work?” She gazed out at the lake for a long moment. “Okay.”
He watched her, seeing irritation and relief as she
obviously resigned herself to the conversation. He’d stepped in it now. “Yeah. I
admit I don’t know much about conservation but there has to be a reason it means
so much to you.”
“I’ve always been drawn to nature. Ever since I was a
little girl. I’m thrilled to be able to do my part to protect it.” She shrugged
and faced him again. “I work for Dr. Robbins, mostly.”
He nodded. “Nice guy. A little vague, maybe.”
“I know he seems absentminded to most but I know better. He
has a big property to oversee,” she said in his defense. “Cypress Corners sits
on over ten thousand acres.”
“I know. Only a piece of it is being developed.” He smiled.
“I read the stuff at the Welcome Center. Even took the tour.”
“The tour? With Tammy?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s the expert at the Center. She seems so efficient and…
polished.”
He blinked, then thought about the plastic sheen to Tammy’s
particular polish. “I guess.”
Her brow furrowed and she ran a hand over that incredible hair.
“I must look just fabulous right now.”
Yeah, she did. But he doubted she’d believe him at the
moment. He kept his mouth shut and ignored the moonlight catching in every wave
and curl trailing down her back and shoulders.
She took a breath. “Cypress Corners is home to me now. It
has been since I graduated.”
He stared out at the lake as he drank his beer, his eyes
scanning for something. Another splash came from the lakeshore and he started. She
smiled and he shakily returned the expression.
“Once I got my Masters I didn’t want to crowd back in with
my parents in their RV,” she added.
He puzzled over that for a moment.
Harmony smiled. “I know, it’s a little off. Your family
probably lives in a mansion.”
He thought about Bill’s monument to himself and stifled a
shudder. “My father’s house is pretty big.” Big and cold.
“My parents are a little different,” she said. “Their place
is pretty mobile and she cooks at all hours of the day.”
“She’s a chef?”
“Sort of. She makes organic treats for her friends. She also
sells them to gourmet shops near Orlando and on the coast.”
“What are organic treats?”
“I know it sounds like an oxymoron,” she said. “But my
mother makes a tofu cheesecake that you’d swear came straight from New York.”
He shook his head. “Alligator and tofu? Interesting.”
“And turtle.”
He laughed. “Yikes.” He placed his empty bottle on the dock
beside him. “Any brothers or sisters?”
She stilled again. “This conversation is getting a little
personal, don’t you think?”
He slanted her a look. “So?”
“Okay, I admit it’s kind of nice. Sitting here in the
near-dark, drinking beer and talking about something other than plants and
conservation.”
“Or specs or contracts,” he added.
She nodded. “There’s just me. Ariel and Max had me late in
life.”
“Tofu and alligator and you in an RV,” he said. “Where did
you go to school?”
“My mother taught me. An early home-schooler, I suppose. But
I’ll bet I learned more from her than most kids did in the classroom. My mother
has a thing about crystals and auras. The healing properties of being in
balance.” She shrugged. “I guess that’s pretty different from a New England education.”
He looked down as he ran his hands over his thighs. Home
schooled and living in a trailer. But the way her eyes softened when she talked
about her parents, he didn’t doubt her education beat the hell out of the cold
prep schools he’d attended.
“Not a lot of home-schoolers in Boston when I was growing
up,” he said.
She tilted her head to one side as she brushed a thick curl
over her shoulder. It was an unconscious motion and way sexier than Tammy’s
practiced moves that afternoon. The moonlight now danced over her silky
He watched her, seeing irritation and relief as she
obviously resigned herself to the conversation. He’d stepped in it now. “Yeah. I
admit I don’t know much about conservation but there has to be a reason it means
so much to you.”
“I’ve always been drawn to nature. Ever since I was a
little girl. I’m thrilled to be able to do my part to protect it.” She shrugged
and faced him again. “I work for Dr. Robbins, mostly.”
He nodded. “Nice guy. A little vague, maybe.”
“I know he seems absentminded to most but I know better. He
has a big property to oversee,” she said in his defense. “Cypress Corners sits
on over ten thousand acres.”
“I know. Only a piece of it is being developed.” He smiled.
“I read the stuff at the Welcome Center. Even took the tour.”
“The tour? With Tammy?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s the expert at the Center. She seems so efficient and…
polished.”
He blinked, then thought about the plastic sheen to Tammy’s
particular polish. “I guess.”
Her brow furrowed and she ran a hand over that incredible hair.
“I must look just fabulous right now.”
Yeah, she did. But he doubted she’d believe him at the
moment. He kept his mouth shut and ignored the moonlight catching in every wave
and curl trailing down her back and shoulders.
She took a breath. “Cypress Corners is home to me now. It
has been since I graduated.”
He stared out at the lake as he drank his beer, his eyes
scanning for something. Another splash came from the lakeshore and he started. She
smiled and he shakily returned the expression.
“Once I got my Masters I didn’t want to crowd back in with
my parents in their RV,” she added.
He puzzled over that for a moment.
Harmony smiled. “I know, it’s a little off. Your family
probably lives in a mansion.”
He thought about Bill’s monument to himself and stifled a
shudder. “My father’s house is pretty big.” Big and cold.
“My parents are a little different,” she said. “Their place
is pretty mobile and she cooks at all hours of the day.”
“She’s a chef?”
“Sort of. She makes organic treats for her friends. She also
sells them to gourmet shops near Orlando and on the coast.”
“What are organic treats?”
“I know it sounds like an oxymoron,” she said. “But my
mother makes a tofu cheesecake that you’d swear came straight from New York.”
He shook his head. “Alligator and tofu? Interesting.”
“And turtle.”
He laughed. “Yikes.” He placed his empty bottle on the dock
beside him. “Any brothers or sisters?”
She stilled again. “This conversation is getting a little
personal, don’t you think?”
He slanted her a look. “So?”
“Okay, I admit it’s kind of nice. Sitting here in the
near-dark, drinking beer and talking about something other than plants and
conservation.”
“Or specs or contracts,” he added.
She nodded. “There’s just me. Ariel and Max had me late in
life.”
“Tofu and alligator and you in an RV,” he said. “Where did
you go to school?”
“My mother taught me. An early home-schooler, I suppose. But
I’ll bet I learned more from her than most kids did in the classroom. My mother
has a thing about crystals and auras. The healing properties of being in
balance.” She shrugged. “I guess that’s pretty different from a New England education.”
He looked down as he ran his hands over his thighs. Home
schooled and living in a trailer. But the way her eyes softened when she talked
about her parents, he didn’t doubt her education beat the hell out of the cold
prep schools he’d attended.
“Not a lot of home-schoolers in Boston when I was growing
up,” he said.
She tilted her head to one side as she brushed a thick curl
over her shoulder. It was an unconscious motion and way sexier than Tammy’s
practiced moves that afternoon. The moonlight now danced over her silky
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