“You realize you couldvolunteerto actually help clean a lake. In fact…” I said, pulling out my phone and typing in volunteer opportunities in our area. There were lakes in every direction. Big, small, gross, wonderful. Picturing her attempting to clean up trash made me smile for real.Plus, what a perfect setup for a date.“Look at that. Next weekend there’s an outing to clean Lake Brownstone. It’s just a twenty-minute drive from here.”
She curled her lips up on the side in disgust, and she shook her head. “I could donate money. That helps and is enough. That’s what my parents said.”
I clicked my tongue and made my face look serious. “The thing about donating money is you can never really be certain where it goes.” I gritted my teeth thinking about the fake charities my parents had donated to because they trusted everyone without reason. They had so much money it didn’t bother them, but it did me. It still stung knowing Gilly and I had donated our allowances for an entire year to the CEOs of the foundation instead of animal shelters. “You’d make more of a difference getting your precious hands dirty. But that’s not your thing.”
Nora tilted her chin up, eyeing me in the way Gilly did when she needed to be tough with her students. This heiress was trying to intimidate me, and it was precious.
“Leanora, stop. I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” I said.
Her eye twitched at the use of her full name, and she huffed. “You think I won’t volunteer? I led all things philanthropy related for the Atwoods for the past five years. We’ve had record-breaking donations and have made a difference in a lot of people’s lives.”
“Yes, I have no doubt,” I said, not bothering to hide the mockery in my tone.
She bit the inside of her cheek for a second before saying, “Fine. Sign us up.”
“Us?”
“Yes, I’m not goingalone.Plus, you seem like this is your sorta thing. Outdoors.” She gestured her hand to my outfit. “You’ve got that whole lumberjack vibe.”
I stifled a laugh. If only she had seen me thirty minutes ago in my suit. It was settled though—I was keeping the beard.
“Chauffeursreally don’t volunteer on their off days.” I shrugged, enjoying the conversation more than I would’ve thought. My monotonous days were so goddamn boring, and she was the opposite of that.
She blinked, taking a step back, and stood taller.
I couldn’t take it anymore, and I laughed. “I’m teasing. I’ll sign us both up.”
“Really?” she asked, a hint of a smile on her face. “We’re doing this?”
“Yup. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that sometimes getting dirty and helping with your own hands is better.”
“From seeing all the donations with the Carters?”
“Right. Exactly that.”
“Hm, well, this will be a first.” She put her hands on her hips again and nodded to herself. “What do I wear?”
“Outdoor stuff.”
Her dark eyebrows furrowed, and she tapped her foot on the floor. “I don’t…like slacks?”
“Clothes that you’re okay with getting destroyed. Research what to wear online. You’ll figure it out.”
“Hm, okay, sure.” She sighed, gave me a long look, and started walking to her unit. She glanced over her shoulder one more time and arched one brow.
She pursed her lips, but it didn’t hide her smile. She waved before walking inside, and while I didn’t exactly feel like spending the next weekend outside cleaning up trash, it’d feel good to escape the boring day-to-day routine that was slowly driving me mad. Plus, it’d be fun to mess with the heiress.
Nora insistedshe couldcome upwith outside clothes after her five suitcases finally arrived from the airport. All five barely fit in the back of the truck my buddy still let me borrow. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I knocked on her door the next Saturday morning. It wasn’t her dressed in flats, jeans, and a skintight black tank top that fit her really well. It fit well enough that I cleared my throat.
Was I checking out this weirdo? Kind of. It was fine. She had a great body and a cute face…I shook my head a few times, refusing to go down that route. Like…at all. “Morning, Doc. You prepared to have your entire outfit destroyed?”
She chewed her lip and scrunched her nose, like this was a surprise to her. “You think?”
“I know. We will be in mud. Picking up trash that lazy assholes leave out. There will be glass, so you got any other shoes?”
“House shoes and heels,” she said, her voice getting soft and her cheeks burning bright red. “I don’t…I wear sandals when I work with my plants. I have gloves though! I brought like six pairs! You can borrow a pair if you want, but you seem big, so they might not fit you.” She held out a bag with a lot of aggression, like she was excited to show me. It was cute.
“Gloves are a great idea. Shoes though, hold on a second.”
