Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words(16)

“Oh, I was just concerned about your skin! You know, all that sun shining down on you all day… skin cancer is no joke. If you ever need to borrow some sunscreen, I have plenty!”

Excellent, Heidi. There’s nothing more attractive than talking about cancer.

Brent takes a step closer to me, and all of a sudden, I’m surrounded by the smell of him. There’s a faint hint of woodsy cologne, but it’s mainly just soap and man. I really want to avoid any and all eye contact with him, since it seems to constantly turn me into a bumbling idiot, but it’s impossible to look away when he’s standing right in my personal space and I can feel the heat from his body. I’ve never noticed his blue eyes have specks of gold surrounding the pupil, and they’re so gorgeous I don’t think I’d be able to stop staring at them even if someone physically pulled me away from him.

“You never answered my question. How was work today?”

His voice is like a warm, gentle breeze floating all around me, and I feel like I’ve been put under a spell. I can’t move, I can’t breathe, and I can’t think. All I can do is stand perfectly still, wondering what Brent would do if I could be bold and fearless and tell him I don’t give a crap about work; I just want to continue watching his lips move and wonder if they taste like the peppermint I can smell on his breath, since he’s standing so close.

“W-w-work was great,” I stutter softly. “I actually met someone famous today. Jameson Kenter. Have you seen his movies? He’s much taller in person. And even better looking. And so nice. He’s going to be there every day for a while recording a book.”

“Wow. Jameson Kenter, huh? Sounds like a great way to spend your day at work, with someone so good-looking and nice.” Brent smiles.

He’s smiling at me, but there’s something off about his smile. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I’ve spent a lot of time studying Brent’s eyes, and whenever he’s amused or happy about something, little crinkles form around the corners. I don’t see crinkles. There are no crinkles. Where are the crinkles?

“But you’re more better and good-lookinger!” I quickly reassure him.

Oh my God, I was a teacher! That sentence is a travesty to the entire English language!

“I mean, you are a super nice guy. And you’re better looking. I’ll just stop talking now.”

My stomach does a weird little flip-flop when I see the crinkles I’ve been waiting for form around Brent’s eyes as he smiles at me.

“You think I’m nice and good-looking?” he asks, and I swear I see a twinkle in his eyes.

“You should just forget I said that. It’s not like you need the reassurance. I’m sure you’ve looked in a mirror. Unless you’re a vampire.” I snort, forming my fingers into a cross and holding it up in front of his face. “Nope. You didn’t instantly burst into flames.”

I snort again then immediately wish I could snap my fingers and transport myself elsewhere. Like Siberia. I’m being so Heidi right now I’m getting on my own nerves.

I’m embarrassed and mortified and I’m covering it up with lame humor. I can’t believe I thought Brent might have been jealous there for a second when I mentioned Jameson. It just proves what a mess I am. Why would Brent care who I spend my work days with? He wouldn’t. At all. Brent is hot. Heidi is not. Heidi is always told she’s cute and adorable. Heidi does not attract a man the likes of Brent. Heidi attracts men who were forced to go out with her when two meddling mothers got together over coffee.

Heidi really needs to stop thinking about herself in third person.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you have much more important things to do than stand here listening to me embarrass myself,” I tell Brent with a nervous laugh as I start backing away from him.

I too have a lot of important things to do. Like research flights to Siberia.

The adorable, lopsided grin I love so much is in full force on Brent’s face as he stands there on the walkway, watching me hustle backward away from him as fast as I can without falling and making an even bigger fool of myself.

“Well, when you have some free time after hanging with famous people, don’t forget you promised to teach me all about living in Minnesota.”

Holy cow, I can’t believe he remembered that. It was something nice and neighborly I threw out the day we met, when he caught me watching him unload boxes from the moving van.

Which is just another thing to add to my list of why I’m so ridiculous. If I had any guts at all, I would have made a list of all the things I love about Minnesota, including all the places we could visit and I could introduce him to, and then let him pick where he wanted to go first. But I have no guts. Instead, I have the ability to call someone more better and accuse them of being a vampire.

“Okay, you betcha!” I shout over-excitedly as I turn away from him and walk faster toward my house.

“And Heidi!” Brent shouts after me, my feet never faltering in their quick escape from him. “I think you’re good lookinger too!”

I practically run the rest of the way up the walk to my house, refusing to let myself think about the fact that Brent is still standing where I left him, watching me the entire time, or what he just shouted to me. I’m sure he just said that to be funny, because I sounded like an idiot when I said it to him. There’s no way he thinks I’m good lookinger.