Page 11 of Break My Heart (The Haydon Falls #2)

Keep your enemies close. I’ve heard it a million times but never had to use it until now.

The question is .?.?. how do I get Gina to spend time with me?

She can’t stand me, and she knows I feel the same way about her.

She’ll get suspicious if I invite her to do something, unless I phrase it just the right way.

As I drive to her brewery, I practice what to say to her, how to ask her out without actually asking her out.

This isn’t a date. It’s just two people spending time together, getting to know each other.

She’ll probably turn me down, but it’s worth a shot.

I feel kind of guilty doing this, but it’s not like I’m trying to steal her recipes.

I’m just trying to protect my business and make sure she doesn’t do something to destroy it.

I don’t think she would, but it’s possible.

I don’t trust her. I’m almost positive she cheated during the trail race back at camp.

I think she went off the route and took a shortcut.

There’s no way she beat me following the actual route.

I’m a fast runner and that trail was full of rocks and twigs.

She had to have tripped at least once, slowing her down.

She tripped just walking through the orchard today.

When I get to G’s I go around to the back, assuming Gina’s working in her office since the place doesn’t open until four. I knock on the door, then ring the bell the delivery guys use.

Gina opens the door, looking more annoyed than surprised at my unexpected visit. ‘What do you want?’

‘To give you these.’ I hand her the sack of fritters. ‘A peace offering.’

‘What is this?’ she asks, holding the sack far away from her, like she’s expecting it to blow up.

‘My mom’s apple fritters. They’re fresh from the oven.’

‘Why are you giving me these?’

‘To make up for being an ass back at the orchard. I was just surprised seeing you there. But I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. You have every right to be there.’

She tilts her head and narrows her eyes. ‘Is this some kind of trick? ’

‘No, I’m just being nice.’

She opens the sack and looks inside. ‘Are these poisoned?’

‘No! What the hell? I try to do something nice and you accuse me of trying to poison you?’

She pulls out a fritter and takes a bite. ‘They’re really good. Your mom made these?’

‘She’s been making them for years. We sell them at the orchard. People come from all over just to buy them. On the weekends, we sell out of them by noon.’

‘Tell your mom thanks.’ She drops the fritter in the sack. ‘See you, Sawyer.’ She goes to shut the door.

‘Wait!’ I push on the door. ‘I’m not done.’

She leans against the door frame and flings her hair over her shoulder.

She took off the flannel shirt, leaving her in just the tank top and jeans.

I’m trying really hard not to look at her tits, but they’re right there, her nipples on display because she’s not wearing a bra. ‘Hurry up. What do you want?’

My eyes dart back to her face. ‘I want to take you to dinner. A welcome to town dinner.’

‘I’ve been here for almost two months.’

‘Yeah, but you’ve probably been working that whole time.’

‘Most of it, but I’ve gone out a few times.’

‘C’mon, just let me take you for dinner, and afterward I can give you a tour of the town.’

‘I don’t need a tour. It’s not that big.’

I sigh. ‘Okay, what will it take to get a yes? And please don’t make me beg.’

‘Why are you insisting I have dinner with you?’

‘Because I feel bad about how I acted and I want to make it up to you.’

‘You don’t need to. I’m over it.’ She takes a fritter from the bag and takes another bite. ‘These are really good, like I-can’t-stop-eating-them good.’

‘I’m glad you like them. So what do you say? Tonight? Maybe around eight?’

‘Friday’s our busiest night. I have to work. And so do you.’

Shit, that’s right. I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was so eager to have dinner with her that I forgot about the brewery. What the hell’s wrong with me?

‘How about four? Hardly anyone shows up then, and if they do, our employees can handle it.’

She stares at me. ‘You want to eat dinner at four in the afternoon?’

‘I’d rather eat later, but if four is our only option, let’s do it then.’

‘Yeah, I don’t think so. I need to be here working. Speaking of work, I need to get back to it.’

‘How about lunch? We could go at noon and you could be back here by one.’

‘Sawyer, you don’t have to do this. I don’t care what happened this morning. I’m already over it. You don’t need to take me to lunch as some kind of apology. We’re good.’

‘What if it isn’t about that? What if I just want to take you out? Get to know you?’

‘Why would you want to get to know me?’ she asks, suspiciously.

‘We both like beer. We both like brewing it. Maybe we could be friends.’

She laughs. ‘You and me? Friends?’

‘Why not?’

‘Well, for one, you made it clear how much you can’t stand me. You’re probably hoping I’ll fail so I’ll leave town and you’ll never have to see me again. ’

‘Hey.’ I back away, holding my hands up. ‘I was just trying to be nice, but if you really feel that way, I’ll leave you alone.’

I’m heading back around to the front when I hear her voice.

‘How about a race?’

I turn back. ‘What?’

‘A canoe race. We could meet tomorrow at the lake. Seven o’clock.’

I walk back to her. ‘You want us to meet for a canoe race? Is this a joke?’

‘No.’ She smiles and my damn heart beats faster. ‘I kind of miss our competitions. You were the only person who actually tried to beat me instead of giving up halfway in.’

‘A canoe race. At seven in the morning. That’s really what you want to do?’

‘Yeah. I think it’d be fun.’

‘They don’t even rent canoes that early. The place doesn’t open until ten. And actually, I think they’re closed for the season. They close after Labor Day.’

‘The canoes are still there. We’ll just use them and put them back. Who’s going to know?’

I took one of those canoes back in high school and got caught and had to pay a fine. It wasn’t much, maybe twenty bucks. I’d be willing to risk having to pay the fine again, but I really don’t want to race her. It’ll be like camp all over again. Is that why she’s doing this? To humiliate me again?

What am I saying? I’m not seven anymore. I’m a grown man, and a lot bigger and stronger than her. I could easily beat her in a canoe race.

‘You’re on,’ I say. ‘But I’d still like to take you to lunch.’

‘How about breakfast? After the race? But only if you win.’

‘Oh, I’m going to win. There’s no question.’

Her brows rise. ‘And why is that? ’

‘Look at these arms.’ I hold up my arm and flex my bicep. ‘That’s some serious strength there. I could go twice as fast as you.’

Her gaze moves from my arm back to my face. ‘Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.’

‘Guess so.’ I turn to leave, then turn back.

‘Go ahead and pick out a place for breakfast. I like Maury’s, but I’ll let you choose.

’ I walk off, a smug grin on my face, knowing she’s probably fuming at my assumption that I’m going to win.

Now she’ll know what I felt like when she taunted me at camp, acting like she’d already won before we even competed.

I’m looking forward to this. I wanted to take her to dinner, but this is better.

I’ll finally get to prove to her that I can beat her.

I wonder why she suggested this. She knows she can’t beat me in a canoe race.

She’s in great shape, but so am I, and I have a lot more muscle than her.

Was she just too stubborn to agree to go out with me so she made up this contest I had to win in order to take her to breakfast?

I don’t understand her. Gina’s always been a mystery to me. Just when I think I’ve figured her out, she does something that confuses me. She’s unpredictable, which is another reason why getting to know her is a good idea. This is such a brilliant plan. I should’ve thought of it sooner.