Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
It took everything in me to drop my gaze as I picked up my coffee. He cleared his throat.
“I see you’re prepared for lumberjack-hunting again,” he said, a teasing note to his voice.
I laughed. “Whatever, Bane.”
“Alex,” he said quietly. “When we’re alone, it’s Alex.” He paused. “Magnolia.”
“Maggie.”
“Maggie,” he repeated. “It suits you, but so does Magnolia. I rather like it. It’s unique—like you.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. I wasn’t used to a kinder Bane. So I smiled, making him grin.
“You’re blushing.”
I could feel the heat in my cheeks. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“I’d stop, but you’re very pretty when you blush.”
“I think we need to get to work.”
That got me another smile. “Okay…Magnolia.”
BANE
I had hoped she would show up today. It had taken all my willpower not to call her last night. Not to show up unannounced at her place and continue what we started. Even to have the chance to ask her if she wanted to continue.
When I looked up and saw her in the doorway, something in my chest flexed. Eased. Her shy smile and her sunny greeting made me smile. I walked closer, desperate to touch her, then thought better of it. We had to talk first.
Her quiet confession of making the sandwiches herself caught me off guard. I didn’t think anyone had ever made me something. Not even Sally—and she had been with me for years. No one had ever expressed worries over what I was consuming. I found it touching. I would make sure Myers was paid well for her thoughtfulness, even though I knew that wasn’t why she did it.
There was something different between us today. Something tangible and real. I felt it. I knew she did as well from the high color that infused her cheeks.
She confounded me. I didn’t like sweet, shy, adorable, mouthy, or accident-prone.
She was all of the above.
And yet, I liked her a lot.
More than I should.
I glanced over, watching her remove a finished tree from the printer. I took it from her, placing it in the model. We worked silently for a while, the piece almost complete. I studied it, looking at it from different angles, pursing my lips.
“Write down what I do,” I instructed. “Every change, no matter how small.”
She grabbed her ever-present notebook and listed what I told her as I moved a few shrubs, then stood back. “Something. I need something.”
“Um,” she breathed.
I looked at her. “What?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Tell me,” I demanded.
“I don’t know much about trees or landscaping.”
“But you know what you like. What pleases you visually. Tell me.”
“This corner.” She tapped an area just off a path. “It’s on a hill, right?”
“Yes.”
“A couple of lovely shade trees and some flowers with a seating place to read would be perfect here.” She paused. “I think.”
“Yes,” I said. “That’s what it needs. It’s off-balance here.”
I headed to the computer, bringing up the design. Myers disappeared, returning a few moments later with more coffee. She went back to her desk, working as I touched up the design. I sat back with a pleased nod. It was what was missing. Something simple yet perfect. I glanced up, seeing Myers at her desk.
Magnolia.
That summed her up. Simple, but perfect. The yin to my yang.
And I had no idea what to do about it.
It didn’t take long to print the additions. Magnolia watched over the printer as I updated the final design, and I sat back, pleased with the project.
“How have your designs evolved?” she asked.
I went to the concept model, tracing my finger back to a building behind the main hotel. “Everything you see here is self-sufficient. There is no freshwater system for keeping the gardens blooming. The gray water from the resort feeds all the plants on the grounds. All recycled. The system we put in will keep everything alive and fed. It’s designed specifically for this purpose. It’s gaining more and more popularity.”
“All the used water?”
“No—not kitchen or toilets. Nothing where bacteria can build or harsh chemicals are used. The system filters out the impurities from the other areas, and it is run using solar panels—another cost-saver and good for the environment.”
“And you design all that?”
I nodded. “I don’t just dig in the dirt, as my mother thinks. I spent years earning a lot of degrees and gaining knowledge. I keep up with all the current innovations.”
She frowned. “Is that what she thinks?”
“My grandfather, her father, was a lawyer. My father was as well until he died. My mother has her degree, although she no longer practices. Her current husband is a lawyer. And so is my stepbrother. He was and is the golden child as well. That is what is acceptable. Being a landscape architect is not. I haven’t lived up to my potential, according to my mother. The fact is that I never will.”
“Oh,” she said with a frown.