“Taking time off. I’ve been so consumed with work and... other things that I didn’t realize how much I needed to just...”
He unclasped his hands and rested his palms on his thighs. “Just what?”
“Be.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Just be.”
He smiled and nodded. “There’s somethin’ about spendin’ time in nature that soothes the soul.”
Harper gazed at the pond, mesmerized by the shimmering water. Two brown leaves fluttered to the surface, then floated away.
Rusty opened the small red cooler on the ground between their chairs. “Ready for a sandwich now? It’s almost noon.”
“Yes.” She sat up as he handed her a sandwich in a plastic baggie.
“Hope you like ham and mustard.” He took another sandwich out of the cooler. “That’s all I had at the house.”
“Sounds delicious.” He’d come prepared, including packing their lunch.
“Chips?” He held out a snack-sized bag.
“Of course.”
As they ate their lunch and finished off the bottles of water he’d brought, neither of them said much. But the silence wasn’t awkward. He was so easy to be around. Calming too. She didn’t have to pretend that everything was fine when they were together. She didn’t realize how much of her life had been a facade over the past few months, trying to fool everyone that everything was okay. She’d been fooling herself most of all.
When they were finished eating, he said, “Guess there’s no reason to stick around if we ain’t gonna catch anythin’. I know another fishin’ hole we can go to. Maybe we’ll have better luck there.”
She was about to agree, then thought of something. “I have a different idea,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to give you a makeover.”
His eyebrow raised. “A what?”
“Makeover. Haircut, shave, a new outfit.” She leaned forward. “It will boost your confidence for the auction.”
He touched his shaggy beard. “I do look like a wreck, don’t I?”
She looked at him. Actually, he didn’t. He looked likeRusty, and he was as far from a wreck as possible. “No,” she said. “You don’t. But this is a formal event.”
“And I need to fit in as much as possible.” He started rubbing his palms on his jeans.
“It’s okay.” She put her hand over his to stop his nervous movement. “Trust me, remember?”
He glanced at her hand on his, then nodded.
When she started to pull her hand away, she was aware of a light tingling sensation on her palm. His hands were much larger than hers, and she felt a callus on top of one knuckle. The mark of a man who worked hard with his hands.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
She removed her hand. “You’re going to knock the ladies right off their feet when I’m done with you.”
“Yeah, right.” He got up from the chair.
She watched as he picked up the cooler, surprised at his negative reaction. Did he really not know what a great guy he was? Any woman at the auction would be lucky to have a date with him. He just needed a little encouragement.
“You can drop me at my place, and I’ll come pick you up in an hour or so,” she said, rising from the chair.
He frowned. “We’re not going now?”
