Her Summer Crush

She caught his eye and waved him over. He took his time, pausing twice to aim his camera at something, she wasn’t sure what. Her cheeks were burning, and she struggled to paste a smile on her face. Ray paced, checking his watch again.

“Ray has to leave for another meeting,” she said when Cody finally joined them. “And we need his photo.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know—” Cody wrinkled his forehead.

Ray made a dismissive wave. “It’s okay. But let’s get a move on.”

Later, on their way back to Willow Beach, Luci stared out the window at the passing landscape. The interview had left her nerves ragged.

Cody broke the silence. “Did I drive you crazy?”

“Just about,” she said, only half kidding. “This job means a lot to me, you know.”

“I do know. And I take my work seriously, too. We just have different approaches. You like to have a plan, and I like to be spur-of-the-moment.”

“Maybe so, but it would’ve helped if you’d hung around while I was interviewing him. There wasn’t time for as many photos of him as I’d hoped.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll bet that of the ones I took, you’ll find some that will work. And I can’t wait to read what you write about him. If I had to describe him, I’d probably say something like ‘tall dude with big leather hat.’”

Despite her annoyance, Luci giggled. “Yeah, I can just see that in the article. Glen would have a fit.”

“Maybe you should try something offbeat sometime. Well, not that offbeat, but you get the idea.”

When they returned to the office, Cody pulled into the parking lot. Leaving the engine running, he turned to her. “Want to go over the photos I took?”

“Yes, but I’d like to have a rough draft of the text before we sit down together. How about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Sure. I have another project I’m working on, too. Something I think you’ll be interested in.”

* * *

LUCI SAT BACK in her desk chair and read the paragraph she’d just written. The article on Cranberry Acres was taking shape, but she still wasn’t ready for Cody’s input. And here it was, Friday already. When she’d returned to the office yesterday, Glen had summoned her for an impromptu meeting with some of the people involved in the Fourth of July celebration, and it had lasted until quitting time. At home, she’d spent most of the evening reviewing Cody’s pictures—there were quite a few—and did little writing.

She checked her wristwatch. Only an hour before quitting time. She could stay late, but if she were going to work overtime, she’d rather do it at home. But what about Cody?

She called him, breathing a sigh of relief when he answered the phone. She explained her predicament, ending with, “The deadline’s Monday, so that doesn’t give us much time.”

“You’re almost done, you say?”

“I think so. I’ll know better when we finalize the photos.”

He let a beat go by and then said, “Why don’t I come over to your place tonight? Unless you have a date?”

“Ah, no. My only date is with the article.”

“How about seven o’clock?”

“Well...okay. I’m at the Driftwood, number six.”

“See you then.”

* * *

AT A QUARTER to seven that evening, Luci stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing her hair. She put down the brush and peered at her image. Should she wear lipstick or go natural? Did her sweater look ratty? Or casual and comfortable? Finally, she came to her senses. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t a date—this was work. She didn’t have to fix herself up for Cody.

He arrived promptly at seven and breezed in, carrying a white paper bag in one hand and a small black box in the other. He handed her the paper bag.

“What’s this?” she asked and then spotted the Bon Ton Bakery logo. She peeked into the bag. “Ah, doughnuts. Chocolate frosted.” Her mouth was watering already.

“There’s strawberry, too. I trust you have coffee to go with.”

“I do. Good thing I made a big pot.” She pointed to the box. “What else did you bring?”

He patted the top. “This is for later, when we’re through working.” He set the box on the coffee table.

“I have the article up on the computer. Why don’t you take a look while I put these doughnuts on a plate and pour us some coffee?”

“Got to check your view first.” He walked to the patio door and looked out.

“Don’t you want to take a picture or two?” she asked. Of course, his camera was slung around his neck.

“Maybe later,” he said with a good-natured grin.

By the time she had set the doughnuts and coffee on the table and pulled up a chair beside him, he was deep into reading the article. While he finished, she munched a doughnut and sipped her coffee. Finally, he sat back and frowned. Uh-oh. Her stomach knotted.

“So what do you think?”

He nodded and reached for a doughnut, brushing against her shoulder in the process. “I think it’s pretty darn good.”

“No, I hear something else in your voice. What?”

He studied the screen again, scrolling up and down. “It might be a little stiff.”

“Stiff? What does that mean?”

“A few more quotes from Dunbar might liven it up.”

She put down her mug and folded her arms. “He wasn’t the most talkative person.”

“I know. Forget I said anything. Why’d you ask me, anyway?”

“I wanted, ah...” What did she want? His approval? He wasn’t her boss.

But he was her partner. They were in this job together, for better or worse. “I’ll give quotes some thought.”

“And the photos of Dunbar. They turned out all right, didn’t they? How about that shot where he’s cupping one of the plants in his hands? I thought that showed how much he cares about his plants.”

“I do like that one.”