Page 21 of Dandelion Sighs

I couldn’t wonder those things about my boss.

She walked down the stairs and looked around at the tidy, small, fenced-off space. “It’s cute. Have you had everyone here before?”

“I’m the only Duke who hasn’t hosted everyone at their home.” I shrugged. “And really, this isn’t my home. It’s just a rental.”

“You aren’t putting down roots?”

“Maybe someday. I figured I’d have a job first.” Now I did. How did that change things?

“My mom’s house is on the beach access side of the resort.”

I knew Sheridan lived there, but she hadn’t talked about it, and she was always at work. “Do you actually spend time there?”

Her expression tightened. “Not a lot. It’s full of Mom’s stuff, and I have to clean it out.”

“It can wait,” I said gently. There was too much self-recrimination in her tone. She came to save the resort, and she had her mom’s place to clean out, and she was blaming herself that it wasn’t done by now. “All that will be there when you’re ready.”

She loosely held her beer. “Yes. It will be. I needed to hear it, though.”

What was it about this girl that made me want to jump to her aid? She toiled on her own, weathering complications and doubt, but she kept going. No one saw her drive, her talent, or her ambition. I’d been able to tell from that first conversation, but seeing her efficient style of management confirmed it. She didn’t lord over her employees, and when she corrected them, it was with care without being demeaning.

Everything about Sheridan Bishop was crystal clear. She cared. No one else would care about that place as much as her. “And whenever you are ready, you know where to find me. I have a pickup.”

Her sweet smile curled right through me. I hadn’t done a thing, but I wanted to puff my chest out.

Watching her wander around my yard, seeing her in my home, it created a picture that I wanted to hang on my fridge and look at every day. No, I didn’t want to go to the brewery with her tonight. This was too nice to disrupt, and it gave me another reason to get her out with me again. To reintroduce her to the area.

“Next Friday,” I said, “we’ll stretch out our wild sides and visit my cousin’s brewery.”

I described it as my cousin’s on purpose. Would it sway her? Make it seem more familiar and less like she was going on a date with the handyman? Neither of us wanted that. I hadn’t moved to town to meet someone, and she had an entirely different reason to be here.

She tucked a curl behind her ear. “I really do work too much.”

I grinned. Gotcha.

Sheridan

After the most delicious burger that brought back memories of my childhood, Jasper and I sat on his porch once again. He was going through his carving kit, showing me all the pieces.

“So the leather is for sharpening your knife?” I asked.

“My whittling knife, yes.” He set that to the side and dug out a short, rectangular cut of wood. “This is basswood. It’s good for beginners, but I use it all the time.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I want a relaxing hobby.”

“I don’t blame you.” My hobby was now the resort, and at the moment, it wasn’t the most relaxing.

I picked up the piece. “How do you keep from getting splinters?”

“I use the grain to tell me where to carve.”

He held up another small chunk that had a knob-like part carved out of the end. “Here’s an Arabian horse that I messed up.”

“How?” I tried to picture a horse from what he was holding.

“I made the head too small and it won’t do for a horse muzzle.” He set it down. “I can carve while enjoying the weather or when it’s cold out and I’m watching TV.”

“I bet your nieces and nephews would love those. They seemed like a fun crowd.” I hated to get called away. I had wanted to soak in their energy. Their acceptance. I had quit going to my brothers’ for holiday gatherings. Their spouses and kids put me on edge, waiting for the next I don’t mean anything by it insult, and I didn’t like that feeling around family.

“They are.” He replaced all his carving supplies and rolled the leather mat back up. “I came here to be close to them and figure out my next move, but I’m afraid it’ll take me farther away.”