Kneeling amongst the raspberry bushes, Evie picked juicy berries from the branches and dropped them into a plastic punnet. The juice stained her fingers red, and her knees were dusty from the ground. When the punnet was full, she grabbed another and shuffled along to an untouched bush.
The sun had risen overhead, and it warmed her back pleasantly, not yet holding the true heat of a summer day. Birds and cicadas chirped, and in the distance, she could hear the music one of the other workers was playing on a Bluetooth speaker. The scent of nature, ripe fruit, and sunscreen swirled through the corridor between the rows of bushes, carried on the breeze. Her lips tugged up at the corners. While she could happily sleep a day away, she also loved being up and outside in the morning, and what better way to bring in a new year than by being out in nature?
Someone sneezed, and she wrinkled her nose in sympathy. A few of the others suffered from nasty bouts of hayfever. Thankfully, she didn’t have that problem.
“Evie!”
She stood, stretched, and smiled at Monica. “Hey, Mon. What’s up?”
Monica nodded in greeting and said, “Take a break. You’ve been at it for hours. The berries will still be here in ten minutes.”
Evie grinned. “Not if someone else picks them first.”
Monica’s hands went to her hips. “Don’t you sass me, girl. I’m your boss, remember.”
Evie stacked her punnets into a crate. “I’m fine, Mon. Really. I could do this all day.”
“That may be, but as your boss, I’m putting my foot down. Go get a drink, and lie down for a bit.”
Evie didn’t argue again, just nodded and watched Monica stroll off to boss someone else around. A break couldn’t hurt—she’d been picking for the better part of five hours. One of the benefits of living with the boss was that she could start as early as she pleased.
Heading to the tap to refill her water bottle, she paused beside her backpack and wiped sweat from her forehead with a towel, then exited the fenced portion of the orchard and rounded the corner, coming to an abrupt halt before she reached her destination.
There, sitting cross-legged on a checkered red and white blanket with a picnic basket at his side, a few yards from the water tap, was Davy. Her heart stuttered at the sight of him. She hadn’t expected to see him again until the next time the girls dragged her to his bar, and when that happened, she’d expected them to behave like polite strangers.
But now he was here. At her work. A million questions flew through her mind.
What was he doing here?
Was he here for her? And if so, why?
Had he always looked so damned fine?
In front of him lay an oval platter of finger foods. Cheese, crackers, fruit, chocolates. A bottle of wine rested against his knee, two paper cups beside it.
An actual, honest to god, picnic.
He grinned at her, and Evie felt an answering smile creep over her face.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he said. “Happy new year.”
“Morena,” she replied, gesturing at the blanket. “What’s all this?”
Davy had never sweated so much in his life. It trickled down the side of his neck, soaked the top of his shirt and dribbled down his spine, pooling above the waistband of his shorts. The morning was warm, but the primary reason for his excessive sweating was nerves. It had been days since he’d seen Evelyn, and now he’d turned up at her workplace unexpectedly. Worse, he’d conspired with her boss to get her here, working on the premise that she returned his feelings. But what if he was wrong? What if Monica had misread the situation?
When she’d first come into view, wearing tiny pink shorts with her hair tied back in a ponytail, a red bandanna wrapped around her head and her face free of makeup, he felt like he’d been struck over the head by a frying pan.
This is her.
The woman he wanted to spend years of his life getting to know. The one he wanted to see across the dinner table at family Christmases from now on. He was batshit crazy for her.
His mouth went dry as he took in every glorious inch of her, as if seeing her properly for the first time. And perhaps he was. The woman before him was someone who enjoyed travelling, but wasn’t flaky. A hard worker, not afraid to learn new things. Most of all, she was someone who loved fun but had experienced life’s ups and downs, too.
She took his breath away.
She’d never looked more beautiful.
He smiled. She smiled. They greeted each other.
His breathing quickened and his stomach knotted as he patted the blanket and said, “Will you join me?”
She hesitated, gnawing on her lip. “I have to go back to work soon.”
“I spoke to Monica. She doesn’t mind if you take fifteen minutes off to sit with me, but it’s your choice.”
After what seemed an eternity, she nodded. “Okay.”
He went weak with relief. He’d gotten over one hurdle. Hopefully fifteen minutes was all he’d need to get over another. With shaky hands, he poured wine into one of the paper cups and handed it to her. She sipped, and watched him over the rim.
“Have something to eat,” he said, and she selected a cracker and wedge of creamy cheese. He didn’t touch the food. He was too nervous to eat, and he feared if he poured himself a drink, he’d spill it in his lap.
“This is nice,” she said, waving the cracker.
He didn’t know whether she was referring to the food or the setup, but either way, he’d take the compliment. “I’m glad you approve.”
“What I can’t figure out is what you’re doing here.”
Time to get to the point. As his dad would say, shit or get off the pot. “I want to be with you. I want to give ‘us’ a shot.”
She stared at him like he’d sprouted a second head, the food and wine forgotten.
“I want to take you out, buy you dinner, go to the movies. Treat you right.” When she still seemed utterly baffled, he asked, “Am I bungling this?”
“No,” she said softly, shaking her head from side to side. “But I’m not sure exactly what you’re saying.”
He needed to put this simply. “I want to go on a date with you, sweetheart—a proper date—with no expectation of anything coming from it other than that we enjoy ourselves.”
She cocked her head. “You’re asking me on a date?”
“Yes.” He grinned, his confidence growing since she hadn’t run screaming or immediately rebuffed him. “My family would think I was crazy if I didn’t. Do you know how many times they told me not to let you go? A lot.”
Her mouth formed an “o” of surprise. “Ha! That’s brilliant.”
“You’re brilliant.”
She snorted. “Cheesy, O’Connor. Real cheesy.”
“I know.” He took the cup from her, balanced it on the ground, and held her hand in his own, ready to offer her his heart and pray she didn’t break it again. “So, what I’m asking is, will you let me take you out? Will you wait just a while before you move away so we can see if we could have something real?”
Evelyn pondered it. Her brows lowered in thought. For every second she remained silent, his tension ratcheted up a notch. Finally, she pursed her lips and said, in the same casual tone with which she’d agreed to join him, “Okay, sounds like a plan.”
“Yes?” he asked. “Just like that?”
A cheeky smile stretched across her face. “Did you want me to play hard to get?”
“Well, no.” He floundered. “Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t think you’d agree to stay so easily.”
She laughed, and it lit her whole face. Her deep brown eyes glowed with affection. “Here’s the thing, Irishman. I’ve been feeling a bit off for a while, and I haven’t been able to figure out why, but I think I finally know. I’m tired of always being on the move.” She shrugged. “I’m getting older, and there aren’t many places I haven’t seen. I’m ready to try something new. Something like staying.”
“Seriously?” He came onto his knees and leaned over her, dropping a kiss on her lips. “You couldn’t have said this a little earlier? Like, say, before we did the deed?”
Her smile turned wry. “You didn’t give me the chance, and besides, I was still working it out for myself. You know me—I have to come around to things in my own time.”
He kissed her again, because it was that or wring her infuriating neck. “Do you have any idea how crazy you make me?”
She grinned. “I think I need another kiss to remind me.”
He obliged, and this time it was slow and all-consuming. He put every ounce of his feelings for her into it, hoping she could tell how serious he was. They drew back and he kissed her nose. Her eyes fluttered closed, and he kissed her eyelids. She giggled, her smile broadening.
“Work with me,” Davy said impulsively. “Come and do my books. Help me in the bar. I’ll need another staff member in the new year.” A wonderful, crazy idea occurred to him. “Move in with me.”
She burst out laughing, the sound light and happy and perfect. “Slow down, Irishman. One step at a time.”
“Why?” he demanded, gathering her into his arms for a kiss. “There’s plenty of space in my apartment for two.”
She cupped his face between her palms. “That’s not taking it slow,” she said, her smile saying she didn’t mind. She kissed his forehead. “Yes, I’ll work with you. But you’re not my boss. We don’t need that clouding our relationship. I’ll work with you as a private contractor. No, I won’t live with you, but I will date you, and maybe one day we’ll get there. We’re not rushing anything. I want to be wooed.”
He chuckled. What had he ever done to deserve this woman?
The sun reflected in her eyes and they seemed to twinkle. Her cupid’s bow deepened, as did her smile. She was so beautiful.
“Have I told you I adore you?” he asked.
“No, but I wouldn’t mind hearing that.”
“I adore you.” His hands steady, he helped himself to a cup of wine, then shifted to sit by her side, his arm around her shoulders. “Shall we have a toast?”
She snuggled into his side. “I propose a toast to you, Davy O’Connor. And to summer. And a brilliant start to a new year.”
They clinked their paper glasses. “Cheers.”
Then they stretched out on the blanket beneath the high morning sun and talked for far longer than fifteen minutes, but neither of them cared. All they cared about was getting to know each other again. Davy’s heart was full and he’d never experienced such a wonderful moment as his second first date with Evelyn Parata.
The first of many.
Thank you for reading Second Chance Christmas. I hope you enjoyed celebrating Christmas with Evie, Davy, and his family.
If you’d like more heartfelt small town romance by Alexa Rivers, you can order Come Back to You, a second chance love story, here: https://books2read.com/come-back-to-you