3
Cat
“Oh. My. God. Who isthat?” Haley LeBlanc asks, her pretty brown eyes practically bugging out of her head at the sight of Caden Landry. Haley is a twenty-one-year-old college student majoring in business and marketing. She’s worked for us part-time as a sales associate for the last two years.
Caden’s talking to Wyatt, who’s gesturing at the rows of barrels that make up the backdrop of the distillery. He’s been busy with my brothers all morning, but it appears my time is about up. Now that Wyatt’s on the last leg of the tour, Caden will want to go over our computer systems, which means I’ll be trapped in his small office with him.
Nothing I can’t handle. And in light of my long-term plan to avoid him, this is for the greater good.
I wrinkle my nose. “That is our new farm manager.”
“No way.” Haley bounces on the balls of her feet like she’s getting ready to tackle him.
“Way.” I need to play it cool. Thankfully there aren’t that many women who work for us, so I’ll only have to watch a handful of females swooning before they grow accustomed to his presence.
She fans her face with her hand. “He’s soooo hot.”
Despite our ten-year age gap, Haley and I are close, and I think of her like the little sister I never had. When I look at her, I see the woman I might have been, if life hadn’t gotten in the way.
She’s vivacious, outgoing, and never met a challenge she didn’t like. She’s also wild and bold, filled with a kind of entitled determination some people are lucky to possess.
I love her, admire her, and envy her carefree ability to go after whatever dream comes her way. She’s also a welcome respite from the sea of testosterone that is my life—although she’s not working in my favor at the moment.
I don’t like the direction of my thoughts—that little twinge of worry about how Caden will respond when Haley hits him with all her sexy, flirty charm. About how she’s young, beautiful, and doesn’t have a shy bone in her body.
If I don’t steer her in the right direction, who will? It’s my job as her surrogate big sister.
I shake my head. “He’s too old for you.”
Caden and Wyatt disappear down an aisle, and Haley peers around the corner to see if she can still catch a glimpse of him.
“How old is he?” she asks.
I snuck a peek at his birthday on his paperwork when I entered him into the system, and he’s thirty-six.
Five years older than me and a million years older than Haley.
In my best adult voice I say, “Tooold.”
“Who cares? He’s smoking.” Haley’s expression is cunning, and I can practically see the wheels spinning in her head as she schemes her seduction. “Besides, older man is definitely on my sexual bucket list.”
Yes, Haley is a new age of empowered female that believes sex is her privilege, as much as it is a man’s.
“Don’t even think about it.” I want to pretend the beat of panic in my chest is out of protection for her. It’s not true, but that’s what I’m going with, because I can’t even voice to myself what it really is.
Her eyes widen. “What?”
I shake a finger at her. “I know you, and no. That’s a terrible idea.”
I try not to think about how fresh-faced and lovely she is, with all that lush, golden hair cascading in trendy waves down to her waist.
I try even harder not to think of Caden’s reaction to his first glimpse of her.
My brow knits. Well, fine. If he’s going to get hot over a girl that is almost young enough to be his daughter, it shows what kind of a man he is. Yes, she’s ridiculously pretty and her cheeks are all rosy and plump. And her hair is right out of a shampoo commercial, and her body is tall and lean, and everything she wears looks fantastic on her.
But just because hecantake advantage of her youth doesn’t mean heshould.
She grins at me. “Why is it a terrible idea? Is he married or something?”