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“Why did you break up then?”
“Someone had been taking money from my wallet for weeks and I thought it was Holly, but I caught him when I came back from the bathroom that night. Had to apologize to my sister, which she was merciless about. Like I said, I know how to pick ’em.”
Clark almost told her he’d had a crush on her too, but it felt too close to the realm of flirting and he shouldn’t go there with her. Not just because she was his boss’s daughter, but they lived next door to each other. If things went south, he’d still have to see her every day.
And he still had KnottyGirl25 consuming his thoughts.
“I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?” she asked.
“No, of course not. I’m flattered that a beautiful girl found me mysterious.”
“I mean, I still find you mysterious, but I no longer fantasize about you reading me poetry or anything.”
“You would have been very disappointed. Not only do I not like poetry, but I don’t have a romantic bone in my body. A woman like you would be wasted on me.”
Merry laughed. “I don’t have unrealistic expectations anymore.”
“It’s not unrealistic to want a man to treat you like you’re the best thing that ever happened to him, Merry. Don’t settle for anything less.”
Chapter 6
Merry
If the trees could talk, they’d call Merry an idiot.
Everything coming out of her mouth made her sound like a jackass. She’d wanted to melt into the soil when Clark brought up the single parent thing. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t date a man with children. With the exception of Clark, she didn’t know any other single dads so she didn’t think about it.
Over-explaining in my own head is making me feel worse.
Then the not hard to look at comment. She’d meant it as a compliment, but he’d seemed offended by it, so then she told him about her little crush. He’d tried to be nice and let her down easy, but she kept on until he said something he obviously regretted. It didn’t take a genius to pick up that Clark thought she was a swell gal and that was all there was to it.
Now they’d been walking silently for the past several minutes and it was all because she’d rambled!
Merry hadn’t even thought about those two weeks of mooning around the farm in years, because it was embarrassing. Popping up when he was working, only to have him disappear with his book rather than talk to her. He’d been so far removed from the guys she usually went for and it had been unnerving that he hadn’t been interested.
God, I sound like a vain twit in my own head. I can only imagine what he’s thinking.
As a teen, she’d thought he was scrawny under his baggy sweatshirts, and then she’d watched him lift tree after tree with ease. His hooded dark eyes would stare into hers as he listened, hardly saying a word, but when he did, his voice had a surprisingly deep timbre. She’d imagined him saying her name with that low register, but instead, he’d kept his distance and she’d moved on.
When he’d given her that very real smile this afternoon, the first one she’d seen from him since they were teens, it knocked the wind right out of her. Clark was hot. All dark-eyed and outdoorsy, with hair she could get a grip on when she kissed him. His broad shoulders filled out that jacket and she could imagine him replacing the Bounty paper towel man if he decided to grow a beard and—
“Merry? You all right?” he asked.
She cleared her throat, keeping her face turned away so he wouldn’t see her blushing. She’d never been a shy person, but when flustered, her face turned redder than a rich, ripe strawberry. Especially around attractive men.
“Yes, I’m good. Just thinking.”
“That’s what I do when I come out here. It’s my quiet time. I go through my mental to-do list, think about life and the meaning of it all. You can really sort everything out among the trees.”
“I didn’t mean to encroach on your alone time.”
“Honestly, I don’t mind your company.”
“I feel like I keep saying things I shouldn’t.”
Clark shrugged. “Better an awkward honest answer than a smooth lie.”
“Yes, but we really haven’t had any one on one time together and I should be fixing the wonderful impression I made when you first arrived.”
