The moment Landon turned around to leave, she cringed.We’ll be here?Why was she acting so dorky all of a sudden? She wasn’t even sounding like herself.
He’s just a guy, she reminded herself. She’d had crushes before.But not like this, a voice buzzed in her ear. This one had been raging for months and months now. Not that she’d done a single thing about it. In her mind, Landon was a bit untouchable… a gorgeous genius who was one of the heirs apparent to Yukon Cider.
“You like him, don’t you?” Fritz asked as soon as Landon left the lab. “It’s written all over your gorgeous face.”
Bailey whipped her head around to look at him. Had she been that obvious?
“Of course I do,” she answered. “He seems cool. I’m guessing he’ll be a great co-worker.”
“Mm-hmm,” Fritz said, nodding at her as if she’d just admitted something huge.
“What does that mean?Mm-hmm,” she said, imitating him.
“It means I see you,” Fritz said, taking two fingers and placing them against his eyes before pointing them at her. “That man is absolutely divine, and you know it.”
Bailey shrugged, trying to act unbothered. Fritz was a good guy, but he was the last person she wanted to know that she was crushing on Landon. He was kind and reliable, but he loved to gossip. They would all be working together in the lab, and Bailey didn’t need that kind of awkward in her life. The last thing she wanted was for Landon to find out about her feelings.
She stuck out her tongue at Fritz. “I think you’ve been stuck in the cider lab too long. The fumes are beginning to get to you.”
“Whatever you say, doll,” Fritz said. He pressed his palm over his heart. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell a soul.”
As Fritz turned around to head to his workstation, Bailey let out a little moan. Fritz could be problematic. She loved the guy, but he was definitely the blabbermouth of Moose Falls. Wild thoughts began running through her mind. Landon might find out about her crush on him due to Fritz’s flapping gums. The very idea of it made her wince even though she rarely cringed at anything.
Maybe she should just have a fling with the youngest Stone brother and call it a day. YOLO, to borrow Hattie’sfavorite expression. Perhaps that was the way to get the man out of her system once and for all.
The rest of the week flew by as Landon got himself acclimated to his new position at Yukon Cider. Working alongside Joann, Bailey, and Fritz was going very smoothly. So far, so good. They were all hardworking folks who took the time to explain all the aspects of cider making to him. As a self-described lifelong learner, Landon found the process fascinating. He was fairly certain that his science background was a huge asset, because there wasn’t anything they threw at him that he wasn’t absorbing like a sponge. Or maybe he’d just been craving a change from the executive offices. As much as he loved working alongside his brothers, being in the lab made him feel alive again. The aroma of slightly fermented fruits and yeast hung in the air. He’d been warned that he might smell a sulfur scent if fermentation had gone wrong. So far he hadn’t detected any eggy odors in the cider lab.
The only downside was Bailey. If he was being honest, she was a bit of a distraction. The woman was gorgeous, fun, and smart. A pretty awesome trifecta. His strengths had always been in the classroom, then the laboratory. He couldn’t imagine that someone like Bailey would be interested in a self-declared science nerd. Every time she spoke to him, he reverted back to being a gawky teenager who second-guessed every word that came out of his mouth.
Never in his life had he ever wanted to be cool this badly. It wasn’t something he had ever craved. He’d been content to always be the smartest geek in the room. Until now. Maybe, he thought, it was time that he started viewing himself in adifferent light. Perhaps he should fully embrace the new life he’d been building in Moose Falls by stepping out on a limb.
Since they were work colleagues, perhaps it was for the best. Even though he knew Hattie didn’t object to co-workers dating, since Caleb and Sophia had both been employed by Yukon Cider when they’d gotten together, he’d heard horror stories about things getting messy when people were in relationships with their co-workers. Maybe it was wise to stay in the friend zone.
Humph. Even now he was trying to be a rule keeper. He had always done everything by the book, and yet he’d been scapegoated and tossed out on his ear by Abbott Laboratories. So much for always playing it safe. Maybe it was time to mix things up a bit. If he always did what he’d always done, his luck wouldn’t change. Being here in Alaska should be leading him on a path of growth and transformation. He’d grown closer to Hattie and his dad, but on a personal level he wasn’t sure that he’d evolved.
There’s still time for that, a voice buzzed in his ear.The year isn’t up yet.
At the moment Bailey was at her workstation, jotting down notes in a pad of paper.
He was trying his best not to stare at her. The last thing he wanted was for Bailey to think he was a creeper. And this was a work setting. He was repping Hattie and the Stone family. Didn’t it just figure that the one woman he was wildly attracted to was his colleague?
“It’s just the two of you today. Fritz called in sick. He has the flu so he might be out for a while,” Joann said, glancing at her watch. “I’m due in the conference room in a few minutes, so have a wonderful brainstorming session.”
“We’re on it,” Bailey said as Joann put her coat on and left the lab. Once the door closed behind her, Bailey looked over at him. “This is one of my favorite assignments. Ready to rock and roll?”
He rubbed his hands together. This was exciting. “Let’s do this,” he said.
He’d always enjoyed formulating new ideas and working in a lab setting. Even though this was a bit different, it still gave him a rush. He hadn’t felt this way in a very long time. All his scientist nerve endings were tingling. The thrill of discovery was at his fingertips, simply waiting to be uncovered.
There was so much for him to learn and absorb in this new position. He’d enjoyed working in an office setting with his brothers, but this was more cutting edge. The hard cider was the heart and soul of Yukon Cider. Creating killer flavors for next year’s holiday campaign would create a buzz and increase revenue. And it would make him feel as if he was actually doing something related to his field of study. He tried not to obsess too much about what had happened to him at Abbott Laboratories. Talking it over with his grandmother had allowed him to vent, but it hadn’t rid his mind of the hurtful memories.
Just thinking about all of it made his stomach clench. Now his former employer was poised to make money from his breakthrough discovery, when all he’d ever wanted to do was find a way to help sick people. It had all been a money grab. By cutting him out of the equation, they could take credit for his work and charge exorbitant prices for the medicine. And ruin his reputation in the process so he wouldn’t be able to fight back.
“Hey, Landon. Is everything all right?” Bailey asked, her voice bringing him out of his thoughts.
“I’m fine,” Landon said. “My mind just wandered for a moment,” he admitted. It happened to him sometimes when he least expected it. Dark memories crashing over him like a tsunami. Now he just needed to shake them off. He stuffed the memories down so he could focus on the present. Brainstorming with Bailey would be an antidote for the painful memories he couldn’t seem to bury deep enough.
They sat down at a worktable, facing each other. Bailey had her iPad out to jot down their ideas. With her brow furrowed and head ducked, she was in work mode. Landon took out his glasses and put them on. Without them he couldn’t see fine print.
