“You look pretty,” he says, his eyes trailing over me appreciatively.

My skin grows warm from his compliment. The way he looks at me. “Thank you. You clean up nice as well.”

He sits up straighter. “Why, thank you. Not every day I get to dress like this.”

Since he so blatantly checked me out, I return the favor. He has on black pants and a dark gray button-up shirt, with a black tie. He’s completely clean shaven and though his longish hair is a bit mussed, it’s a good look for him.

A very good look for him.

“Mostly jeans and sweatshirts working around here, I assume?” I ask, recalling the outfit I saw him in when he dropped off our tree.

Not that he looked bad in those jeans. I happened to notice his butt. He has a nice one. He has a nice everything, truth be told.

Look at me. I haven’t enjoyed male company in so long, I’m finding myself drawn to a man who I have nothing in common with except vicinity.

“Yeah. There’s not much reason to ever dress up, you know?” He shrugs. “Just going to make a mess of yourself anyway.”

“You like working at the tree farm?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink. Another couple joins us at our table and we all say polite hellos before I turn my attention back to Isaac.

To find him already watching me, those pretty blue eyes of his warm and inviting. Perhaps too inviting. “I do. I love it. I’ve been here over three years. Started the summer after I graduated high school.”

That makes him twenty-one. I’m twenty-six. Five years older than him. My ex was a year older than me. I’m not a cougar, but come on. I have no business being with a man who was only thirteen when I graduated high school. He was still in middle school, for God’s sake.

“It was just a part-time job at first,” Isaac continues. “I thought about leaving a bunch of times, but after a while, I felt like I found my…place.”

I frown, not understanding. “What do you mean?”

“I like working outside. Working the land. Hauling heavy shit around—whoops, excuse me.” His cheeks actually turn ruddy, I assume from him saying shit. “I don’t want to be cooped up in an office or building or whatever, wearing a suit and tie every day. I don’t mind dressing up every once in a while, but this isn’t my scene. I’d much rather be outside, breathing in the fresh air.”

Easy for him to say this. He’s still young and doesn’t have to make any hard or fast decisions about his future yet. Plus, I’m sure his destiny hasn’t been planned for him. By the time I was aware, I knew I was supposed to help take over the family jewelry business someday. My brother and I are fully expected to run it. We were always told it was our future, and when we tried to rebel against that—me mostly, never Palmer—I was gently discouraged from pursuing another career.