Falling for the Gun-Toting Accountant

3. Summer Smiles

The past hour of her life had felt like a dark storm cloud hanging overhead, following her around and dousing everything in dreariness. But after talking to this woman, she felt a break in those clouds. Like a tiny ray of sunshine had found its way to her.

Summer chastised herself for having such corny thoughts. Still, this Layton woman fascinated her. 'Modest but proud' sounded like exactly what she might like in a tree. It kind of described herself as well. How could she get that from the few minutes they'd been talking?

Summer glanced at the woman's red name tag. Holly. Not surprising if her brother's name was Wreath. She must have interesting, possibly fanatical, parents.

Man or tree? She didn't even need to consider the question.

"I'm not here for a man," Summer answered.

Holly grinned. "Good. This way."

Summer found herself watching the way Holly's hips swayed when she walked. She looked as good from behind as she did facing her. Not that it mattered. She didn't have room in her life for a love interest.

But she could still admire a shapely form. Like the way those jeans stretched over her butt. And those sand-colored curls that bounced past her ears. And she could look into those sea green eyes all day long.

Holly stopped in front of a sturdy-looking evergreen. "I'm guessing you like to keep things tidy?"

Summer's gaze bounced back to those sea green eyes. "How can you tell?"

Holly lifted a nonchalant shoulder. "It's the end of a work day and you still look flawless. Plus, I didn't see a speck of dust on your car."

She thinks I look flawless? "I like to keep things neat, yes."

Holly gestured to the tree. "Firs cost a little more, but they hardly shed. Plus they smell amazing." She went on to talk about the pros and cons of each type of tree. Her hands moved a lot as she spoke, but the most animated thing about her was her enthusiasm. It was apparent she loved every single one of these trees.

"Wait, I'm boring you, aren't I?" Holly grimaced. "Wreath keeps telling me people aren't interested in the complete history of each tree."

"No, you're fine. I've been known to watch documentaries on lumber mills, so this is interesting."

Holly grinned at her. "Lumber mills, huh?"

"Not the best fate for a tree, but..." she finished with a shrug.

Holly's eyes narrowed a little. "Tell me something cool about lumber mills."

Summer lifted an eyebrow at the challenge. "One of the first sawmills in recorded history was water-powered and built by the Romans."

Holly's smile grew wider. "Those crafty Romans."

"Were you testing me?"

"Maybe."

"Why?"

Holly pursed her lips. "I'm not bragging, but a lot of guys try to hit on me by pretending to know stuff. Posers are not attractive."

Of course guys would hit on her. She was cute and bubbly, but it was probably her brains that took them by surprise. Summer was glad not to garner much male attention herself. Once they got past her "exotic looks", they were usually eager to find the nearest bar to look for someone else. Which suited her just fine.

"You think I'm hitting on you?" Summer had no idea if Holly was or not, but she did want to see if the tree-lover would squirm.

For the first time that evening, Summer saw a spark of doubt in the other woman's eyes.

"Oh, uh, well, I didn't mean to imply—I mean, it's totally cool if you are. In fact, I think that would be awesome. But maybe I'm way off base, and now you're just offended? I don't know. You have a really good poker face. Did you know that?"

Summer gave her a mysterious smile. She felt uncharacteristically flirtatious with this woman. Even though it couldn't possibly go anywhere—not with her life the way it was—this still felt... good.

Holly pointed a finger at her. "You're toying with me aren't you?"

Summer turned to the closest tree and said, "Are all Douglas firs this cute?" She reached out and touched the soft needles.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Holly's mouth lift up on one side.

"You are toying with me."

Summer suppressed a smile. This was fun.

"All right, I'll play." Holly shuffled to another tree. "You should check out the Concolor fir over here. It'll smell good all season long. You don't find my brother attractive?"

The sudden topic change caught her off guard, but she didn't let on. "Is he here?"

"Right over there." Holly pointed to a tall man hauling a tree to some kind of netting mechanism.

Summer looked. Okay, yes, she could see why some women would swoon. He had that rugged lumberjack look going on, complete with scruff and plaid flannel shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing muscled forearms. He was a nice male specimen, objectively speaking.

She turned back to Holly. Her faded jeans fit well. Though the green cable-knit sweater was a bit big, it accentuated the green of her eyes, and it was cute how she tucked her hands inside the sleeves to keep them warm.

Holly waited for Summer's reply, eyebrows raised in anticipation.

Summer glanced at Wreath again. "He's all right."

"All right," Holly repeated, unconvinced. "Hmm. What about me then?"

Was the woman fishing for compliments? Or did she feel inadequate next to her supposedly statuesque brother? With that curly mop of hair and cute upturned nose, Summer couldn't imagine describing her as anything less than adorable. She also couldn't imagine actually saying such a thing aloud.

What should she say instead?

Ooh! Ooh! I know! She should say, "I think it's high time you hit that Vote button."