"Oh, no, you don't. You're telling me right now what is going on between you and your gorgeous co-worker." Barbie crossed her arms and tried to look fierce, but a grin kept bursting through.
I swatted her arm. "Nothing. Nothing is going on. I'm pretty sure you'll see him in the headlines soon hanging off the arm of some great socialite."
"But before that, something happened between you two, didn't it?" Barbie turned and stared at Rainer until I stepped in her way. Then she grinned at me. "I can see it. If you'd stop frowning, I'd say you look good."
I tried not to look at Rainer, but he was staring over at us. "You're not seeing anything."
Barbie shrugged her shoulders and patted her belly. "Fine. You two aren't trading glances. You know what else I see?"
I barely stifled a groan. "Barbie, I don't have time for this."
"Make time," my sister said. "With him."
Her mischievous grin was gone, and there was a faraway look in her eyes. I turned to see what had my sister so captivated and I caught my breath. 6'3", wide shoulders, gold-blond hair, and a bright, easy smile. He shut the door of his pickup truck and caught the eye of every woman in a 500-yard radius.
"Yeah," I said. "He's my new guy. I mean, he's the landscape architect who volunteered to help out."
My sister fell silent as he marched up to us with a shy nod. "You must be Tasha Nichols. Wow. Ah, yeah, I'm Seth Lar
son, the landscaper."
He had dark-brown eyes, chocolate brown. I imagined him licking dark chocolate off a spoon. Were we getting ice cream sundaes together?
"Sorry. Yes. I'm Tasha Nichols." Barbie elbowed me. "And this is my older sister, Barbara."
"Please, call me Barbie," my sister said.
Seth smiled at her round belly, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. "You look beautiful today, Barbie."
"Oh, that'll get me through at least another month." Barbie laughed. She hugged her pregnant belly and stepped back. "Why don't I give you two a minute."
I flashed my sister a look and turned back. Seth was a step closer, his hand out to shake mine. I put my hand in his and willed away a sudden dizziness. When I saw Rainer stomping out of the garden plot while watching us, I swayed.
Seth caught me. "You all right?" he asked.
"Yes, sorry. Fine. Just a pebble under my shoe." I straightened up and brandished my clipboard. "Let me get you caught up."
I couldn't stop talking, even after I saw Mr. Reynolds catch Rainer in a round of long-winded introductions. Every time I glanced at Seth, all I saw was a patient smile. His warm, brown eyes watched me, charmed despite my over-explaining. This couldn't be happening. Was he flirting with me?
"This is a great operation, Tasha. Can I call you Tasha?" Seth tipped the clipboard down.
My arms were like jelly. Rainer was shooting us rapid-fire glances, but I couldn't read his expression.
"Yes, please. Call me Tasha," I said. "I'm sorry for running on and on. Did I miss anything?"
Seth held up a hand. "All I really need to know is what I can do for you. How can I help?"
My jaw dropped over the overt invitation. Seth's arm was circling around my shoulder. I skittered back and thought I caught the curve of a grin on Rainer's face. "Ah, we really just want your opinion on the project. Feedback on the application. Maybe some suggestions for projects, DIY, for the students?"
"Great," Seth said. "How about you show me around the garden plot, I'll put together a few ideas, and then we can talk about them over dinner?"
I almost laughed out loud. I'd been flirted with before, asked out before, but never so warmly or so quickly. Half of me thought there was no such allure as an unavailable woman, but I couldn't figure out why I was off the market.
Barbie swooped in, taking delight in patting Seth's muscular arm. "Sorry to interrupt, honey. I have to cancel dinner tonight, Tasha. I'm so glad you have other plans. I feel just terrible."
"Great. Then it's a date?" Seth asked.
Seth held his hand out to me, but Rainer stepped in and shook it. "Rainer Maxwell, Tasha's co-pilot on this project. And you are?"