•••
Summer pulled up to the mill and slammed her truck door closed. She could usually take her brothers teasing, but they had gotten a little too out of hand.
She stomped up the outside stairs to the office. She unlocked the door and tossed her canvas bag into a nearby chair. Ripping off her sweatshirt, she threw it into the same chair.
Summer flicked on some lights and sat at her swivel chair inside her office. She booted up her computer and pulled up Google. She punched in the first dating website that popped into her head.
"Yes, stupid. I'm a woman seeking a man." With pink painted fingers, she angrily typed her information into the basic profile settings. "Summer Bowen. Gideon, Montana. 19."
Summer pressed search. A blue flower popped on the screen and started spinning. 'Loading your results', it read.
Summer's heart pounded as the page loaded. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the old wooden desktop. She shoved a pencil into her mouth to calm her nerves. Her legs bobbed up and down underneath her desk. A stray curl fell in front of her face and she didn't bother blowing it away.
"This is it." She said whispered to herself in the silence of the office. "Come on...Come on."
The blue flower stopped. Summer's heart skipped a beat and her breath caught.
NO MATCHES FOUND
Summer let the pencil fall out of her mouth and hit the desk. It echoed against the silence. She stared a little longer.
"Screw love!" She hollered at the computer screen. She stood up and knocked the swivel chair back against the wall. "It's stupid! Meaningless! Selfish!" She stomped around looking for things to break. She grabbed the pencil off the desk and cracked it in half. "Aarrghh!"
Summer walked up to her large family picture that hung on the wall. She started down each of her brothers as teenagers. "Happy now boys?" She extended her arms out. "I'll be forever alone!" She hollered to the picture. "Just like dad wants and just like that blasted dating website! Prince Charming is not going to come waltzing up to me and tell me I'm pretty and that I mean the world to him, though that would be fantastic ya know! But, do you see anyone knocking? Nope! Cause I sure don't! You idiotic, selfish, big-headed morons scared them all off! Congratulations, gentlemen!"
A knock on the office door, then the ring of the bell quickly shut her up. Her curly hair whipping behind her, she spun around and glared at who dared to interrupt her.
Wide eyes stared back at her. "I apologize, I didn't mean to interrupt?" The smirk on the stranger's face made Summer's blood boil.
"We're not open, yet." Summer said through clenched teeth.
He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "I have an interview with Mr. Bowen at seven. I can leave if you're in the middle of something?" He glanced behind her at the Bowen family picture on the wall.
"Have a seat." Summer told him and stepped into her glass office. She glared at him through the glass then stepped back into the waiting area. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the preset coffee pot. After a few sips of straight black, she collected her thoughts. "Did you say, 'interview'?"
"I did." He nodded and pulled a newspaper article from his Carhart pocket.
"We're not hiring at the moment."
He handed Summer the clipping. Summer unfolded it and scanned her eyes across the grim paper. She swallowed when she saw that her father had put an ad into the paper stating he was in search for personal apprentices. She sighed and handed it back.
"I'm Summer. Mr Bowen's daughter. You'll have to wait until he comes in. You're a bit early." Grumbling, she picked up her sweatshirt and bag from the chair opposite from the stranger and disappeared into her office.
•••
YOU ARE READING
Protecting Summer
Romance//Eli Bowen's brilliant plan to keep his precious and only daughter from harm takes an interesting turn. His once "great idea" turning into nothing but "genius". As plans unfold, will Summer be able to hold onto the one thing she holds dear? Her san...
