“So I’ve discovered.” The flashing blink coming from the back of her car indicated he’d turned on the hazard lights so approaching cars wouldn’t hit it. At least the back end wouldn’t look like the front by morning. Propped up by the deepening mud, her abandoned boots resembled toy soldiers standing watch over the wrecked car.

Welcome to Vermont.

***

The short ride into town was full of awkward silence. Sensing his irritation with her, Cameron chose to stay quiet instead of peppering him with questions about the town, the state and what he might know about the Green Mountain Country Store.

“You got a name?” he asked.

“Cameron.”

“What kind of name is that for a girl?”

Instantly on the offensive, Cameron glared at him. “It’s the kind of name my parents gave me—and I had it long before Cameron Diaz was famous.”

“Who?”

Astounded, Cameron swiveled in her seat. “Tell me the truth—have I been abducted by aliens? It’s okay. You can give it to me straight. I can take it.”

“I don’t know about aliens, but I may as well tell you I have no idea who Cliff Clavin is either.”

Cameron’s mouth fell open. “The know-it-all mailman from Cheers? One of the top-rated shows of the eighties and nineties?”

“So you think I’m a know-it-all, huh?”

“You sound rather proud of that.”

“Well, you don’t have to be a know-it-all to get that wearing suede boots to Vermont in March isn’t the brightest idea you’ll ever have.”

“Pardon my ignorance, but I’ve never been here before.”

“All that technology lying in your lap, and you never got the 411 on the mud.” He snorted out a laugh.

“Anyone ever tell you that you can be somewhat insufferable?”

Arching an eyebrow, he smirked at her. “Only somewhat? I’ve fallen short of my goal.”

Exasperated, Cameron shifted to look out the passenger window.

“Was it something I said?”

She shook her head in disbelief. The guy was too much. “What’s your name anyway?”

“Will Abbott.”

That got her attention. “Any relation to Lincoln Abbott?”

“That’d be my dad. How do you know him?”

“I don’t actually know him. Yet. I’m due to meet him tomorrow.”

“For what purpose?”

“To build a website for his store.”

“Damn it!” Will slammed the heel of his hand on the wheel. “I can’t believe him! We told him we didn’t want it!”

“We?” Cameron made an effort to keep the waver out of her voice. Would this interminable day ever end?

“My siblings and I. We’re his partners.”

“Oh.” Since the company had no website, she’d found precious little information about it online and had planned to start from scratch once she got to town.

“Let me guess—when he hired you he never mentioned that his children voted against a website.”

“Um, no, that didn’t come up.”