Page 23 of Apple of My Eye

Chapter Seventeen

Eloise

Observed About Nick (in Chronological Order)

– He must use eyelash serum

– He smells like cinnamon

– He has dimples

– He blushes easily

– He notices spiderwebs before I do and clears them out of the way without ever saying anything

– He is deferentially polite to Dad

– He is way too comfortable with Mom (why doesn’t he find her intimidating?)

I’ve known the days leading up to the Fall Festival will be tough for weeks, but when Thursday arrives, I groan.

I drank too much wine last night at dinner, something my parents only bring out when they are having a tough week, and my head feels fuzzy.

My alarm is blaring. 5:30 a.m. and I know Dad will already have started his day.

Evan arrives tomorrow afternoon and the festival is on Saturday.

It kicks off with the farmers’ market. Usually, one of our largest of the season.

Like clockwork, just as I’m doing the backwards math in my head, the smell of pie crusts wafts under my bedroom door.

Mom has started baking her blue-ribbon pies.

I fumble around my room in the dark for my alarm.

At the beginning of August, it was still light out when I woke up, making the early mornings infinitely easier, but as fall approaches, the mornings have gotten progressively darker.

A shame, really, because the daylight gives us much more time to get ready for our orchards to churn out hundreds of thousands of crisp red apples.

I pause, thinking momentarily of Nick, and how I promised I would take him up here soon.

He told me yesterday that he won’t be by the house today.

Today he has to ‘work on the campaign’ to turn around the Parkers’ farm.

I haven’t dared check the social media accounts he’s told me about.

I can’t look. I feel all sorts of tangled feelings for him—annoyance that he’s trying to fix something he won’t be around to see through, frustration that he’s made me sympathize with leaving Carnation for San Francisco, something I’ve never been able to look kindly upon until now, and . .?. well .?.?. lust.

I spend my day working but distracted. The Parkers’ swells with workers in late August too. When I hear their voices catching on the breeze, floating down the hill towards us, Dad and I exchange glances. The Parkers must really be putting their eggs in Nick’s basket hiring all these people.

Dad shakes his head ever so slightly in the Parkers’ direction, a clear hint of his disapproval.

What he’s disapproving of I’m not quite sure, it could be my plan to buy the farm or it could be the potential sale of our farm.

I’ve tried not to be frustrated with their lack of willingness to talk about either thing.

Neither of my parents want to talk about the sale or the loan, both demurring with ‘no use in talking about it before we see how this harvest goes.’ Which is insanely frustrating given that my future and theirs is at stake.

A strand of hair comes loose from my ponytail and annoyingly falls in front of my eyes, building frustration to anger.

I can’t help but think it’s too bad Nick isn’t around to tenderly tuck it behind my ear.

He’s figured out how to dissipate my moods with a smile.

He’s the only person who’s ever made me wish that days on the farm would last longer .

As much as I hate to admit it, I could use him next to me today.

With each branch I prune, I analyze the kiss in the laundry room from a new angle.

Should I have ignored Mom calling my name?

Should I have invited him to stay the night?

Will we get to do that again? Why hasn’t he tried anything else?

It’s Dad .?.?. suddenly lingering when it’s inconvenient.

I’ve been undressing him more and more with my mind lately, especially now that I know what he feels like.

When he walks across the field towards me with that casual, loping, sexy stride of his it makes me tingle with want all over.

I want to feel the butt that looks so good in jeans.

Hell, I want to nibble his ears with my teeth.

I haven’t said a word about it to Evan or Shari, I’ve only denied it.

I’m waiting for Evan to meet him, curious to see what he thinks, trying not to think about how disappointed I’ll be if Evan doesn’t approve.

But then I remember, Nick’s leaving. And it’s not like I’ll be visiting him in San Francisco.

I’ll be busy here. But even as I think it, I wonder if a visit would really be so bad, it would be a chance to see Linden too .

.?. I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

A farmer in a long-distance relationship is a recipe for disaster.

Sometimes I don’t even have the energy to wash my hair, I would never be able to give the energy late-night phone calls require.

When 6 p.m. rolls around, the sun is sinking below the hills.

I gaze at the Parkers’ one last time, squinting into the sun, before I head in towards the house.

I think about Nick, about the way he calls me by my full name, Eloise Anderson .

I think about how I really need to stop thinking about Nick.

Amie clears her throat awkwardly as I’m checking out my groceries.

I’m at Hal’s for the second time today. Mom keeps running out of flour.

She says her crusts aren’t baking right.

I’ve tried six pies today and they’ve all been delicious.

I make a mental note to tell Evan not to eat on his way here.

Mom has already told me she expects him to try all twelve pies to help her choose which recipe to submit.

‘Hey, Lou?’ Amie asks. The scanner beeps as she rings up the flour.

‘Hey, Amie,’ I reply, digging through my purse for my card.

‘So, you know Nick?’

I freeze. ‘Yeah,’ I say slowly. ‘What about him?’

‘Well—’ Amie twists the ring she wears on her right middle finger ‘—I was wondering .?.?. is he nice?’

I relax. Everyone is so curious about the new guy in town. ‘Yeah.’ I feel my cheeks widen with my smile. ‘He’s really nice.’

‘Are you guys seeing each other?’

‘Me and Nick? Um .?.?.’ Technically, we’re not, but .

.?. When I glance back at Amie she’s staring at me.

‘No. We’re not,’ I say. The last thing I want to do is tell everyone in the town my business and Amie is a huge gossip.

No one faults her for it. Everyone knows her checkout line is the best place to hear about the goings-on in town. Even Hal admits it helps with business.

‘Oh really?’ Amie leans forward slightly. ‘OK, well do you think he would say yes if I asked him out?’

It is all I can do to keep my face from falling. ‘Um,’ I say through my strained smile. Amie wants to ask him out? I do my best to keep my voice even. ‘I don’t really know.’

Her face falls. ‘Oh really? Why?’

‘Um .?.?.’ I trail off, panicked. ‘I mean, I guess he might? You might as well shoot your shot,’ I offer as casually as I can manage.

Amie beams. ‘OK. Cool. I’m glad I asked you. From the way he talks about you I totally thought you might be a thing! But he’s so cute I feel like I might as well see if he’d go to dinner. We never get new people in town and .?.?.’

I can’t focus on what she’s saying. From the way he talks about you I totally thought you might be a thing? What does that mean? Nick is talking about me ?

‘Lou?’ Amie interrupts my train of thought, holding out the receipt for me to take.

‘Sorry.’ I take the receipt, forcing myself to smile again.

‘I’ll let you know how it goes!’ she calls after me as I leave.

My heart sinks. Amie is cute. She’s bubbly and fun and the picture-perfect farm girl. Her red hair is almost always in twin braids that somehow don’t make her look childish. Her legs are impossibly long and tan. If she worked behind a bank counter, she’d be Jolene.

I shake my head. I can’t keep thinking about Amie.

Or Nick. I need to focus. I have basically one month to convince my parents not to sell.

I should be using my brain space to figure out how we can start to host weddings.

Thank God Evan is coming. He has the most distracting personality in the absolute best way. He’ll set me back on track.

Evan: T-minus five hours until I am living the American Dream!!! Getting in the car now.

Evan: Shari, we will miss you!

Shari: I’m in Rome living the Hilary Duff Dream.

Shari: Sorry, I’m clearly bitter. Have fun, you guys. Miss you more.

Eloise: Thank God for you, Evan. Mom has made twelve pies. A dozen. Literally. Bring your appetite.

Evan: I bet Rome doesn’t have good pies *Sent with invisible ink*

Shari: Shut. Up.

Evan gasps so loud when he gets out of the car that he startles a nearby barn swallow that’s been nesting in one of the maple trees in our front yard.

‘I love it here,’ he gushes immediately, gulping in a deep breath of air.

‘Ohmygod, it’s like I can feel my lungs relaxing.

’ He takes another deep lungful. ‘Wow.’ He pauses to look me over.

‘Look at your tanned legs. You look good,’ he says, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. ‘Healthy. Strong.’

I smile in his embrace, our cheeks pressing together. ‘I feel healthy and strong,’ I admit, hugging him tighter. ‘I missed you.’

He pulls away to survey the barn. ‘I’m so happy I’m here,’ he says.

‘I’m so happy you’re here,’ I say at the exact same time. We both laugh. Excitedly, he gestures towards the front door. ‘Hazel and Cal home?’ Evan and my parents love each other.

‘I’ll get your bags,’ I tell him, nudging him inside.

In the five minutes it takes me to bring his bag to the guest room, Mom has called Dad in from wherever he was and the three of them are laughing at the kitchen table.

Dad and Evan are both sipping an Old Fashioned and Mom has a hefty glass of red wine in front of her. She pours me one too and we all cheers.