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“What’s your name?” Gold questions.
“Umm… Avery?”Am I asking him?There’s something about these guys that takes my breath away and has me dumbstruck, especially Gold. There’s flirting and teasing from Jade, but an intense chemistry that I’ve never experienced before with Gold.
He tilts his head, dissecting my unvoiced thoughts. “My name’s Jaxton Knight, and this is my brother Liam, in case you’re wondering.”
I try to recover from floundering. “Sorry, I’m a little out of it today. It’s so nice outside. I’d rather be messing around in the yard or hiking.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m stuck working all day, too. No time to play.” Jaxton’s gaze travels the length of me as best as he can while sitting down, not bothering to hide the fact that he’s completely checking me out.
I pretend not to notice. “What kind of work do you two do?” I ask, fiddling with Liam’s straw wrapper. A shocked expression crosses both their faces. “I don’t mean to pry, just making conversation.” I attempt to deescalate the situation, since it seems I may have offended them.
“You don’t know?” Liam questions.
His query is interesting.Have I seen them before? Surely, I’d remember.“No. Should I?” My head cocks, running through all the possibilities.
“No, I guess not.” Jaxton’s smile widens. “We do jobs here and there, contracting with different companies. They’re typically confidential, so we’re not allowed to talk about our work most of the time,” he replies evasively.
“Temporary then… How long are you here?” Red flags should wave in my face, but exactly the opposite is happening.
“Not sure. Depends on the longevity of this job,” Jaxton states.
I nod, relaxing with them. “Do you hike?”
Both their faces light up, but Jaxton replies, “We do. My brothers and I try to plan a family trip at least once a year. Last summer we hiked Clouds Rest at Yosemite National Park. We spent a week away with no phones or electronics. It’s one of our family trip rules. Of course, we take them with us for emergencies.”
“That sounds fun. The only trails I’ve hiked are around here. I’m more of a take-your-time-and-watch-nature type of hiker, instead of the how-high-can-I-get-on-this-mountain kind of hiker. I’d rather spend a few days and hike the trail when and at the speed I want. A five-mile hike can take three days.” Talking about hiking has my eyes closing and conjuring memories of fresh mountain air.
“Who do you hike with?” Liam takes another sip of his soda, waiting for me to answer.
“No one, usually. It’s my alone time.” I divert my eyes out the window, not wanting to delve into the fact that I’m a massive introvert.
They watch me a while, studying my reaction, their demeanors almost identical. “How long have you worked here?” Jaxton picks the conversation back up.
A soft giggle releases. “A while. I started when I was fifteen, helping around after school with part-time hours. I stayed on through college, and now I run operations. The original plan was to work here until I attained my bachelor’s degree—which I did a couple of months ago—and start my landscape design business. But Mrs. Fry’s husband passed unexpectedly, so I stayed to help, and, well…” my words drift off when I realize I’m divulging my life history.
Jaxton doesn’t focus on the tapering of my sentence. Instead, he congratulates me, “Wow. That’s amazing! Landscape design… that’s interesting.” His words muffle, while he stuffs half his bagel in his mouth, and the other half back into the sack.
My eyes catch on the flexing of his biceps as he moves, and I take a moment longer to respond. My hand proceeds my words, gesturing wildly, before laughing, “Sorry, tongue tied. I want to use my backyard as a showpiece. Now, I just have to finish it. When I get home, I’m going to finish digging the koi pond. It’s the last part of the outline before I can really start working.”
“Your enthusiasm is contagious. I haven’t given much thought to yard design, but I do like great places to visit and barbecues. I guess that’s where you’d come in.” Liam nudges his brother, signaling their time has dwindled down. “Hey, we’ve got to get back. I really enjoyed talking to you.” Jaxton watches me intently.
“Right, I guess I’ll see guys around?” my voice sounds too eager.
“Sure. Would you like to get together sometime for dinner?”
My heart slams to a stop in my chest and then, with one resounding thud, slams back to life.
“Are you okay?” Jaxton asks, concerned.
“What? Oh, yes. I’d love to have dinner,” I finally spit out.
“How about tonight—are you free?”
“Yes, I’m free. What did you have in mind?” My question comes out heavy, breathier than I intended, and thick with excitement.
Jaxton leans slowly across the table, causing my breathing to increase. “What sounds good to you?” he asks playfully.
Reining in my girl crush, I ask, “Do you have a particular food you’d prefer? Liam, do you plan on coming too?”
