Page 4 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

I looked back up at him, trying to keep the betrayal from showing on my face. Did he even care about what I wanted? “It’s my family’s company. They’ve been looking for a place to develop for years. ”

“That area is up-and-coming,” Dad added. “It could be the first neighborhood in the area.”

Strawberry Springs was a small town, one where everyone bought a large plot of land and lived on it, unless they lived near the town square. I didn’t remember a single subdivision in that area. And unless things had changed over the last ten years, I doubted it really was up-and-coming.

“Thank you for showing me this,” I said slowly, trying to figure out what to do.

“You should get to work on selling that old place,” Trevor said. “Then we can put an offer in on the house next door.”

I stared down at the letter, wondering if I could even go through with that before going back to my happy place.

I didn’t know if I could let go of it.

“Let me get it into my name fully,” I said. “Then we’ll go from there.”

“I can’t wait until you guys can come over every morning for coffee.” Mom bounced on the balls of her feet. “Can’t you, Mollie?”

“U-um, yeah.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m just ... thinking. About all of my plans.”

And how I might just hate every single one of them.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “I thought you’d be more excited.”

“I’m ... I miss the farm. I didn’t know I had it.”

“You have such a rose-tinted view of everything,” she said. “But I know it isn’t how you remember it. Not at all.”

“Still, it’s something.”

“I have something far better to help,” she said. “Come on. This will make you feel better.”

Mom pulled a DVD out of the closet and took us to the living room .

“Here you go.” She pressed play.

The opening shot was a close-up of a flannel shirt, and then Papa Bennie came into the frame as he set the camera down. His tanned skin was familiar, and my heart gave a lurch at the sight of him.

“All right, I think this is right,” Bennie muttered. “Maribelle will have my head if it isn’t.”

“Papa Bennie! Look what I found!”

A young version of me came into the frame, holding up a gigantic worm.

“Oh, that’s disgusting,” Trevor muttered.

Nostalgia hit me stronger than I’d ever felt. It had been years since I’d laid my eyes on those strawberry patches and rolling hills.

They were beautiful in a way I needed. The screen wasn’t enough. I needed to be there.

“Your mama said to change into overalls, Miss Mae!”

I blew a raspberry and ran for the tree line where the animals used to be. Papa Bennie laughed.

And the camera cut.

“You were such a menace back then,” Mom said, laughing.

“Those fields didn’t know what was coming whenever we let you stay the night.

Though with how messy you were when you came back, I was glad not to have to deal with that anymore.

You can have this DVD. That way, you can see it whenever you want to. Problem solved.”

But it wasn’t solved. Not even close. Now I wanted to go there more . I needed to see what had become of the place I’d loved so much.

“Mollie,” Trevor said. “Come on, it’s just a farm. Your life is here.”

“Yes, honey.” Mom’s voice was gentle. “It’s with us.”

I bit my lip and nodded, even though every cell in my body told me not to. I put the papers in my purse and tried to make peace with my decision.

I didn’t find it.

Mom handed me the DVD and then talked more about our plans. I nodded along and tried to sound happy, but when Trevor and I were getting into the car, the mask fell.

“I can’t believe you knew,” I said as we pulled away. “And you’re wanting to sell it to your family’s company.”

“That sale will ensure we can buy that house and have a wedding. Selling the old land will benefit us both. Trust me.”

“I’m trying to. But you kept my own farmhouse from me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d be upset over this. Don’t be so sensitive, Mollie. I just wanted you to see our next house before I told you.”

“Still. You saw the DVD. You saw how happy that place made me.”

“Do you really wanna be that girl with the worm?”

“Maybe I do.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not letting you.”

I took a deep breath and tried to push down my rising emotions.

“I want to see it before I sell it.”

“And that’s another thing I’m not letting you do.”

“What? Why? ”

“Because I know you. You’ll want to stay. You’ll see some shabby little town and think it’s right for you.”

Dammit. He may not always understand me, but he was right about this one.

Strawberry Springs was the kind of place where everyone knew each other. And to a girl who didn’t even know her neighbors, that sounded nice.

“Just get the deed and sell it. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

He seemed so sure about it .

“Have you ever felt this way?” I asked. “Like you’re in the wrong place, and you want things to go back to how they were?”

“No, of course not.” He shook his head. “I know exactly how I want my life to be.”

A million thoughts fought for dominance, but none of them were kind. I swallowed all of it and crossed my arms, looking out at the city.

I wanted this feeling to go away. I wanted to like Nashville, the city everyone told me I should love.

But I didn’t.