Page 15 of Sunshine and the Grumpy Groundskeeper

Finally, Rowan clears his throat. "We should head back before the next wave hits."

"Right. Yes. Good idea." I gather my somewhat-salvaged notebook, very conscious of his presence as he helps me with my bag.

We walk back in comfortable silence, broken only by Rascal's happy splashing through puddles. Every so often, our hands brush, and each time feels deliberate in a way it hadn't before.

Before we reach my cabin, Rowan says quietly, "Your story."

"Hmm?"

"The one about the rabbit learning the trails." He keeps his eyes ahead. "I'd like to hear the rest sometime."

My heart does a little skip. "Really?"

He nods once, and I swear I catch the ghost of a smile.

"Well then," I say, hugging my damp notebook to my chest, "I guess we'll have to go hiking again tomorrow. For research purposes, of course. So I can finish it."

"Of course." This time I definitely see the smile, small but real. "Purely educational."

"Purely," I agree.

Chapter Six

Rowan

The loose shutter isn't my problem. It’s for Max to fix.

I can hear it banging in the morning breeze as I check the trails near Daisy's cabin. It's not part of my morning maintenance route. I don't need to investigate the sound of wood hitting wood, or the frustrated muttering that follows.

I make it exactly ten steps past her cabin before I turn back.

"Come on, you stubborn thing." Daisy's balanced precariously on a wooden chair she's dragged outside, trying to reach the shutter with what appears to be a soup ladle. "Just... stay... put..."

"What are you doing?"

She startles at my voice, wobbling dangerously. Before I can think, I'm there, hands steadying her waist as she regains her balance.

"Oh! Hi." She beams down at me like I'm a pleasant surprise rather than a grouchy interruption. "I was trying to fix this. It kept banging all night, and I didn't want to bother anyone, and I found this ladle in the kitchen drawer..."

"Get down."

"But I almost had it!"

"Daisy." My hands are still on her waist. I realize this at the same moment she does, judging by the slight catch in her breath. "Please get down before you fall and crack your head open."

"My hero," she says with a grin, but she lets me help her down. "Always saving me from myself."

"Someone has to." I'm still standing too close. I should step back. I don't. "Why didn't you just report the loose shutter? We have someone to deal with this stuff."

"I didn't want to be a bother." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture I definitely haven't noticed before. "Besides, I almost had it."

"With a soup ladle."

"I was being creative!"

I catch myself almost smiling and quickly turn to examine the shutter. "Let me fix it properly."

"You don't have to?—"

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