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I tossed my empty bottle into the back of the truck, angry with myself. I’d never experienced that level of attraction to anyone else. It was instant, it was powerful, and there was no way in hell I could ever act on it.
“Hurry up! We have a lot left to do and we’re wasting daylight,” I snapped at him. His head shot up, no doubt surprised by the sharp tone of my voice, but I ignored him and got in the truck.
Neither of us spoke as we unloaded the tree onto the brush pile, but every so often, I could see Jeremy watching me out of the corner of my eye. I knew my behavior had to be confusing to him, but I had no explanation to offer. My reaction to him was confusing to me as well.
We spent the rest of the morning weed-eating the back half of the lake. It was impossible to talk over the sound of the loud motors, which was fine with me. I set Jeremy up on the left half while I focused on the right. We moved away from each other and with every step, I could feel it getting easier to breathe. I let myself get caught up in the task at hand and by the time I was finished, I was feeling more like myself again.
“Are we doing the front half next?” Jeremy asked as I picked up the extra lines and the small red gas can that I’d left along the bank.
“No, I just did it a couple of days ago. It doesn’t need it yet. Let’s take a break, get some lunch and then we’ll get back to it,” I said.
“That sounds good. I’m starving. So, where do you want to go? The food at the truck stop seemed pretty good,” he suggested.
“Actually, I’m just gonna go over to my place and have a sandwich. I’ll meet you back here in an hour,” I told him.
Jeremy nodded his head, but I could see his face fall as he turned to walk away, and I realized I actually felt bad for the guy. After all, he was new to the area. He didn’t know anyone, and it wasn’t like he had any food at his own place to eat. I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh as I called him back. He turned and looked at me expectantly.
“Come on, I’ve got enough for both of us,” I told him. I watched as he started to smile, but then it faded.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose on you,” he asked hesitantly.
Warning bells were going off inside my head and I knew I should tell him to forget it, but I heard myself saying something else entirely. “I’m sure. Let’s go before Edith starts yelling at us to get back to work,” I joked.
Jeremy’s face lit up and that damn dimple came back out to play when he smiled. I swallowed hard and turned my back to him as we put the equipment in the back of the truck, then drove over to my cabin.
“The bathroom’s right down the hall, same as yours, if you’d like to wash up,” I said nervously.
“Thanks,” he replied.
I turned and went to the kitchen, tossing my keys onto the small table. I washed my hands in the sink and then towel dried them, twisting the fabric tightly in my fists to try and stop them from shaking. I had never had anyone in my cabin before and I wasn’t sure I was comfortable having a man like Jeremy invading my personal space. But I’d invited him, and I couldn’t very well go back on that decision. Not when he’d given me no reason to kick him out.
I busied myself with pulling lunch meat and mustard out of the fridge, then grabbed the loaf of bread and a bag of chips and laid everything out on the table. I was just pulling a couple of plates out of the cabinet when Jeremy walked in.
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink. I have water, milk, and tea,” I offered, trying to sound like I had company over every day.
“Water’s fine, thank you,” he answered. I grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and set them on the table and then gestured for him to have a seat.
“I know, it’s not much, but help yourself,” I told him.
“This is perfect, actually,” he said sincerely. I looked down at the meager spread and then gave him a look that said I thought he was crazy. He laughed, and the sound sent a wave of desire through me. It was rich and smooth, like melted chocolate or warm honey.
“I meant the fact that I have company and don’t have to eat alone for a change,” he clarified. He smiled at me, but I thought I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. I cleared my throat as I looked away, focusing my attention on making a sandwich.
“How long have you worked here?” Jeremy asked as we started to eat. My eyes shot to his and I wondered why he wanted to know, but I only saw a friendly curiosity in his gaze.
“About two years,” I said with a shrug.
“You like it?” I finished chewing the bite in my mouth before answering.
“Yeah, I guess so. Edith is a good boss and the work is alright,” I told him, stiffly.
“She’s definitely…something,” Jeremy said with a chuckle and I joined in.
Soon, we were both laughing as I regaled him with stories of some of the crazier things I’d seen her do. When we stopped, I was surprised to see that it had been an entire hour. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent that much time talking to someone else, but more than that, I’d been having fun. The feeling was so foreign to me that it left me momentarily stunned.
“We probably better get back to work. Now that I know more about Edith, I definitely don’t want to get on her bad side,” Jeremy joked as he stood up and began cleaning up the table.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t either, but on the flip side, there’s no one better to have in your corner,” I told him. He stared at me for a long moment.
“I’m glad you’ve got her in your corner,” he said quietly.
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but he turned and walked away before I got the chance.
