyebrows raise. "I've seen it, actually. Nice and clean. Well done."
She smiles. "I had to make it so that the sons could update it easily. You know… Without any specific technical ability."
I laugh, my hands wrapping around her waist so naturally that she doesn't seem to notice for a moment. "I get it. We don't say 'idiot proof'. We say something like 'preventing the client from accidentally going beyond their knowledge base'."
She laughs, and I feel the soft pressure of her hands wrapping around my waist as we step together. "How do you think phase one of the date is going so far?" I ask.
Lynn lifts her chin, nodding very seriously. "I believe we've made excellent progress."
"For the dinner portion of the evening, how do you feel about a classic fifties diner type of place?"
Her eyes light up. "Do they play fifties music?"
"Sometimes. Last time I was there several months ago it was classic rock. But they do have a black and white square tile floor, and a sassy waitress who gave me hell because I didn't order a salad with my meal."
She smiles as we both lean closer. I can't take my eyes off her lips. She's definitely more comfortable with me, yet I still feel like I'm walking on eggshells. I mustn't scare her away.
