TWENTY-NINE

Stone

With all of the extended family at the farm for Fall Fest—even the ones who usually didn’t work with us—things got pretty chaotic. Before I knew it, the week had flown by.

I didn’t usually mark the passing of time in general, except as how it related to the seasons and the chores around the farm. And of course, for the weekly round robin of meetings in town. 

It was a surprise when I cued up the last texts between Harper and me and discovered they were days old. I’d wanted to text to make sure she remembered Fall Fest was tomorrow. 

I started typing a message then in a split second decision hit the screen to call instead.

It had been too long since we’d talked. Proof of how crazy-busy we’d all been.

I listened through the ringing. Finally, I heard Harper say, “Hi.”

Just the sound of her voice had me smiling. “Hi, yourself. I haven’t talked to you in a few days so I thought I’d call. What have you been up to? Keeping busy?”

“Yeah, I have been busy.”

“Rose’s diaries?” I guessed.

“Yes. And my book too. Deadlines wait for no man . . . or woman.”

“I guess not.” I laughed.

“So, uh, have you been busy?” she asked.

“Yeah. Dad’s been running all of us ragged. But Shalene’s back from school for the weekend so that’s an extra set of hands we can use to get ready for Fall Fest.”

“It’s Saturday, right?”

“Yes. Which is tomorrow. You know that, right?” I asked. “You didn’t lose track of days again working so hard, did you?”

“Um, maybe. But I had a reminder set so I wouldn’t have missed it. I’ll probably come over with Red and Bethany.”

“You’d better. I wouldn’t want you to miss the Pumpkin Pyramid. I’m told it’s very Instagrammable.” I let out a snort that I’d even uttered that word.

“Oh, well then I’ll make sure to post it on my Instagram.” She laughed and I realized it was the first time during our conversation. In fact she sounded really distracted. Almost out of it.

Once this Fall Fest was over I’d have to work harder to distract Harper in a good way, so she didn’t fall back into being the uptight city girl she’d been when she first got here. 

“You’d better post it since I had to build the damn thing,” I joked but I’d build it all over again just to make Harper smile. “Oh, and it’s Friday today. Petunia’s got a game.”

I’d been teasing her about being forgetful but I’d just remembered myself about the away football game.

“She’s already at the school. The football team came and got her personally. I guess they didn’t trust me either.”

“I trust you . . . to remember to set an alarm at least.” I cracked the lame joke for a lack of anything else to say. “So did I tell you there’s going to a band at Fall Fest?”

“That sounds fun.”

I was a grown man. Why did I feel like a teenaged boy trying to ask a girl to the school dance? 

This was ridiculous. Why was I beating around the bush? Making small talk. I should just ask her to come with me to the Fall Fest.

But, did I really have to ask her? I’d be there working. She said she’d be there with Red and Bethany. We might end up dancing, or we might not. I’d let the mood guide me. There really was no invitation needed.

Happy with that scenario, I said, “So, I guess I’ll see you at the festival then.”

“Yup.”

Not satisfied with her one word answer, I decided to elaborate. “It starts at eleven in the morning but it’s going until eight at night so I’m not sure when you’ll want to come. I have to be here the whole time so . . .”

“I’ll see what Red and Bethany’s schedules look like.”

“Okay, yeah. Good. That sounds good.” Jesus, whatever cool I used to have with women had apparently flown out the window with this one. “So I’ll see you there then.”

And now I was repeating myself . . .

“Yup. I’ll see you,” she said.

“Okay. Yeah. All right. Bye.”

“Bye,” she said.

With no more ideas for inane conversation, I disconnected the call and sighed.

“What the fuck was that?” Cash stood against the wall, arms folded, watching me from beneath eyebrows drawn low.

I couldn’t deny it. He’d witnessed my painful, awkward conversation.

I shook my head. “Hell if I know.”

“I’ve seen smoother moves on our little cousin. And he’s seven.” Cash pushed off the wall and sauntered over to me to gloat close up.

“I know. I know. Just shut up.”

He was grinning, which just annoyed me more. “You like her.”

“Of course I like her. You do too. She’s nice. What’s not to like?”

“You like-like her.”

Now I really did feel like I was in middle school. But Cash wasn’t wrong. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s not sticking around once Agnes gets back.”

Cash lifted a brow. “She tell you that?”

“No, but—”

“Bro, why are you assuming shit? If she told you that’s one thing, but she didn’t.”

I didn’t want Cash’s fucked up philosophy getting in my head and giving me hope. The only thing worse than Harper eventually leaving would be me letting myself get attached because I believed she might stay.

I shook my head, refusing to respond to him. Instead, I moved to the workbench and began sanding the seat for one of the rope swings we were hanging in the trees for the kids.

“You’ll see. I’m right. She’s gonna stay.”

Finally, I couldn’t hold my tongue. “And what makes you so sure?”

Cash shrugged. “Just a hunch.”

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t trust Cash’s hunch when he told me to bet against my favorite team in last year’s playoffs and I’d been right. I wasn’t going to trust it now.

“And,” he continued. “Red told me Harper says she really loves it here.”

That bit of info I might trust a little more. Red and Harper had gotten pretty tight. Bethany too. So maybe . . .

Fuck. There was that spark of hope again. I batted it out before it took hold and turned into a full-fledged flame.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said.

“All right. We’ll see.” Cash, looking cocky as ever, turned to leave.

“Hold on a minute there. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Me? I promised Mom I’d pick apples. She and the aunts and cousins are baking a fuck ton of pies to sell to raise money for the Grange.”

I scowled. I couldn’t fight him on that and he knew it. “All right.”

He grinned wide, enjoying his victory.

Not letting him win, I yelled after him, “Don’t get stung.” The subtext of that wish being I really hoped he got stung.

With all the fallen apples on the ground, the yellow jackets were getting aggressive so there was a good chance I’d get my wish.

Cash raised his arm and I saw the single middle finger raised. Yup, he’d gotten the message all right.

Smiling, I went back to sanding the seat. Tomorrow night this Fall Fest would be over and life would get back to normal.

More importantly, tomorrow I’d get to see Harper again.