"Good night."
My heart is still racing after I get upstairs to my apartment, shower, and hop into bed.
Everything about Ansel feels solid and good. Steady. Our conversations, the way he cares for me. But the physical side. I was not prepared for that amount of electricity surging through my body every time he touched me.
And that was just our first date?
If we go out again, the fire won't be chasing any imaginary squirrels in my stomach. It'll be consuming me whole.
I can't wait.
4
ANSEL
Crouching down, I angle my phone to catch a sliver of morning light across a cluster of what I now know is Queen Anne's Lace.
Footsteps come up behind me. "Shooting a cover for your diary? Or a book of poetry?"
I turn around to see Braden smirking. I stand up, pretending to lunge for him. He doesn't even flinch.
"Since two of my useless little brothers have suddenly somehow gotten girlfriends, I thought I should show them how it's done properly. "
I expect Braden to say something flippant. Instead his face lights up. "Are you serious? That's awesome! Who is she?"
"Lynn. You know the girl with the long, auburn hair who works at Acorns? Her."
Braden is grinning so widely that it makes me excited all over again.
"She's cute." He looks over my shoulder. "So you're sending her a photo of wildflowers instead of actually bringing her some?"
"I thought a photo might be more eco-friendly," I shrug. "I dunno. I'm making it up as I go along."
While I text the photo of the flowers to Lynn, Braden looks at his phone and frowns. "Dash says he just saw Lloyd and a couple of other guys driving around the west corner, by the highway. So much for them mainly lurking around his land."
"Shit," I mutter.
"Yeah. One of the farmers mentioned to Corbin that they thought they saw a survey team last week, but they were in and out lightning fast."
"Well, we'll figure out what he's up to somehow. For now, let's go help Corbin take down that cluster of pines. "
Working in the forest is always exhilarating. Even when I was the head of my own company, making millions of dollars and coordinating huge teams of people, it all seemed theoretical. Everything was ones and zeros in a computer. The forest is real.
By the end of the day, I'm feeling the difference between working in the woods and at a desk. My shoulders point out how this is no timed and calculated gym workout.
Maybe it's a jerk move to take off just after four and leave the cleanup to the others, but I've covered their asses many times. Racing home, I take a quick shower and put on a clean shirt and jeans before driving to Acorns.
Lynn and I had sent a few texts during the day, and I'd told her that I was coming to pick her up. Even though she was only able to check her phone on breaks, she was chattier than I expected when she did respond. That gave me hope.
Pulling into the Acorns parking lot, I realize that I've had a few serious missions in my life. The first is to keep the family and our land together. Another relates to my company's growth and my decision to leave it essentially on auto-pilot when I returned to Oakton.
My new mission is Lynn. To encourage her to be a bit more open – not to change her, but so that she'll be comfortable with me. And to encourage her to fall for me as much as I am for her.
She comes out of the café with a big smile on her face and a small paper bag in her hands. "Here. You have to try this."
Taking the bag, I snuggle in for a quick hug. "Amazing, thanks."
"You don't even know what it is yet."
