Page 4 of Butterflies and Hazel Eyes
CHAPTER 2
After Gulliver gave me the nickel tour of Butterfly Junction, he offered to take me to lunch at the local bar and pizzeria to discuss the finer points of the business. The finer points would be difficult for me since I was still having trouble grasping what their business was. I was never one to turn down a pizza, though, so I agreed.
“Do you always take your independent contractors out for pizza?” I asked, sipping from the glass of root beer I’d ordered when we arrived. It was spicy and frosty, just the way I liked it.
Gulliver set his mug down. “Small-town nice, you know?” he teased. “I’m kidding. You’re the first, but I’ve never had a drop-dead gorgeous, bigger-than-life, brilliant independent contractor like you walk through my office door before.”
I broke eye contact and took another sip of my root beer. “Thank you for the compliment. My pixie-sized frame always takes people by surprise, but I promise you, my skills are anything but small.”
“Now that I believe,” he said with light laughter as his head nodded vigorously. “You come highly recommended, and we’ll need all your skills.”
“Let me get this straight,” I said, leaning on the table as I took notes on my notepad. I always keep a notebook with me when I’m working with a new client, so I don’t forget important details. “Your business is research and development for eco-friendly pesticides.”
Gulliver nodded once as he lowered his mug. “Correct. We are developing a pesticide formula now and the herbicide and fungicide will follow. Our goal is to kill pests without killing other non-crop-threatening insects.”
I finished writing and glanced at him. “Non-crop-threatening insects. There’s something you don’t hear every day. How on earth did you get into this line of business?” I laid my pen down and checked under the table out of habit, only to remember Mojo was hanging out at the office with Honey.
“He’s fine, you know. Honey will feed him things she shouldn’t and make him a bed in the corner out of blankets.”
I laughed and sighed at the same time. The laughter was at Gulliver’s words, and the sigh was because he was right. “I feel naked without him since he’s my constant companion on every job. I bet Mojo is thrilled to have Charity-free time, though. I’m always bossing him around.”
Gulliver stared me down as he leaned back in the booth comfortably. “I doubt anyone would be thrilled to be away from you, but I definitely can picture your bossy side. Though I don’t think being bossy is always a bad thing.”
I lowered my pop glass slowly and thought about what he said. I wasn’t sure if I should take it as a compliment or an offense. I had to chuckle because the more time I spent with him, the more I realized I might always feel that way with Gulliver Winsome. He’d say something off-color, but he did it in a way that you didn’t care to call him on it. While slightly frustrating, it was also endearing. I suspected he played people in this way to keep them from delving into his personal life or asking too many questions about why he used crutches. Too bad I wasn’t staying in Plentiful for very long. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Gulliver. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Rather than speak, he pointed at a pink-haired woman in a black apron carrying a giant round pie of cheesy delight. I grabbed a plate while Gulliver prepared the cheese and spices for the gooey goodness about to land on our table. The masterpiece was set down, and the waitress grinned, her head swiveling back and forth between us. “Who’s your friend, Gulliver?” she asked with giddy curiosity.
“I’m Charity,” I said, reaching out to shake her hand.
“You must be new here. When you work in the only bar in town, you know all the regulars.”
“Charity is here doing some computer work at Butterfly Junction,” Gulliver said to quell the awkwardness.
I motioned at the handsome man across from me whose cinnamon-flecked eyes kept distracting me with every blink of his ridiculously long lashes. The good Lord had blessed this man with lashes any woman would pay to have. Through the entire tour, every time he stopped to explain something to me, I’d lose focus because I couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. Considering our height difference, it took a lot for his eyes to capture me the way they did. “I’m helping them set up a new website. I’m afraid I won’t be in town long, but Gulliver insisted I had to try the pizza here.”
Debbie, as her name tag read, bobbed her pink-haired head while she gripped Gulliver’s shoulder. If she wasn’t twice his age, I bet she’d be chasing him around town. “Mr. Winsome speaks the truth. Well, I’m sorry you won’t be sticking around, but it was sure nice to meet you. Anything else for you two?”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the way she asked it. She made it sound like we were on our first date stumbling through our meet-cute. It was clear that as far as Debbie was concerned, when Gulliver Winsome showed up with a woman, it was a big deal.
“We could use a refill on our drinks, Debbie. Thanks,” he said, handing his mug over, so I did the same with mine. When she was gone, he loaded up my plate with the cracker-thin pizza crust covered in cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and black olives. “This is the only place in the state where you can get truly amazing pizza,” he informed me. “When you pass it on the street, you think it’s a dive, and let’s face it, Plentiful isn’t New York City, but the food is spectacular. Dig in,” he said, motioning at the plate.
I guess we weren’t going to discuss anything until we’d eaten, so I did as he instructed. Gulliver was right about one thing; the food was spectacular. “Mmmm,” I moaned as I finished chewing. “I haven’t had pizza like this since the last time I was in Jersey. I’m starting to like Plentiful more and more.”
“Not much to like here,” he said offhand, his smile of thanks bright when Debbie set down two more mugs and left again without a word.
“Not true,” I said between bites. “There’s the lake, the silence, the smell of fresh air and sunshine, the lack of traffic, and the brilliant stars in the sky. When I pulled into the campground last night around eleven, the stars were swirling like ballroom dancers. If you look around, you’ll find plenty of reasons to like this town.”
Gulliver motioned out the side door of the bar toward Butterfly Junction. “The lake is one of the reasons I stay. I love to kayak in the summer. I’m also a fan of the glass-bottomed boat tours to the Apostle Islands. You glide across the water and under your feet, the secrets of the Lady of the Lake are revealed. There are so many shipwrecks on the bottom of that lake. I’ve done it a dozen times but still see something new every time I go.”
My head snapped up when he mentioned the islands. “I want in,” I said immediately.
His laughter told me he was tickled by my enthusiasm. “You are a most unusual woman, Charity Puck. Most people find Lake Superior relatively ho-hum after a few years of being around here.”
I washed my pizza down with some root beer before I answered. “I’m from Michigan, but we didn’t live by the lake. I moved to California when I was eighteen and lived on the water off and on for three years, which is probably why I love camping on the shores of Lake Superior now. I travel nonstop and see the ocean on both coasts, but there’s nothing quite like the Midwest.”
Gulliver lowered his fork and made eye contact. I could tell whatever he was going to say would make me uncomfortable. “You’re right, and I love your enthusiasm for life. You might be bossy, but you’re also positive and bright about everything. Positivity is rare these days.”
Yup, uncomfortable. Why? Because no one understood what made me tick. I was never around long enough for someone to get to know me that well. When Gulliver looked me in the eye, though, I sensed he already knew who I was at my base. There was some kind of pull between us that I couldn’t define, but I had never met anyone as unique as Gulliver Winsome, so maybe that was why. He stirred something inside me. A connection of commonality. A familiarity even when unfamiliar.
