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The way she’s cracking up. It’s so damn adorable. She regains enough composure not too soon after my words. “I don’t think we’ve gotten off on the right foot, have we?”
“We’ve both been quite awkward, yeah.”
“Awkward? You haven’t been awkward at all. You’ve been cool as a cucumber.”
I snort. “Cool? Me doing the whole strong, silent type at the bakery? Not knowing how being a wedding guest works? I never thought of myself as cool.”
“You’re incredibly cool. And hot. That’s actually a bit of a contradiction.” She strokes her chin at the thoughts that had just poked her brain.
“Don’t think about it too much. Language is weird.”
She’s calming down a bit, realizing I’m a human being and not just some weird, scary lumberjack guy.
“I take it you’re new in Evergreen Valley?” I ask, leaning on the stall. “I haven’t seen you around here much.”
“Um, I’m just here for the summer.”
I raise an eyebrow. “For, like, a vacation?”
She nods. “For now, that’s how it is, yes.”
I look at the stall again. “And you’re working, what I’m assuming is, a part-time job while you’re here?”
“Um, yes,” he says, more nodding following.
“That doesn’t seem like it's much of a vacation to me.”
“I’m enjoying myself a lot, and isn’t that all that matters?”
I wasn’t one to shit on other people’s work, but I’d never guess working at a bakery would be what I would call a vacation. It seemed hot and sweaty with the ovens, not to mention all the math you had to do, and dealing with picky customers. I’m also not one to not let people enjoy things, however strange they are to me.
She still seems slightly panicked. “Look, I want to apologize about earlier.”
“Hmm? Apologize about what?”
“Trespassing on your property?”
I raise an eyebrow at her words. “You were trespassing on my property?”
“I didn’t mean to! I was out taking a long hike in the woods. And I happened to hear your music. And I came closer. And I saw you. And I was, uh”—she’s looking for the right words to describe seeing me cut wood in nothing but my shorts—“entranced by what I saw. I didn’t mean to stare or anything.”
“It’d only be trespassing if I didn’t want you there. If anything, you didn’t give me the chance to invite you to join me.”
She cocks her head. “Join you, shirtless, cutting wood?”
I chuckle. “If that’s what you’d want to do, I think I’d enjoy that too. But I meant to just hang out for a bit. I could have made you some iced tea or something.”
I actually wasn’t sure what I could have done. It’s been so long since I had people over to entertain. Most of the time when I did hang out with others, it was a long way away from home. I probably should change that. Sure, most girls probably enjoy a good stew, but I should at least have some booze to share.
“Do you enjoy hiking? Sorry to make assumptions, but I see someone like you and can’t think of them as nature lovers.”
“What makes you think that?” she says, leaning on the stand, accusingly.
I fluff some of my own hair. “The purple, er, I guess, lavender hair, mainly.”
She crosses her arms. “And what hair color should a nature lover have?”
I shrug. “Their natural hair color?” Then I chuckle. “Thjough the purple is so pretty, so I suppose I have enver given it too much thought. Your hair is a surprise in the best possible way.”
