Page 3 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

Nick

‘How’s it feel to be home?’ Matt asks as we get in his car.

‘Same as it always does. I need a day or two to get used to the slow pace. It’s such a huge change from the city.’

‘I don’t know how you live in New York. I’m there a few minutes and want to leave. Too many people. Makes me anxious.’ He drives up to the parking lot gate.

‘You get used to it.’ I take a twenty from my wallet and hand it to him. ‘Here.’

‘I got it,’ he says, swiping his credit card.

‘Matt, what the hell? I told you I’d pay.’ I drop the twenty in the cupholder. ‘Use that to pay for the gas.’

He laughs. ‘We’re not in high school anymore. I can afford to pay for gas and parking.’

It’s true, he can, but I make way more money than him and I’m single. He has a family to support. I don’t want him spending his money on me, but I’m not going to argue about it. He’s just being a friend.

‘I can’t believe we ran into Lyndsay,’ he says as he drives away from the airport. ‘She looked really good.’

‘Yeah,’ I say, trying to sound like I’m just casually agreeing with him.

But damn, she looked more than good. She looked hot, even hotter than she did in high school.

Back then, she wore a ton of makeup, had long blonde hair that ended at her waist, and was really skinny.

Today her makeup had a more natural look and her hair was more brown than blonde and cut to just below her shoulders.

She’s still thin, but her breasts are bigger than they were in high school and her hips and ass are more filled out.

When she was leaving, I couldn’t help but watch her walk away, that round little ass keeping my attention from whatever Matt was saying.

‘I had such a crush on her in high school,’ Matt says with a laugh.

‘Every guy did. She was hot and the head cheerleader.’

‘You didn’t.’ He glances at me. ‘Did you?’

‘No,’ I say, shaking my head. ‘I knew I didn’t have a chance with her so I didn’t let my mind even go there.’

That’s a lie. My mind definitely went there. I had more than a few late night fantasies starring Lyndsay. It made it difficult to tutor her.

‘Can I ask you something?’ Matt asks, checking the mirror before changing lanes.

‘What?’

‘It’s personal, so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.’

‘What is it?’

‘Did you graduate a virgin? No judgment if you did. I’m only asking because I can’t remember you dating much in high school.’

Matt and I weren’t really friends back then.

We didn’t become friends until the summer after we graduated.

He got a job at my parents’ apple orchard and we worked together every day in the fields.

I’d always assumed we wouldn’t get along since he was a jock and I was more of an academic, but once we got to know each other, we got along great. We’ve been friends ever since.

‘You don’t have to give me an answer,’ he says when I don’t respond.

‘I was kind of a late bloomer. And a nerd, so yeah, I didn’t do it in high school.’

‘You weren’t a nerd,’ he insists. ‘You were just focused on school instead of girls.’

‘It wasn’t just that. I didn’t want to get involved with someone and have people talking about it at school or in town. You know how people around here gossip. That’s one thing I don’t miss about living here. In New York, nobody cares.’

‘So when did you finally do it?’

I smile. ‘First week of college.’

‘Was she older?’ He laughs. ‘Did she teach you stuff?’

‘I didn’t need someone to teach me. I figured it out on my own. And she wasn’t older. She was my age.’

‘Did you guys date?’

‘Only for a few weeks, then we each met someone else.’ I look over at him. ‘I more than made up for what I missed out on in high school.’

Maybe I shouldn’t admit that, but it’s not like Matt would judge me for it. He was with a ton of girls before he finally settled down.

‘Did you get serious with any of these girls?’ he asks.

‘No. You know how I am. I don’t get serious with someone if it’s not going to last. I knew I was going to law school after college and didn’t want a girl thinking she had to go with me.’

‘But aren’t you still doing that?’

‘What?’

‘Keeping things casual. You’ve dated girls in New York but it never goes anywhere. ’

‘Because I haven’t met the right girl. You’d think it’d be easy to find someone in a city that big but it’s actually not.’

‘What about that girl you dated last year? The doctor. You were totally into her, talked about her all the time. Why’d you guys end it?’

‘We were both too into our careers. Two workaholics aren’t good in a relationship.’

‘One isn’t either. You can’t work all the time and expect the other person to stick around.’

‘I don’t really have a choice. I’m trying to make partner, and that won’t happen if I don’t work all the time.’

‘So you’re just going to keep dating without it going anywhere?’

‘It’s either that or stop dating until work slows down.’

He shakes his head.

‘What? You don’t agree with this plan?’

‘You can do what you want. I’m just saying, you’re not getting any younger.

You’re 33. At this rate, you’ll be in your forties before you settle down, and 50 before you have kids.

You know how much energy kids take? I can barely keep up with them in my thirties.

There’s no way I could do it in my fifties. ’

‘I won’t be having kids in my fifties. I’m not even sure I’ll have kids.’

‘Really?’ he says, sounding surprised. ‘I thought you wanted kids.’

‘I did, but lately I’ve been thinking about it and thinking it might be better if I didn’t. I wouldn’t want my kids growing up in the city. Kids need to be able to run around outside and play, like we did. You can’t really do that in Manhattan.’

‘So move back.’

‘Yeah, that’s not happening. My life’s in New York.’

‘Doesn’t mean you can’t move back. We don’t have everything New York has, but we have fresh air, beautiful scenery, and this really great apple orchard that has this awesome fall festival every year.’

‘My parents got you doing their public relations now?’ I kid.

‘No, but I could. I love that place. Everyone does.’ He pauses. ‘You really never considered taking it over someday?’

‘Hell no.’ I laugh. ‘I got enough of that place growing up there. I couldn’t wait to leave.’

‘What about your brothers? Any of them talk about taking over when your dad retires?’

‘No. Sawyer just opened the brewery, so he’s committed to that.

Jason isn’t giving up teaching and being a coach.

And Brody’s lawn care and snow removal business is really taking off.

I guess out of the four of us, I could see Brody doing it since he likes being outdoors, but he hasn’t said he wants it. ’

‘So your dad will just have to sell it?’

‘Probably, but it won’t be anytime soon. He just turned 60. He’s not retiring for a long time. I could see him working into his eighties.’

‘It’s too bad it can’t stay in the family.’

‘My dad never planned on us taking it over. The orchard was what he wanted. He didn’t expect us to want the same thing.’

‘Well, when he’s ready to sell, I know a real estate guy who could handle the sale,’ Matt jokes, referring to himself.

‘You know he’ll give you the business. You became like a son to him that summer you worked there.’

‘What’s your mom think about selling the orchard?’

‘She’s more sentimental than Dad. To her, the orchard is full of memories of the four of us growing up. She’ll be sad to see it go.’

I feel a pang of guilt as I say that. There’s a part of me that feels like I’m the reason my parents will have to sell the orchard someday.

As the oldest son, I feel like I’m setting an example for my brothers, and by choosing a different career over the family business, I gave them permission to do the same.

Maybe I’m giving myself more credit than I should, but I know my brothers look up to me and I know at least one of them would’ve considered working at the orchard if I’d gone down that path.

It’s just not what I wanted to do. But I don’t like thinking about it being sold.

I don’t even let my mind go there. My parents don’t either.

They’ve never once brought up selling the place.

‘So changing topics,’ Matt says. ‘Any chance you’d reconsider going to the reunion?’

‘I won’t be here. I’m leaving on Monday.’

‘You could stick around. You haven’t had a vacation in what .?.?. five years?’

‘It hasn’t been that long. And going to our high school reunion would not be a vacation.’

‘Maybe not, but at least you’d get some time off. You could hang out with your family, your best friend.’ He smiles at me.

‘You’ll be working next week.’

‘I could find some time to hang out. I only have a few showings next week and a couple of closings.’

‘You’re selling two houses next week?’ I ask, impressed because in a town this size, two is a lot.

‘One’s about 20 miles from here. I’ve expanded my area to get more business.’

‘That’s great.’

‘Yeah, well, I got a family to support. I gotta hustle if I want to pay the bills. Going back to the reunion, just think about it. It’d be a good chance to catch up with people.’

‘People I have no desire to see again,’ I say, checking my phone. I see a message from one of my clients and text him back.

‘Why wouldn’t you want to see them? You’re a big success.’

‘I’m not going there to brag. And I really don’t want to go back and relive high school. Once was enough.’

‘It’s not reliving high school. Everyone’s old now, or 15 years older than they were back then.’

‘Yeah, and they’ll go back to how they used to be.

That’s what happens at reunions. Everyone goes back to their old roles.

The cool kids are still cool. The smart people are still nerds.

The jocks are still jocks, or pretend to be.

’ I reply to another message, feeling my stress level rise as I see how behind I am at work after just a few hours of being gone.

‘I wonder if that’s why Lyndsay is here.’

When I hear her name, I look up from my phone. ‘What was that?’