Page 28 of Break My Heart (The Haydon Falls #2)

Sawyer

Gina and I have been together a few weeks now and things couldn’t be better.

We get along great and the sex is the best I’ve ever had.

I’m enjoying it while it lasts because this is usually about the time when relationships change and you realize it isn’t as perfect as you thought.

I’m prepared for that, and prepared to work through it.

I’ve never wanted to work this hard for a girl, which tells me how much I like her.

My brothers have been giving me shit about it, especially since it’s Gina.

Ever since camp I’ve complained about her, saying she must have cheated to win all those competitions.

My brothers told me to get over it, to forget about her, but I couldn’t.

It’s like I told her, she drove me crazy, but in a good way.

I love that she’s good at stuff, that she can beat me and doesn’t even try to let me win.

It turns me on and makes me respect her more.

She really is perfect for me, and that’s what worries me.

I found a girl who could be the one, but I’m worried we won’t last. My fiancé left because she didn’t want to live here.

What if Gina does the same thing? She’s not from here.

What if she doesn’t stick around? If her brewery doesn’t survive, would she leave?

She’d have no reason to stay, other than us, but is that enough?

‘Hey, Sawyer,’ Nash says, coming up to me. I’m outside by the barn, setting up pumpkins for the festival.

Nash’s wedding is only a few weeks away so he’s been coming up here a lot to finalize the details.

This weekend he and Callie put the wedding plans on hold and are here for the fall festival, the orchard’s biggest event of the year.

It starts Friday, which is tomorrow, and goes all weekend.

We’ve all been helping out this week to get everything set up.

Even Gina helped, working with my mom, Lyndsay, and Callie to get all the baked goods packaged up and ready to sell.

My brothers and I have been helping with the outside work, getting the orchard cleared of any fallen branches and the grass mowed so the place looks perfect when the press comes to film and take pictures.

We get a lot of publicity for this event and a lot of tourists coming to town.

I hired some temporary help at the brewery, knowing we’ll be busier than normal this weekend.

‘Hey, Nash.’ I wipe my hands on a rag. They’re covered in dirt from unloading the pumpkins Brody brought up from the fields. We arrange them by the barn for people who don’t want to pick their own. ‘Is Callie feeling better?’ I ask because she’s been sick since they got here.

‘She’s in the house trying to eat something. Your mom’s with her. She’s been great with Callie. We’re even considering moving up here for awhile so Callie can spend more time with her.’

‘Are you serious?’ I toss the rag aside and walk over to him.

‘We haven’t decided yet, but we’re talking about it.

The pregnancy has been hard on Callie emotionally.

It’s just another reminder that her family is gone.

This is a time when she really needs her mom and she doesn’t have her.

That’s why it’s been good for her to be around Aunt Martha.

She treats Callie like a daughter, which is exactly what Callie needs right now.

I’m willing to move here for a few months if that’s what Callie needs to get through this.

I think it’d be good for both of us. You know how much I love the country.

’ He looks out at the orchard, at the rolling hills dotted with autumn colors from the changing leaves.

‘You don’t get a view like this in Chicago. ’

‘Where would you guys live if you moved here?’

‘The house your parents got with that land they bought.’

‘You sure you’d want to live there? That place needs a lot of work.’

‘Which is another reason we’re considering it.

I made a deal with your parents. They let Callie and me live there for free, I’ll renovate the house.

It’ll give me something to do while we’re here.

And it’s only a half mile from your parents.

Callie can go see Aunt Martha all the time, and when she feels better, Callie wants to help your mom with the baked goods.

Callie used to work at a bakery. She kind of misses it. ’

‘Sounds like you got it all worked out.’

‘Yeah, I’ve just got to figure out who can fill in for me at Wheeler Construction. I just started a new project downtown. I can’t leave it until I find someone.’

‘Your brothers can’t fill in for you?’

‘They’ve got their own projects they’re working on. Dad offered to fill in for me, but he really doesn’t have time. We have so many projects he’s been spending his days in the office, handling the paperwork.’

‘At least the company’s doing well. That’s good news.’

‘How’s yours doing? It looked busy when I drove by there last week.’

‘It’s doing great, especially now, with the festival coming up. This time of year, tourists take over the town. My place has been packed every night. The downtown location really helps me out. It’s where everyone goes.’

‘Sawyer!’ Tom comes around the barn, smiling as he walks over to me. ‘I got the t-shirts. Should I bring them to the barn?’

‘Yeah, but go in the main door. Lyndsay can help you. She’s setting up the tables.’ Tom glances at Nash. ‘Have we met before? You look familiar.’

Nash goes up to him and shakes his hand. ‘Nash Wheeler. I’m Sawyer’s cousin.’

‘I think I’ve seen you around town.’

‘It’s possible. I live in Chicago, but I’ve been here so much lately I feel like I live here.’

‘He’s getting married here in a few weeks,’ I explain. ‘He’s been here getting ready for it.’

‘Better you than me,’ Tom says to Nash. ‘I’m divorced. Never doing the married thing again.’ He looks back at me. ‘I went to your place last night. Had to wait for a seat.’

‘Yeah, it’s been busy.’

‘I hope it stays that way. I keep telling people to go there.’

‘Thanks. I appreciate it.’

‘That other place needs to go. I can’t believe that bitch thinks she can come to our town and open a brewery.’

‘She has every right to be here,’ I say, wanting to punch him for talking that way about Gina. ‘She lives here. It’s her town too.’

‘That’s not how I see it. And you shouldn’t either. She’s trying to take your business.’

‘This town’s big enough to support two microbreweries.’

‘Maybe, but you’ll make less. If I were you, I’d be doing whatever I could to get her to leave.’ He nods toward the barn. ‘I’m going to go drop off those t-shirts and get going. See ya later.’

‘Yeah, bye. ’

‘Friend of yours?’ Nash asks as we watch Tom go back to his truck.

‘No. We went to high school together. I didn’t like him back then and still don’t. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t accept anyone new moving to town. He thinks they don’t belong here. I almost punched him when he said that shit about Gina.’

‘Just ignore him. Guys like that aren’t worth getting all worked up about.’

‘They are when they say shit about your girl.’

‘Yeah, I get that. So why are you guys doing business with him?’

‘I’m not. My dad is. He let Tom do the festival t-shirts this year to help him out. He heard Tom’s business was struggling. He owns the print shop in town.’ I check my phone. ‘It’s after three. I need to get going.’

‘Sawyer!’ Nick yells as he walks up the hill from the orchard. He looks like a farmer with his plaid shirt, worn jeans, and work boots. It’s hard to believe just a few months ago he used to be a lawyer in New York City.

‘Hey, I’m heading out,’ I say. ‘Brody’s bringing up more pumpkins, but I can’t stick around to unload them.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Nash says as his brother Jake comes out of the barn. ‘Jake will help.’

‘Help what?’ Jake asks.

Nash nods toward the tractor full of pumpkins coming up the hill. ‘Unload all those.’

Nash and his brothers arrived this morning to help us with the festival. Uncle Mitch is coming later tonight. They didn’t used to get involved with the orchard, or even come up to visit that often, but after my dad’s heart attack last summer, we decided our families need to get together more.

‘I’ll see you guys later,’ I say .

‘What time are you coming over tomorrow?’ Nick asks.

‘I’ll be here at eight.’

He smiles. ‘With Gina?’

‘Yeah, she’ll be here.’ I continue to my car before he teases me again about Gina.

He’s doing it because for years I told my family I didn’t have time for a girlfriend and now I’m spending all my time with Gina.

We’re practically living together. Every night, I either stay at her place or she comes to my mine.

‘Are we ready to open?’ I ask as I come into the brewery from the back. ‘We got people waiting. I’m going to open the doors.’

‘I’m ready,’ Wade says, standing behind the bar.

‘Milo? Rocco? Andy?’ I look at the three of them on the other side of the bar. ‘You guys ready?’

‘Yeah, we can open,’ Milo says.

‘It’s crazy out there,’ Andy says. ‘Main Street’s so crowded you can hardly walk down it.’

It’s not just the downtown that’s bustling with tourists. The whole town is filled with them. It took me forever to get here from the orchard because the roads were so backed up.

‘Yeah, I’ve never seen it this busy,’ I say, ‘but it’s good.

This is our chance to show off the brewery and make people want to come back.

Greet people as soon as they walk in and let’s try not to make them wait for service.

’ I go and unlock the door. Two couples are standing outside it, waiting to get in.

‘Welcome to Kanfield Brewery.’ I smile and step aside to let them in.

‘Oh, what a charming little place,’ one of the ladies says.

‘I love the woodwork,’ the other lady says.

‘You make the beer on site?’ one of the men asks.

‘We do. I’m the owner.’ I shake his hand. ‘Sawyer Kanfield.’

‘You connected with the orchard?’

‘I am. My family runs it. My father started it about 40 years ago. ’

He smiles. ‘We love that place. We go there every year. And now we’ll have to add this place to our visit.’

‘Glad to hear it. Sit wherever you like. Milo will be over to take your order.’

More people trickle in as they realize we’re open an hour early.

By four, the place is full and people are waiting for tables to open up.

It’s good I hired the extra help. I’ll need it when I’m not here this weekend.

I plan to spend the next three days at the orchard, helping out but also just enjoying it.

It’ll be a weekend of good food, good music, and hanging out with my family.

And Gina will be there, which will make it even better.

She fits in really well with my family. My brothers like her and my parents do too.

My mom keeps smiling at me when I’m with Gina, like she thinks we’ll end up together someday.

It’s too soon to think about that, but if I were to imagine myself with someone in the future, I could see it being Gina.

My phone rings and I go to the back to answer it. It’s Gina calling. ‘Hey, how’s it going?’

‘Slow. There’s like 10 people here.’

‘Did something happen to the signs?’ I ask, referring to the signs she put up along the road, directing people to her brewery. ‘Maybe the wind blew them over.’

‘The signs are still there, or they were when I checked this morning.’

‘People might be taking the other road into town.’

‘They’re not. The road outside G’s has been busy all day. People just aren’t stopping. I’m thinking of running a special to get people in the door.’

A few weeks ago, we wouldn’t be talking about this. We made a rule that we wouldn’t talk about business. But as we spent more time together, it kept coming up. It’s what we do all day, what we’re passionate about, so it’s hard not to talk about .

‘Do what you have to,’ I tell her. ‘You need to get people to stop.’

‘I could go out there in a bikini and flag people down.’

‘Gina, don’t—’

‘I’m kidding. I’ll run a special and maybe have one of my girls go out there and hold up a sign promoting it. If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what to do. I’m running out of ideas. How are things over there?’

‘Busy,’ I say, feeling a little guilty that I’ve got people waiting for a table and her place is almost empty.

But I can’t tell my customers to leave and go to G’s.

That would imply they’re not welcome here, which is not the message I want to send.

And they’d have at least a 20-minute drive to get there, probably twice that with all the festival traffic.

‘Sawyer, I’m going to stay here tonight. I need to figure this out. And I need to make new signs promoting the special.’

‘You want me to come to your place?’

‘Not tonight. I’m not even sure I’ll go back to my apartment. I might just stay here tonight and work.’

‘Gina, you need to sleep.’

‘Sleep can wait. I need to save my business.’

‘Does that mean you’re not going to the festival tomorrow?’

‘I’ll go, but not until later. Tell your mom I’m sorry I can’t help out in the morning.’

‘Don’t worry about it. She’ll understand.’

Wade comes through the door to the back. ‘Sawyer, we need you out front. We’re getting slammed.’

‘I’ll be there in a minute.’ He leaves and I talk to Gina. ‘I need to go. Wade needs help out front.’

‘Didn’t you hire two more servers?’

‘They’re here, but it’s not enough. I’ll call you later, okay?’

‘Yeah, bye. ’

I’d like to help her, but I’m going to stay out of it.

Gina likes being independent and figuring things out on her own.

I’m hesitant to even offer her a suggestion because I’m afraid she’ll accuse me of telling her what to do.

Her ex used to do that and she hated it.

She said Ryder was controlling and treated her like she was a child, which is why she didn’t want to work for him anymore and why she broke up with him.

I don’t want her thinking I’m that way too so I’m keeping quiet.