Page 45 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

Anna

By the time we rolled back down the mountain, I was bone-tired but buzzing with something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Belonging.

I’d spent years trying to disappear into the background, but today, sweating beside strangers who were starting to feel like friends, I felt like one of them.

Jordan also had a little smile on his face, as if he were experiencing a similar feeling. Jack was beside him, passed out like he’d personally supervised every shovelful.

As we turned the last curve of the driveway, the sun glinted off something bright. A fire-red convertible. No one I saw today drove a car like that. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever seen one in Sterling Mill. The only one I knew was —

“Mallory!” I exclaimed when I saw a figure sitting on the porch swing, legs crossed, sunglasses perched on her head like a crown, rocking lazily like she owned the place.

I was already shoving open the door before the truck rolled to a full stop. I flew across the yard and up the steps.

Mallory stood, dropping her sunglasses down over her nose with exaggerated flair.

“Well, well, well,” she said, grinning widely. “If it isn’t Sterling Mill’s most eligible housekeeper. Finally. People have been coming through here right and left, but have you? No.”

I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight, ignoring her pout and laughing into her shoulder. It had been months since I’d seen her, and this was just the icing on an already unbelievable day.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” I said, pulling back to study her.

“Surprise visit,” she said breezily. She flicked a finger at her own jeans and boots. “And look—I even came prepared. I’ll blend right in.”

I looked up and down at her dark-wash jeans with rips that were obviously designer, as was the silk top she wore. Her boots were a pretty soft brown, but with heels that accentuated her long legs. She blended in just enough until you looked twice and knew she’d never been near a shovel.

Totally Mallory.

I grinned. “You know this is a farm, right? With dirt and mud?”

She waved a hand. “Please. I’m dressed for moral support.” Then she peered closely at my face. “Who the hell did that to you? If that’s your farmer, I’ll kill him.”

“It’s a long story, but I promise it’s definitely not Chase’s fault.” I linked my arm through hers and drew her down the steps toward the truck to meet my guys. “So, why are you here? Not that you’re not welcome,” I hurried to add.

“Had to see for myself what all the fuss was about.” She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “And now I see. ”

Chase approached, Jordan trailing behind him, both of them smiling, but curious.

“So, you’re the farmer who’s plowing my best friend instead of just fields.”

Chase’s eyes widened, then his mouth twitched at the corners.

I shook my head, cheeks burning. “Oh, my God, please stop,” I begged, half-laughing, half-dying inside. “But yes. This is Chase.”

Mallory stuck out her hand with a grin. “Mallory Prescott. Longtime friend. Occasional bad influence.”

Chase shook her hand, his grip firm but amused. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “Anna talks a lot about you.”

“She better,” Mallory quipped. Then she looked us all over. “Where have you come from, anyway? A mud rodeo?”

I looked down, suddenly remembering how filthy we were. “Oh, crap. Did I get dirt on you?”

She waved me off. “Please. It builds character, or so they say. But I could use a drink. What do y’all drink here in the country? Milk? Sweet tea?”

Chase kept his expression straight. “Yes, but how about a beer or whiskey? Of course, you’ll have to settle for a tin cup. Us pioneers don’t have glassware like you city dwellers.”

She burst out laughing. “I like you, Farmer Chase. Lead me to it.”

She linked her arm through Chase’s as we headed into the house. Jordan and I followed behind, and I had to hide my smile at the goofy grin on his face as he kept his eyes glued to her.

“I need a shower,” I commented as I pulled my shirt away from my sticky skin, grimacing at the amount of dirt on it. I looked around .

Mal waved her hands. “Go. Shoo. Don’t mind me. I’ll entertain myself, especially if you two want to get a little dirty while you get clean,” she said with a wink at me and Chase.

Chase burst out laughing while I turned as red as her car out front.

“Oh, my God. Ignore her,” I told Chase, then glared at her. “You. Sit. Drink. Keep all commentary G-rated, or I’ll see if the goats like the leather of your car.”

Her eyes lit up. “You have goats? Where? Are they in the backyard?”

I shook my head with mock exasperation and pointed to the couch. “Sit.”

She saluted. “Yes, ma’am. But we’ll circle back to the goats.” As I walked away, I heard her mumble, “Where did my quiet little friend go?

“She’s a little scary,” Chase whispered in the kitchen. “But I also see why you like her so much. Enjoy time with your friend, baby. I’ll be back later.”

He leaned in for what I thought was going to be a quick kiss, but as it often did, the moment our lips touched, it shifted into more.

His hand came to the small of my back, drawing me closer, and I melted into him without a second thought.

My fingers slid to the nape of his neck, holding him there just a little longer.

“Just a reminder, I am still here.” Mallory’s voice rang out from the next room. “Unless you want to continue. I could make a ton of money if I record it.”

Chase chuckled against my lips. “Like I said. Scary.” He brushed his thumb across my cheek and, with a last peck, left to go hang out with Mac and Trey.

When I returned to the living room, Mallory was sprawled across the couch, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Have a good time?” she asked sweetly.

I rolled my eyes and dropped into the armchair across from her. “You’re insufferable.”

“You love it,” she said with a wink, then shifted her tone like she was flipping a switch. “So. Explain that. ” She pointed to my face. I hadn’t bothered to cover it up after my shower, so it looked a little more colorful than what she saw earlier.

After I explained the past week’s events, Mallory wanted to take a page from Cam’s book and go after Marcus with a pitchfork.

Then she spilled story after story about Nashville life with her dramatic flair—the local gossip, her latest vacation plans, an over-the-top wedding she attended—while I tried to keep up. Then her golden eyes lasered in on me.

“I actually come bearing other news. Good news,” Mal said, kicking her foot idly. “I wanted to deliver it in person. But now that I’m here, I’m not sure I want to.”

That got my attention. I turned toward her, my brow lifting. “Why? What is it?”

She hesitated—rare for her—and that alone made my stomach tighten.

“Because you look good here,” she said, waving a hand around the room like it held all the proof. “Settled. Happy. And what I have might mess with that.”

I stared at her, heart picking up. “Mal. Just tell me.”

“You remember that lavender soap you sent me?”

“Of course,” I said, still confused .

“Well.” She grinned wider. “I gave a bar to a friend of mine. You might have heard of her?

“Who?”

“Emma Callahan,” she announced with a flourish.

I shook my head. “Should I know that name?”

“CEO of Calla Skincare? Obsessed with all things organic?” She lifted an eyebrow when I still shook my head. “Seriously? Nothing?”

I shrugged, feeling a little helpless.

“She’s been featured in Forbes , Anna,” Mal deadpanned. “Anyway, she tried your soap, and she loved it. So much so, she wants to talk to you about licensing a custom line through her company.”

My mouth fell open.

Mallory leaned forward, eyes bright. “She wants to schedule a call with you next week. She’s serious. This could mean national distribution, royalties, a contract with an actual lab to scale your formulas—real money, real growth.”

The world tilted slightly.

“You’re serious?” I asked Mallory.

She nodded, suddenly earnest. “Dead serious. You wouldn’t have to navigate anything alone. Vince already said he’d represent you. You know he’ll take good care of you.”

I laughed, a shaky, stunned sound, and buried my face in my hands for a second, overwhelmed. Everything was happening at once.

The farm.

The committee coming.

A new opportunity cracking open.

Mallory set her drink aside. “It’s the real deal, Anna.

Not just some nice words. She wants to know what else you make—soaps, lotions, scrubs, anything.

I might have told her a little about your upbringing, which thrilled her even more.

She thinks you’ve got the kind of authenticity people pay crazy money for. ”

My stomach twisted in a blend of excitement and wariness. I picked at the hem of my sleeve, thinking. “She’s based in Nashville, though,” I said slowly. “Right?”

Mallory nodded slowly. “Yes. Here’s the thing.

Her brand might look like small-batch, but she moves fast. If she’s serious, and I think she is, this wouldn’t be a side project for her.

She’d want to get it into development soon.

That means lab work, packaging meetings, marketing input, and I don’t know what else.

“So, not something I could do from here.”

Mal bit her lip. “She’d want you from the ground up,” Mallory finally said. “My guess is you’d have to relocate. At least for a few months. Maybe longer, depending on how fast it all moves.”

The words landed like a stone in my chest.

I looked around the house, then stared out the window toward the garden and the fields. Thought about Chase and Jordan. Cam and Bristol. Other new friends. All the roots I’d started letting myself believe in.

Mallory bumped her foot lightly against mine, jolting me back to the moment.

“I’m not saying you have to decide today,” she said, softer. “I’m just saying, for once, you’ve got options. You get to pick. Nobody else gets to tell you where your life goes.”