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“It’s… been a while.”
“Let me rephrase. Have you ever chopped wood?”
“Uh…” He shifted his weight. “I think the axe I used before was different. It’s all about the tools, right?” He held out his hands. “Let me try that again.”
Daphne tightened her grip on the axe and made a mental note to lock it in the utility shed. “I don’t need wood, Chris. I have tons.” She motioned to the piles stacked tight between pairs of trees. “That’s just part of it. I have two cords of seasoned wood, and I’ll add more in the fall.”
“Huh. So why was that guy offering to chop wood for you?”
“Because he’s…” An asshole looking for a better place to live. “Because he’s a good neighbor. I’ll take this and finish making dinner. Why don’t you go for a walk with Tika? I’ll bring down the bear spray.”
“Bear spray? What for?”
“The squirrels. They’re very dangerous this time of year.”
He paused for a beat and then chuckled. “That’s a joke, right? The bear spray is for bears.”
“It is.”
“So I should spray myself with it. Bear repellant.” When she hesitated, he smiled. “That was a joke, D. I spray them in the eyes.”
“Only if they show signs of aggression. Otherwise, you retreat slowly while making yourself as big as possible. Don’t turn your back. Don’t run.”
“You, uh, seem like an expert. Get attacked by bears a lot?”
“I’ve only encountered two black bears on trails. Both walked away. It’s safe. The spray is an extra precaution. Let me go inside and grab it.”
DAPHNE
After dinner, Daphne didn’t know what to do with Chris. They’d talked for an hour as they’d prepped for the filming. Then he’d gone out onto the deck with a beer. Being early June in the north, the sun was still blazing down, even as the clock struck nine. The deck faced south, which meant it got hot, and he’d stripped off his shirt. Now he was lounging, shirtless, against the railing, gazing out over the lake as he chugged his beer.
At the risk of objectifying the guy, it was like coming home to find that a friend had snuck a cool new piece of tech into her home. A moment’s pause of Where did this come from? followed by a heartfelt I don’t care, but I know exactly what I want to do with it.
Her gaze sliding down his perfect abs to the button on his jeans.
Didn’t Nia insist there was something to be said for spontaneity?
Daphne shook her head sharply. There would be none of that. Even if she somehow declared herself ready for a fling, this was her employee. Thinking about him that way was wrong.
Right?
It was wrong, wasn’t it?
Forget about finding something to do with Chris. He was busy soaking up the evening sun and enjoying his beer.
She eyed him again and sighed. First stop: a cold-water splash. Then she’d pull out her laptop and get some work done. She had a few new scenes to write for the sequel, and none of them involved anything even mildly sexy, thank God.
Daphne settled in. It always took a few minutes for her muse to get going—like starting her pickup midwinter after forgetting to plug in the heating block. A few cranks of the engine, and it was primed, the scene roaring—
The hairs on her neck prickled, and she lifted her gaze to see Chris, still shirtless, now poised on the other arm of the sectional sofa, watching her.
She started to close her laptop.
“No no, keep going,” he said.
She shook her head. “I thought you were busy, so I was just finishing a scene.”
“Continue, please. I’ve never seen you write.”
