Crystal really ought to call Ashlynn. She’d love to get an eyeful of this guy. Good thing he was such a grump, so Crystal didn't have to regret she'd never learned how to flirt.
SWEAT DRIPPED DOWN Daniel’s neck as the day heated, and the muggy, humid air ensured none of it evaporated. Crystal was obviously enjoying watching him, grinning to herself like a satisfied cat when she thought he wasn’t looking, and he would not give her the satisfaction of getting him out of his suit coat before they’d even gotten to the actual fishing part.
The suit was a symbol; people treated you better when you wore a suit, took you more seriously. A suit like this said you had the money and connections to get what you wanted anyway, so they might as well make it easy.
Crystal came over, hands on her hips.
“Sure you don't want to just sit in a boat and wait for something to happen?”
He stopped, letting his green line drop limply to the grass. “You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?” He couldn’t help letting a hint of admiration slip through the annoyed tone he’d intended.
She shrugged, but that Cheshire grin slipped through.
His lips wanted to turn up in an answering smile, but he refused to let them. “I believe I'm paying you to take me fishing, am I not?”
“You didn't specify, just said you wanted the whole month.”
This girl wasn’t impressed by the suit at all, was she? That was... unexpectedly nice. Not that he’d let her know that. “Allow me to be more specific. I had thought from reading your website—which could use some help, by the way, maybe a picture or two—that I was hiring you for your guide services, and that you were supposed to show me where the best fish were. I do expect to see water as part of this arrangement.”
“First,” she held up a hand, “what I look like has nothing to do with my ability to catch fish, so it doesn't matter if my picture’s on my website.”
He dipped his head sideways to see her better under the brim of the floppy hat she wore. A sparkly white fishing fly was hooked through the hat brim just to the right of her face, which was distracting, but pink spots had definitely popped up on her cheeks. She was... Embarrassed? Had he made her self-conscious, or was she already touchy about her looks?
While Crystal was a far cry from the blonde fifties-bombshell he had pictured after hearing her voice on the phone, she had big brown eyes that could have belonged on a Disney princess, high cheekbones, and a pointy little pixie chin that, paired with those eyes, made her look just a touch mystical. She wore no hint of makeup, and the floppy fishing hat wouldn't win her any fashion contests, but she was a fishing guide—so what was there to be self-conscious about?
Before he could explain how research showed being able to put a face to a name made customers implicitly trust you more, she continued. “Second, I guarantee you'll be glad I made you practice here when you get out on the river and see how easy it is to snag your line once there’s a hook on.” She stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Keep practicing. I'll load up some tackle and we’ll hit a stream.” She turned away, but rotated to look back over her shoulder at him. “Did the arrangement you imagined—instead of discussing with me—include you providing your own lunches, or will you be joining me in some good old-fashioned PB&J on the riverbanks?” Her tone was deeply innocent, but the curve of her pink lips made it a challenge.
“My cook will, of course, provide the majority of our lunches, but I've been advised that when first acclimating to a new location, it helps to eat like the locals. PB&J sounds divine.”
She stomped off to the front door, but not before Daniel caught sight of her smirk.
As soon as he was sure she was far enough inside not to see, he yanked his phone from his pocket and texted Eleanor to find a chef. He'd survived half of college on peanut butter and Ramen noodles, but that didn't mean he wanted to eat it all month long.
Chapter 5
When Crystal emerged from the shop, she had another rod, a tackle box, a large bundle of khaki fabric, and something tucked under her chin he couldn’t identify.
After dumping her load in the back of her truck, she pulled the object from beneath her chin and tossed it at Daniel. It unfurled as it flew at him, displaying an old white t-shirt, which he managed to catch before it wrapped around his face.
Holding the shirt at arm’s length, he read the navy blue letters aloud. “Bassmaster?”
“It’s a competition.”
He looked down at his suit, then back at the t-shirt. “I can’t be seen in something like this.” He hadn’t even worn a regular t-shirt in years. The feel of it reminded him of cheap tie-dyed summer camp shirts from when he’d been a kid.
“You’re not going to fit into any of my shirts, and that’s the only one of my dad’s still lying around here. Take it or leave it.” She didn’t look at him. Whether her dad had left or died, it was obvious it still hurt.
Guess Daniel would be a Bassmaster for the day.
After stowing his suit coat and dress shirt in his car, Daniel climbed hesitantly into her light gray pickup truck, which had seen better days. Rough, loose-weave fabric covered the seat, faded and fraying in multiple spots, drooping loosely where it should have been tight. The muddy floor, didn’t bode well for the shoes Daniel had chosen for the day.
He’d gotten so used to dressing the part of a CEO, using expensive clothes to distract from his youth when meeting with businessmen much older than himself. He hadn’t even thought about his outfit this morning, but now, his inner broke college kid was laughing at him for being dumb enough to wear a suit for a day of fishing.
They parked in a tiny gravel lot surrounded by trees, with no water in sight. Grabbing half the gear and handing him the other half, Crystal marched right off into the woods, on no path that Daniel could see.
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel grunted as he tripped on a clingy bush. Tiny bugs swarmed around his face, and he tripped again as he swatted at them.
“You didn't wear bug spray this morning, did you?” Crystal had stopped and was watching him battle the little monsters.
He shook his head.
“Sunscreen?”
“You should think about putting together a list you can give people before you march them out through the woods.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That's info I cover on the initial booking call.”
Right. The one he'd hung up in the middle of because his mother had been calling. He slapped at the mosquito on his arm.
“Lucky for you, I come prepared.” Crystal reached into a pocket of her fishing vest and tossed him a tube and a spray bottle. “Tomorrow you might want to think about a hat.”
Tomorrow, he might want to think about not showing up.
Everyone made fishing sound like such a relaxing, fun thing, but Daniel hadn't even gotten to where the fish lived and he was already fed up with it all. Might be worth a cancellation fee to not have to deal with any of this again.
Finally, they came down to the edge of a windy stream. Water raced over tiers of stone shelves just upstream from them, creating miniature waterfalls. Where they stood, the water pooled, green and dark, before turning into a rocky burble again a little further down. The trees around the banks stretched their branches all the way across, creating a tunnel of green over the stream, with pockets of bright sunlight streaming through gaps in the foliage.