Page 20 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

MOLLIE

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Kerry Winsor

Since when does Cain go to the farmers market? I saw Mollie dragging him around.

Comments:

Jackie Anne : Sometimes he gets out of the house.

Kerry Winsor : Uh, yeah. To maybe go to the diner. This was way out of left field.

Tammy Jane : Damn. This was the one time I should have closed the diner and gone.

Hu Gh : DON’T YOU DARE. THAT’S MY COFFEE TIME.

As I unloaded everything I bought at the farmers market into the cabinets of the house, I realized that I might have gotten too much. I had no idea how fast I could go through all that I’d bought, but I would try my best.

I’d told Cain I would share, so hopefully he would help.

But after dragging him around all morning? He definitely wasn’t thrilled with me.

I still wasn’t happy that I hadn’t known about it. I loved to go as a kid. Papa Bennie would tell me I was his best salesman, but I figured it had been lost to time like the library.

It was fun, but I’d noticed there was a missing part of it. Bennie was the one who sold fresh berries in the spring and strawberry jam in the winter.

No one had taken his place.

I could see a future with not just berries, but other crops that went later into the season. Sometimes, Bennie had a surplus around the U-pick days, or he took the eggs to sell directly to people to catch up with them.

I wanted to do that.

But with my job and my uncertain future, I didn’t know if I could.

Cain’s truck pulled in right when I had just finished putting everything away.

“Welcome back,” I greeted as they walked in. “Have fun with Jackie?”

“She let me color!” Eric said. He had a piece of paper in his hands that he showed me. I told him it looked amazing before letting my eyes fall on Cain, who was walking into the kitchen.

“Lunch time already?” I asked, trying to gauge how bad his mood was.

“Yep. If I push it any longer, Eric might eat one of us.”

“I want pasta!” Eric called. “With sauce! And garlic bread!”

“I suppose the man has spoken,” Cain replied. “If you’d still be willing to share.”

“Do you think I’d change my mind that quickly? I’ll share. As long as I get a plate. ”

He nodded, but his eyes lingered on me. “I thought you’d be more ... mad.”

“I thought you’d be more mad.”

“About what?”

“Um, the farmers market? Me making you carry my bags while I shopped? How bad is your memory?”

“Oh, that.” He shrugged. “Whatever.”

“I’m sorry, what? You’re just letting it go?”

“There’s nothing to let go of. I didn’t have that bad of a time.”

“You didn’t?”

“You did most of the talking anyway.”

I crossed my arms. “Guess I need to come up with better punishments.”

“I suppose you’d need more after what Kerry told you.”

“I was talking about when you inevitably piss me off. What are you talking about?”

“What Kerry said after you left. You have to have feelings on it.”

“She just told me to come to the diner more so we could chat. Was there something else she could say?”

The relief was evident on his face. His shoulders lowered, and he let out a breath.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Try again. I didn’t see you this worked up when I fell off the roof. Explain.”

“Okay, fine . I don’t have a great reputation around here.”

“Oh, really? Is it your sparkling personality?”

“Yes, honestly.” His voice was short, but then he looked away. “And ... other things I did a long time ago.”

I nodded. “I see.”

“It was?—”

I held up a hand. I could relate to your past making the present hard. I still lay awake at night and thought about how I had let Trevor walk all over me. I was terrified that if Cain knew it, he would demand that I act like that here too.

“You don’t have to tell me that part. You look like you might throw up just thinking about it.”

He scrubbed his hand over his face. “You’re gonna hear about it eventually. And I know it’ll change things.”

“It can’t be worse than when you let Hennifer attack me.”

“Yeah, it can be,” he muttered as he started working on lunch. I watched him for far too long, seeing how tight his shoulders were and how every inch of his body screamed his tension.

But then I started to notice other things. The way his hair curled onto his neck. The way his ass looked in tight work jeans. I turned away before he could call me out on it.

A few minutes later, he summoned me to the dining-room table where food was sitting and waiting.

“So ... what are you buttering me up for?” I asked.

“How did you know I was buttering you up?”

“You’re being oddly nice.” I took a bite of bread, but narrowed my eyes at him. “So, spill.”

“I’ll say this before I call Eric to the table.” He sighed. “I need help.”

I slowed my chewing. That was the last thing I’d expected, but I could tell he was miserable asking for it. Instead of letting my shock show on my face, I took pity.

“What do you need?”

He blinked as if that wasn’t a response he’d expected. “The lawyer said I need character references from everyone I know saying that Eric is happy here.”

Slowly, I nodded. “So you need me to write one.”

“No—I mean, yes. But it’s more than that. I need as many as I can get. Even if you and Jackie do it, I’d need more. From ... the town. ”

“Is that why you were at the farmers market today?”

“Yes. Jackie thought it would help. But it was basically hopeless. Until you showed up.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. But Jackie said I was more open with you there.”

“But I was trying to annoy you.”

He shrugged. “And it worked. In a lot of ways, actually.”

I bit my lip. He and I might not get along, but if I could help, then I should. Eric was a good kid, and Cain was good with him.

Plus, Waldren seemed like a complete ass.

If I could prevent someone from being in the clutches of a man like Trevor, then I would.

I opened my mouth to say just that, but he said something else first.

“And I’d make sure this was worth your time.”

“Worth my time?” My mind could go many places, but none of them made any sense.

“You want the strawberries back, right? Do this, and they’ll be back by spring.”

My jaw dropped. I could plant them? And he wouldn’t complain?

“ Yes ,” I said. “I was gonna help anyway, but now I’m really gonna help. Prepare to have the best social wingwoman of your life .”

“Right,” he said with a wince. “Because that’ll be fun.”

He gave me a nod and then called for Eric. I had more questions, like when we would start with social stuff and when I could start planting berries, but then Eric ran down the stairs and went straight for bread, and I knew that would have to wait.

“We should go out for brunch tomorrow,” Cain told Eric. “Mollie, do you wanna come? ”

I was shocked I’d even been addressed, but then I realized what it was for. Wingwoman time.

“Yes, of course. It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah, let’s call it that.”

The town square was busy on the weekend. I had come early to see Jade and get more candles. Cain and I were set to meet at ten, after he got all his work done at the farm.

Despite not having coffee, I was in a decent mood. Jade had watched the first episode of Wren’s new show without me even asking her to, and we got to talk about it while I shopped. I still missed Wren a lot, but I was glad I’d found someone else in the meantime.

I had a decent spot in front of the library, so I walked over to the diner when I saw Cain’s truck pull in. He eyed the bag in my hand.

“You got more?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of supporting local?”

“Of course I have, but we have more than we can burn at this point.”

We. I’d never been referred to as a part of a pair before, not even when I had been engaged. It sent a thrill up my spine. One that should not have been there.

“I’m getting pancakes!” Eric announced the second he was freed from his child seat.

“Hey, wait—” Cain tried to say, but he was next to me before the sentence was finished.

“Do you like pancakes or waffles?”

“I like both,” I said. “But I’m getting French toast.”

“That’s what Cain gets!” Eric said.

“Great,” he muttered. “People will talk about that. ”

“Why would they talk about what we’re eating?”

“They’ll notice the similarities. And that we live together. And we’re a man and a woman.”

“What if I’m gay?” I asked. “What if you’re gay?”

“My high school history proves otherwise for me.”

“The jury is still out on me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So you’re ...”

“Not really. I like men. A lot. But they don’t know that.”

“Give ’em a week. They’ll figure it out, and then they’ll want us to end up together.”

“And then you’ll kiss?” Eric asked. “Yuck.”

I may not have had Eric’s distaste for the idea, but I could pretend. “Don’t worry. That’s not happening. I’m banned from more relationships at the moment. Unless it’s a relationship with plants.”

“Don’t remind me,” he muttered as we walked to the door. He opened it and Eric darted through. Then he turned to me expectantly.

“What’re you doing?”

“Do you really expect me to let the door slam in your face?”

“Well, if you’re worried about how we look ?—”

“You’re making more of a scene. Get in the diner, princess.” His voice was near a growl.

I didn’t like what that did to me.

I huffed and walked inside.

And everyone was looking at us.

“I told you so,” he said close to my ear.

“Shut up,” I hissed. “Don’t you know it’s rude to gloat?”

“I never said I was polite.”

“Cain. Mollie.” Tammy walked over to us. “What a surprise.”

I laughed as I stepped away from Cain. “Hey, Tammy. Can we all get a table? ”

“I didn’t know you all were at a table-sharing level.”

“There’s only one in the farmhouse,” I replied. “And to be clear, I’m on a table-sharing level with Eric. Not this one.”

“Really?” Cain asked in a flat voice.

“She stole your kid,” Tammy said. “I bet you’re loving this.”

“Yes. Love. That’s the word I’m thinking of.”

“Follow me,” she said, still eyeing us like we were a TV show. “I’ll get you the booth by the window.”