MissManaged

She pulledup the drive and parked at exactly one thirty-one, not that I was sitting at my desk watching the time or anything. As I exited my office and approached, I took her in when she slid out of her car. Instead of a sexy dress, she wore worn jeans, rubber rain boots, and a light rain jacket. Her camera hung from a strap around her neck. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and as I got closer, I saw she didn’t have a speck of makeup on.

“You like nice,” I said, prompting her to give me an “are you kidding me” look that had me backpedaling to keep things professional. “You look like you’re dressed for a farm tour, which is good since that’s what we’re doing.”

I didn’t wait for her to say anything in case she was about to tell me to get lost.

“Let’s start in the cow barn and work our way around the property,” I said, starting in that direction and hoping she’d follow. When I heard the crunch of gravel behind me, I let out a breath.

“Do you have any animals besides cows?” she asked.

“We have chickens we raise for eggs and meat. And some barn cats. Otherwise, we prefer to just focus on cows,” I replied, leading her into the barn through the open door at one end, strategically bypassing my office. No need to remind her of what happened in there.

We paused just inside the door so she could take some pictures.

“Okay, lead the way and tell me all about the farm,” she said. This time she met my eyes, and I was sad that none of the interest or heat I’d seen the other day was there. On the plus side, neither was the anger. She looked focused and ready to do her job. I suppose that’s all I could ask for at this point.

I nodded. “Just let me know where you want me to stop so you can take pictures.”

Two hours later we wound up in the driveway facing the house. Charlotte had backed up twenty feet to take pictures with the cheese house in the background. She must have taken hundreds of shots all over the property, and I couldn’t wait to see what they looked like and what she planned to do with them. As I waited patiently for her to finish, my parents opened the front door and walked out onto the porch.

I straightened from leaning against Charlotte’s car to tell them to go back inside but she cut me off.

“Is that your parents?” she asked, not looking away from the scene in front of her.

“Yes, I’ll tell them to move out of the way.”

“Actually, can you ask them to stand on the porch with their arms around each other?”

“Sure.” I trooped over to the house, stopping at the base of the front steps. “Charlotte wants you to stand on the porch together.”

“Oh, that’s Charlotte?” my mother said, feigning ignorance. “We’d love to meet her.”

“Let’s just get into position,” my father said, chuckling as he guided her away from the stairs to a spot in the middle of the porch, close to the railing. Without me asking, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “We’re not going to harass the poor woman today, Allison. Toby just got her to agree to come back. We’ll give it a few weeks.” He said it firmly, but gently, the same way he always spoke to my mother.

“All right, Joe,” she replied, returning his embrace. “I’ll give it a few weeks.”

I shook my head at their antics and headed back to Charlotte, taking the opportunity to study her while she was focused on her photography.

Her boots were covered in mud and bits of hay and her jacket was now tied around her waist, leaving her in a simple V-neck black t-shirt. She looked like she belonged on a farm, and it ramped up my desire. Sure, I appreciated the sexy dress and styled hair, but seeing her in work clothes and unafraid to get dirty packed more of a punch for me. The woman I ended up with long term had to be comfortable living on this land and pitching in to make the business successful, like my mother did and my grandmother before her. She didn’t need to shovel shit or feed the cows, but everyone contributed around here and there were times of the year when it was all hands on deck. I needed a partner who was ready and willing to live that kind of life with me.

“Do you live here with your parents?” Charlotte asked, startling me out of my thoughts of the future.

“What? Yes. I mean, no.” I stumbled over my answer, caught off guard by her question and her crystal-blue eyes. “I live on the property but not in the main house. I have a cabin on the other side of the pasture.”

“Oh… that’s good.” She seemed surprised by my answer, but rather than dwell on it, I chose to assume it was a positive in my favor. “Well, I should be going. I’ll download these and start going through them tonight. I’ll send you a selection to review and choose from for the website on Thursday and you can let me know which ones you like. Does that work for you?”

No, that did not work for me, and if she was asking, I wasn’t missing this opportunity to get what I wanted.

“I’d rather look through them with you so I can get your feedback. Can you come back out here on Thursday afternoon?” I held my breath while she considered my request.

“I’m not sure that’s necessary, Tobin.” It was the first time she’d said my name all day, and the sound shot through me.

“As the client, I think it is,” I replied. “I really want your professional opinion, Charlotte.”

That wasn’t a lie. I knew nothing about what made a good picture. But it also wasn’t the entire reason behind my request.

“Can you send me back the deposit I refunded you?” she shot back, with a fair bit of attitude and a spark in her eye that all added up to her getting annoyed with me.

“Of course, I can, Charlotte. You’ll have the money back in your account tonight,” I replied, proud of myself for staying calm. “What time Thursday is good for you? One-thirty again?”

She pursed her lips together and narrowed her eyes and I fought not to laugh at her pissed-off expression. She looked like a grumpy little sprite, but I now knew better than to tell her my thoughts. I’m sure she wanted to keep things distant, but that’s not at all what I wanted. I would keep things professional, but I would take advantage of every opportunity to get closer to her and, hopefully, get to know her better.

“Yes,” she finally ground out. “I will be here on Thursday at one-thirty. Now, I have to go. Have a good day.”

She stomped over to her car, got in, and slammed the door. Thirty seconds later, she started it up and pulled away without a backward glance, going a little faster than she should have, though it was probably a lot slower than she wanted.

I laughed, imagining her cursing me whole way down the driveway while restraining herself from taking off like a rocket, like she did on Saturday.

“What did you say to piss her off now, Tobin?” my father called from the porch.

“Nothing, Dad. Just invited her back for another visit, that’s all.”

He shook his head at me but said nothing else. I knew I was pushing my luck, but I also knew that if I didn’t keep the pressure on Charlotte, she’d run away and hide from me, and that was not going to happen. Not if I had my way.