Page 21 of Fire in My Heart

I rolled my shoulders and when the next car pulled up, Charlotte got to work. I took the opportunity to slip away. Her gratitude made me uncomfortable because I wasn’t doing it forthe right reasons. I was still pushing her away when Dad wanted me to help her.

I couldn’t shake the uneasiness over my actions, so I volunteered to take a family to find their tree. I could hike and forget about the weird feelings Charlotte stirred up in me.

Unlike Charlotte, I didn’t get involved with the customers. I kept everyone at a nice, safe distance. I’d felt the pain of loss, and I had no interest in feeling it again.

By the time I returned, the crowd had dwindled slightly, and Charlotte was resting on a hay bale, drinking water.

“Sitting on the job,” I couldn’t stop myself from saying with a slight edge to my voice.

Charlotte looked up at me, a crease forming between her brows. “I think I secured about a hundred trees. My back and arms hurt.”

“I’m not saying you didn’t need a break.” This was one of those times where my mouth ran away from me.

“Weren’t you?” Charlotte’s tone was exasperated.

I stretched my neck, wishing I could disappear to my house where I had no neighbors, family members, or even Charlotte to question me.

Charlotte sighed, and an uncomfortable sensation slid through my chest. “I’m going to head home and take a bath. I don’t want to be sore tomorrow.”

A vision of Charlotte naked in the bathtub jumped into my head. Would she close her eyes and touch herself?

Charlotte stood, dropping her empty bottle in the recycling can, and waved in my direction. “I’ll see you later.”

I jogged to keep up with her, not sure why I was insisting on joining her. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

“That’s not necessary,” Charlotte insisted, waving at coworkers we passed.

She’d been here for a few hours, and the employees already loved her.

“What do you think?” I forced myself to make small talk. Suddenly, I didn’t want her to be mad at me.

Charlotte’s gaze drifted to me. “Of you or the farm?”

I cleared my throat, not wanting to hear what she thought of me. I was positive it wasn’t good. My reputation never bothered me before. But for some reason, I was starting to care how this woman perceived me. “The farm, of course.”

She snorted, and I had to look at her face to ensure I’d heard her right.

Charlotte Monroe smiled, laughed, and always had something positive to say. But snorting in disbelief? Never.

This was a new side to her, and I wondered if I was the only one who brought out the snark.

“It was enlightening. I learned a lot. The best part was getting to know the customers.”

“You come to any conclusions?” I asked, despite myself. I was supposed to be telling her we didn’t need her advice, not encouraging her to give it.

“I think we need to give people more of an experience. Quite a few said it was convenient. That they didn’t have time to drive to Monroe Farm.”

I clapped my hands together. “There you go. They don’t have time for more of an experience.”

She gave me a look. “Everyone has time for a holiday experience.”

We’d come to a stop next to her little red car. “What does that even mean?”

Charlotte smiled and placed her hand over my heart.

It was becoming a habit of hers, and I enjoyed it too much. Could she feel how hard my heart beat for her?

“It means, Theodore, that you offer your guests hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and cookies. You sell wreaths, garland, and holiday decor.”

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