Page 14 of Butterflies and Hazel Eyes
“I don’t think the big man would enjoy a Smart Car as much as Myrtle. I better stick with her,” I said, my laughter floating out across the lake.
“I feel guilty for hiring you for a one-night job, and now you’re tied up for a couple of weeks,” he said, his gaze holding mine. “I’ll understand if you can’t stay.”
Before I thought about it, I brought my hand up to pat his face. I stroked his soft beard for a moment too long, and another shiver went through me. Oh God. It was even softer than I’d thought it would be.What was going on with me?There was an undeniable chemistry between us that I couldn’t explain. I’d never been overly interested in dating, considering the life I led, but something about this man drew me right in. His gaze when I met it told me he was thinking the same thing. The way he tipped his cheek into my hand told me he needed the touch of a woman as much as I needed the touch of a man. “Don’t feel guilty, Gulliver,” I whispered. “I’m enjoying my time here in Plentiful. Mojo and I have been seriously lacking in relaxation lately. While I like to relax, I also like to work or I get bored, so this situation is the perfect mix for me. I can keep my skills sharp and still have plenty of time to enjoy the lake.”
A smile worked its way across his face to replace the frown. “If you’re sure, but if you need to leave before we finish with the website, just say the word.”
My brows knitted in anger and frustration. “I’m not the kind of girl who leaves her friends in a lurch, Gulliver. I said I’d help you get this issue straightened out, and I meant it.”
He took my hand and squeezed it, but I noticed he didn’t let go. “I’ll take you at your word then, thank you. I’m glad I hired you because I like being your friend, a lot. It’s been a long time since I’ve found someone I can let my guard down with and just be me. That said, I did hire you, and you’re going to be working at the business, so we need to discuss your pay. Your initial fee was for one night of work. Where do we go from here?”
I bit my lower lip, worrying it around. I’d expected Gulliver to mention this, but I wasn’t sure how to respond. I didn’t want to offend him, but at the same time I didn’t want to charge him either. Butterfly Junction needed help, and I had the skills to do the job quickly and effectively.
“Let me ask you a question,” I said, and he nodded. “I read all the aspects of the business on the website, but what part of it provides your targeted income?”
“The business stays alive because we offer to restock butterfly populations, organize seminars for conservationists, and sell safe seeds to homeowners to plant butterfly gardens, to name a few things. The research stays alive because Mathias funds us along with a few grants here and there that I apply for.”
“I see,” I said before I took a drink from my glass. “What you’re saying is the research-and-development portion is secondary to what you do? Or is it vice versa?”
He pointed at me, and I noticed the light dim in his eyes a bit. Research and development were not his true love. Butterflies were. I wondered if he did the research just to keep the rest of the business open. “The latter. As an entomologist, the most important thing we can do is develop safe pesticides. If we don’t, all the bugs will be gone, and the waterways will be destroyed. If that happens, there’s no need for the products I sell.”
“I imagine that must be stressful. Especially when you want to go do other things, but you’re tied to the office.”
Gulliver tossed his head back in laughter. When he lowered it again, his gaze held mine, and the honesty in his eyes made me want to caress the crinkles at the corners. I didn’t, but I wanted to. I wanted to touch him so he knew someone cared. “Charity, breakfast out with you was the first thing I’ve done socially in over a year.”
I hung my head in sadness. Sadness that I understood all the way to my soul. “I’m sorry, Gulliver. You must lead an incredibly solitary life. I’m lonely, but that’s to be expected doing what I do.” I cocked my head as I stared him down. “Do you hang out with Mathias? Do you have family?”
His gaze flitted back to the lake so that I couldn’t read his face. “Mathias is a great guy, don’t get me wrong, but we don’t have a whole lot in common. I’m not the kind of guy who spends weekends on yachts and fancy parties. He is. He makes his money by hobnobbing with the rich and famous. As for my family, I see them occasionally. We don’t go out of our way to get together except once a year for an extended family reunion. My brother and I get together quite a bit, since he only lives an hour away. Well, we used to, anyway,” he paused, “before this formula took over my life. I’ve stayed away from him now with the understanding that I don’t want to put him and his family in danger.”
“I’m sure he understood,” I said as I grasped his arm.
“He does. He will be here to celebrate with me when the formula is complete, because he’s always here for the big things in my life. I guess it’s a twin thing. My mom, not so much. She was a single woman raising twin boys and was overwhelmed. She has bipolar one disorder and often refuses to take her medication. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve had to cut ties with her just to find a little bit of peace in life.”
“Hey, I can commiserate with you about family. Mine won’t win any awards either.”
“We still haven’t discussed your wage,” he said, flipping the conversation back to business.
I could tell talking about his family made him vulnerable and too open to someone he’d only met yesterday. I wasn’t sorry for asking, though. I had so little time to get to know him that I couldn’t wait forever to ask him the questions that might make him uncomfortable. I didn’t know a lot about life, but I did know that waiting for the right time meant it would never come.
“I’m not charging you, Gulliver. You’ve already paid my fee. As far as I’m concerned, that covers the rest of the hours I’ll put in to secure my future. If you find a way to save the bees and pollinators of the world, I’ll be able to keep eating. If you provide a solution to the field runoff so I have safe drinking water, I’ll be happy. As far as I’m concerned, that’s payment enough.”
He twisted toward me slowly as if what I’d said didn’t compute. “Seriously?”
My nod was all he needed to see to know that I was dead serious.
“Most people don’t understand the importance of what I do, nor do they care. I feel like you truly understand it,” he whispered.
I grasped the hand that was resting on his lap. “I understand more than you might think, Gulliver. I understand how you feel alone and like no one cares, about the work that you do or you as a person. Here’s the truth. What you do matters, but more than that, you matter. If I can use my skills to prove that to you, then that’s all the payment I need.”
When my last word died off, he twisted in his chair, encapsulated my pint-size frame against his, and rested his cheek on the top of my head. When he let out a breath, I felt it through my own chest. It was heavy. He’d been holding it for too many days, months, and years. That breath escaping into the morning air told me he’d found a soul who sang the same song as his, and he could finally exhale.
♥
Iinhaled the scentof the lake mixed with the vestiges of last night’s campfires that filled the town. The scents, sounds, and sights were fresh and different in every tourist community. One thing Plentiful had going for it was the wonder of Mother Nature. She came alive every morning at five a.m., and I loved to catch a glimpse of her beauty before the day got too busy. I always took a few moments each morning to enjoy a bit of that beauty on my dock with a cup of coffee before I headed into town to write code and answer the phones at Butterfly Junction. I didn’t see Gulliver much during the day, but I found myself waiting for those snippets of time when I did. He always said something to make me laugh or had a story to tell me about butterfly hunting in British Columbia. Sometimes we’d eat our lunch on the table behind the building and watch the lake in companionable silence.
Honey would be back tomorrow, but I wished I had another week alone. Once she returned, I’d have to find someplace else to work while we started the upgraded website. At least their server was no longer hackable. I knew this because I’d tried for three nights straight from three different computers, on four separate IP addresses, and hot spots to boot. No one was getting the secrets to the Butterfly Code, as I had taken to calling it now. A fortress protected it, and anyone who tried to get in would show me their hand in the process.
Gulliver was getting more worried with each passing day that the website stayed down. The uptick in phone calls had continued all week, which told me he had every right to be concerned. The breach was fixed now, and it was time to get the website going again. I would work on it diligently this week, but I’d also use my feminine wiles to convince Gulliver to come out to the campground and have a bit of fun. He was too focused on his work and tended to forget normal people didn’t work sixteen hours a day. It was Sunday today, exactly a week since we’d sat on the balcony and shared a hug, and it should be a day of rest. The problem was, I couldn’t rest. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. His eyes were so open and honest. Every time I gazed into them, I saw the emotions he was feeling in the moment. When we were working, there was often frustration, anger, and something deeper. If I had to guess, I would say it was unhappiness.
