Page 12 of Butterflies and Hazel Eyes
I chuckled and leaned back in my chair. “Mojo. We left him at Butterfly Junction. I didn’t think you’d want a giant mutt hanging out in your diner trying to steal everyone’s breakfast.”
“You’re probably right,” he said, his eyes crinkling when he smiled. “I’m not sure the health department would look too kindly on that. Well, I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself. Have a great weekend.”
“Thanks, Kevin,” Gulliver said, and I waved as he sauntered off toward another table.
“Nice guy,” I said, going back to my plate. “Everyone here is super nice.”
Gulliver nodded and lowered his coffee cup. “We’re a small town, but we’re also a tourist town. Being nice keeps your business alive.”
I tipped my head with a chuckle of agreement and leaned back to give my stomach a little more room to stretch. “I need to ask you a question,” I said, and he motioned for me to go ahead while he chewed. “Why is someone so interested in this formula you’re trying to make? Aren’t there other eco-friendly pesticides out there? There can’t be a massive amount of money at play in eco-friendly pesticides, right?”
I turned my attention back on my breakfast while I waited for him to answer. I stabbed a sausage and took a bite. The casing snapped under the pressure of my teeth, and the juice poured into my mouth, spicy and sweet. When I glanced up, Gulliver was staring at me with his fork dangling in the air. “What?” I asked after I swallowed. “Can’t a girl eat?”
He fidgeted with his juice glass. “I’m staring because I just realized you’re equally as naive as I am, only this time about how competitive the eco-friendly pesticide industry is.”
A variety of emotions flew across his face in quick succession as I lowered my fork to the plate.
“You’re saying there’s a lot of money in this business?”
He nodded his head up and down like a puppet on a string. “Billions of dollars are at play. Current pesticide companies don’t have an eco-friendly pesticide for large-scale farming applications. It’s a potential market disrupter, so everyone is going to want the patent. Charity, we’re talking billions here, not millions.”
I raised a brow. “Let me get this straight. We’re talking billions of dollars to the company with the first large-scale eco-friendly pesticide.”
He tipped his head as if to say,Yep.
“What do you plan to do with it once you have the formula?”
He lowered his coffee cup and glanced around at the other tables. He leaned in over his plate and lowered his voice as though everyone was paying attention to us when no one was. “We think we’re nearing the completion of our pesticide, which means fungicide and herbicide will follow quickly. Our choices are to sell it to the highest bidder or produce it ourselves.”
I leaned closer to him, and my gaze dropped to his plump lips. It was becoming harder and harder not to let my hand slip up his cheek and let his lips taste mine. I wanted his hands in my hair and the intensity of his gaze focused on nothing but me. Would his eyes swirl the shade of gingerbread while they swept my petite body with desire? Would his lips drop to mine for a tentative taste test of my lips under the moonlight? I shook my head.Oh my God, Charity, stop! This is business! You’re not staying in Plentiful. Get a grip! Better yet, get your head in the game.
“I’m protecting it because it isn’t finished yet,” he was saying when I stopped lusting after him long enough to focus. “If someone were to get half the information and rushed the rest of the equation, then took something to market that was destructive, they could do great damage to the fields and the butterflies. That’s why I’m protecting the research. It has nothing to do with the financial side of it. Maybe it does for Mathias, but not for me.”
I set my coffee cup on the table and nodded thoughtfully. “My brain is spinning trying to take it all in. If I ask too many stupid questions, forgive me, and if you get tired of answering, just say so.”
A smile crept across his face, and for the first time since early this morning, he relaxed a bit in his seat. I noticed the gold flecks in his eyes were vibrant, and the dots of green shone like the morning sun on the lake. I rested my cheek on my hand and smiled back at him like a dopey schoolgirl with a crush on her teacher.
“You can ask as many questions as you’d like, and I’ll answer them all,” he assured me. “There aren’t a lot of people, especially women, interested in what I do. Most see my manly butterfly van and steer clear.”
I pictured the butterflies in all their glory stretched across his van and couldn’t stop the smile from lifting my lips. “I wasn’t embarrassed riding in it. The more I get to know you, the more I know it’s perfect for what you do and who you are.” I yawned unexpectedly and covered my mouth with my hand. “My goodness. How rude. I’m sorry. I guess the night is catching up to me.”
He grabbed his crutches from where they leaned against the wall. “If you’re full, we’ll grab Mojo from the office, and I’ll drive you home.”
I stretched and over the din of the restaurant I swear I heard him moan. I thought I was wrong until he coughed to cover it up. When I glanced up, his gaze held that intensity again while it swept over my body with appreciation. I stood and smoothed down my shirt. “I’m stuffed, but I’m coming back tomorrow morning again. I need more of this place.”
“I’d love to join you.” Gulliver stuck out his fist, and I bumped it. “I mean, if you want company, that is,” he said, blushing.
My heart pounded for a moment at the idea of spending more private time with Gulliver Winsome. We’d already spent as much time outside of our professional capacities as we had in them. That was new, odd, and yet exciting for me to think about. It had been a long time since I’d slowed down long enough to enjoy someone’s company in a personal way. Sure, I was working a job for him, but I wasn’t his employee, so there was no reason we couldn’t share a meal together here and there. After all, I’d be here longer than expected to help them finish the website. There was no harm in a little summer fling. And by fling, I meant nothing more than enjoying his enthusiasm for life. What you see is what you get with Gulliver Winsome, and for some reason that made me feel safe to be myself around him.
“I’d love some,” I said, offering him a smile as we walked out the door.
CHAPTER 4
After breakfast, Gulliver intended to drop Mojo and me off at the campground and head home to bed, but Laverne noticed me struggling to get Mojo out of the cargo van and excitedly waved us into the office. She had insisted we share a drink on the empty balcony before he headed home. We were both tired, but we didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so we accepted her invitation and settled at a table in the shade.
We gazed out across the lake, the slight breeze tippling the blue-green water into frothy peaks of white. When the sun reflected off the waves, the image left little doubt there indeed was a Lady of the Lake, and she was as alive as any woman you had ever met.
Gulliver’s finger pointed out in front of me, and I naturally followed its arc. “Do you see those dots of land in the water?” he asked, and I stood, focusing on the area he was pointing to.
