Page 7

CHAPTER

SEVEN

ANNALISE

T he drive to our destination is uneventful, filled with generic get-to-know-you questions about each of our industries. I’m more informed about hockey, and now know that Jaden is a defender, which is basically exactly how it sounds. He protects his team’s goal against the opponents' advances while trying to get the puck back to his teammates. I have to admit that the passion with which he talks about his profession is infectious and warms my heart. It’s hard to hate on anything that someone else loves so much. I may not have been raised around sports, but I find myself curious to see a game. A little tidbit I keep to myself. This evening with Jaden is a one-night thing.

I didn’t feel a big draw toward him yesterday at the charity event, but the more he talks, the more at ease I am. He has this lightness to him that counteracts my more serious nature, and it’s refreshing.

We’ve been traveling on some backcountry roads for a while, and he starts to slow down. I have to stop myself from gasping as we pull into an orchard. White twinkle lights are wrapped around the trees on two rows, creating a magical path that extends into the center of the orchard.

Jaden parks the car at the edge of the tree line, and we get out. “Have you ever gone apple picking?”

“No, I haven’t.”

He extends his hand, and for some reason, I take it. “Let’s go.”

We stroll between the two lit rows, making our way farther into the orchard. The lights illuminate the picturesque trees with their apples. Yellow apples grow from the row of trees to our right, while the trees to our left carry red ones. Our surroundings are so pretty, it’s hard to believe it’s real. It feels like a movie set, fabricated to look beautiful. Yet it’s different because the grass moves beneath my boots with each step. The leaves of the trees sway with the warm autumn breeze. The air carries a hint of sour-filled sweetness from the apples that have fallen and have started to decompose atop the grass.

“This is so pretty.” I feel my walls—the ones I have built high—start to fall as genuine emotions come to the surface.

Jaden squeezes my hand as we continue to walk through the orchard. “Yeah, despite growing up here, I didn’t go apple picking until I was an adult. I heard all the guys talking about it and wanted to see what it was like for myself. Apples are one of my favorite fruits, but I’m telling you, not a single apple in the store compares to one picked from a tree.”

“Why didn’t you go apple picking as a child?” I look at Jaden, my gaze focusing on his profile and his perfect jaw. It’s always amused me how drawn I am to good bone structure. One wouldn’t think a man’s jawline was that big of a deal, but in my experience, it is. I clear my throat and force my face forward.

Jaden shrugs. “I was raised by a single mother, and she worked a lot. My life consisted of school and sports and not much else. I don’t blame her or anything. Everything I have is because of her. There just wasn’t time for outings like this.”

We reach a spot in what appears to be in the center of the orchard. Checkered flannel blankets are folded beside a large wicker picnic basket. There’s a small table with a chilled bottle of wine and glasses. Next to the table are two empty baskets with red-and-black buffalo-plaid ribbons wrapped around their handles.

I look around and can’t help but smile. “This is amazing.” I release a small laugh. “It feels like a date from The Bachelor .” It’s true. The romantic ambience is set up so perfectly, it’s almost professional.

“Is that a good thing?” Jaden releases my hand and picks up the wine opener from the table.

“I mean, it’s beautiful, for sure.” I continue to take in my surroundings, feeling almost giddy. While this evening is a one-night thing, it feels good to be out and away from the stress of the film.

He pops the cork from the wine bottle and shoots me a wink. “Let’s hope I get the rose, yeah?”

“So you’re a fan of the show?” I grin at his Bachelor reference.

He hands me a glass of wine, the corners of his mouth tilting up. “I wouldn’t say a fan, no. Though, I have been sucked into a couple of seasons. But I blame that on my roommate.”

I stifle a laugh. “You do not strike me as the type to watch reality dating TV.”

“I’m not… usually. However, come on, those producers know what they’re doing. If you happen upon one episode, you’re sucked in. You’re dying to know who will end up together, which is a joke since none of the couples stay together anyway.”

“I think a few of them do.”

“Yeah, like six couples out of the forty seasons,” he states.

“Oh my gosh! Is that the real number? How do you know that?” I question, amused.

“Max and I might have looked it up.” He tilts his glass of wine toward mine, and we click them together. “To tonight,” he says, changing the subject.

“To tonight,” I repeat. “Which is not going how I thought it would.”

He takes a sip of his wine. “I hope that’s a good thing.” He quirks a brow. “How did you think it’d go?”

I raise my shoulders. “I honestly didn’t know. I don’t get out much. I just didn’t expect this.” I extend my arm, showcasing the picturesque ambience.

“Well, first of all, when taking you out, a normal date won’t do. Plus, I didn’t want to do anything in public and have to deal with people wanting pictures and autographs. A private setting seemed better.”

“Yeah, that tends to happen when I go out in public.”

“I was talking about them wanting pictures of me.” He raises his brows with a cheeky grin, causing me to laugh.

“True. I guess we are in your territory, after all.”

“I’m kidding. Yeah, I do get fans coming up to me, especially in this area. But you’re known worldwide. I imagine it’s much harder for you to go out on a normal date.”

“Going out, in general, can be tricky, yes. But dating…that’s not something I do much.”

“Wow, thank you.” He smirks, and his big brown eyes light up. “I feel special. I knew you liked me.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Um, no. You’re just a bit of a stalker.”

He takes my empty wineglass from me and places it on the table. “True.” He hands me one of the baskets and takes the other one for himself.

“What do you mean, true?” I chuckle.

He shrugs. “I am kind of a stalker. It’s a bit of a running joke on the team. I might be mildly obsessed with you and your movies.”

I cover my mouth. “I can’t believe you’re admitting that.” I snort out a laugh.

“Here’s the thing. We have this one date to see if we’re compatible, and who knows, maybe we’re not. But if we catch feelings, I want them to be authentic. So there’s no point in hiding who I am.” He raises his right hand, palm out. “I’m Jaden, a self-proclaimed Annalise admirer .” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Sounds better than stalker. Now you go.”

I raise my hand. “I’m Anna, and I will not be catching feelings tonight. But I am having a good time, which is the opposite of how I thought this evening would go.”

“The night is not yet over, sweet Anna,” he tsks. “Let’s just save those proclamations. Wouldn’t want you to have to eat your words later.”

“Is being so cocky a professional athlete thing or just a you thing?”

“Hard to say,” he answers. “Come on. Let’s pick some apples.”

Jaden explains the differences between the red and yellow apples. He goes on about crispness, shelf life, and sweetness level. It’s pretty adorable, if I’m honest. I’ve never been schooled on apple differences.

He pulls a yellow apple from the tree and shines it against his sweater before handing it to me. “These are my favorite.”

I take a bite, and I sigh. “OMG. This is so good.”

“I told you. Apples just hit different when they’re fresh.” He joins me, taking a bite of an apple. “Well, let’s pick.”

We begin filling up our baskets. “How did you pull this off? The lights, baskets, and wine…the whole private orchard at night experience?”

“The owner, Mr. Appleton, is a big Cranes fan. I just simply asked, and he and his wife were happy to set it up for me.”

“Mr. Appleton?” I laugh. “Is that his real name? What are the odds that someone with the last name of Appleton would own an apple orchard?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I’ve never asked. His family has owned it for four generations. It started with his great-grandpa. So whether great-grandpa already had the last name of Appleton or changed it to fit his life’s work, I couldn’t tell you. I like to believe that this family has always had the name. It makes the whole lore of this orchard more special.”

“I mean, I guess if they had the name, they owed it to themselves to start an orchard. So have you done this before, the romantic date in the orchard thing?”

His arm reaches out, and his hand grazes my cheek. “Oh, sweet Anna. Are you jealous?”

“No! Of course not. I was just curious.”

“Well, don’t fret because this is a first, only for you.”

“It wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t.” I pull an apple from the branch a little too hard, and a couple of errant apples fall to the ground. “Oh no. That’s so wasteful.”

“It happens. The deer will eat them up. No worries.”

“By the way, you promised to tell me what your favorite scene in my last movie was?”

We cross over to the opposite rows of apples.

“I did, didn’t I?” Jaden says, picking a red apple. “Now these are really good right off the tree. They’re super sweet and juicy, but they don’t last as long once they’re picked. They go grainy quicker than the yellow ones do, so I usually only pick a few.”

I try one of the red apples, and he’s right. It’s incredibly sweet. A drop of juice escapes from the side of my mouth, and before I can wipe it away, Jaden swipes it with his thumb. The movement causes goose bumps to pebble across my skin.

I clear my throat. “So are you going to tell me or what?”

“Oh right.” He nods. “Well, to be honest, I loved the whole movie, but if I had to pick my favorite thing about it, I would say it was your character Caroline’s growth. I thought the way you played her was really powerful. In the beginning, she was so timid, and her fear was palpable through the screen. The growth throughout was believable because it was so intricately woven through your actions. Like even with the way you moved your hair. At the beginning of the movie, you were constantly tucking it behind your ear, like you felt insecure and then you started flicking it behind your shoulder and then running your fingers through it. At the end, it felt more wild and fearless as you allowed it to fall where it fell. You know? You didn’t try to mess with it, like you—or your character, of course—felt free. Your acting was so understated but powerful. It’s hard to explain.” He grins and shrugs his shoulders.

Our baskets now full of apples, we slowly walk down the grassy aisle back toward the table while he continues. “I’m obviously not in the film industry and am probably butchering this explanation, but my favorite thing about the movie was your performance and how you strengthened your character until she was secure enough to leave. It was a beautiful message about loving oneself enough to know what’s best. Caroline left someone she loved deeply. She left a great relationship because she knew it was the best thing for her even though staying would’ve been easier. It was the whole ‘we only live once so make it the best life you can’ philosophy. But the message would’ve fallen flat had you not played that character so well.”

He steals a look in my direction, and my steps halt. I slowly turn to face him. It’s not until I see his eyes widen with shock that I realize I’m crying. A few tears have escaped and are rolling down my cheeks. I swipe them away in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry.” He sets his basket down and raises his hands in surrender. “I’m extremely basic in my movie knowledge. I could be totally wrong. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No.” I swallow hard, shaking my head. Another tear escapes. “It’s not that. You didn’t upset me… you understood me. Very few people get that movie. I mean, critics hated it. My dad especially loathed it. Everyone saw it as a spicy romance and expected a certain ending, but that wasn’t Caroline’s story. The relationship was meaningful because it allowed her to grow into the woman she was supposed to be, but it was never meant to be her ending.” I hold my hand to my chest. “Thank you for that. It’s so rare that people see beyond the motorcycle scene and understand the movie's message.”

“Of course. It was an amazing movie.”

“This is stupid.” I set my basket down on the grass and wipe my cheeks. “I’m just so used to defending that character because no one actually sees her. But you did.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’d imagine your job is full of emotions, getting into your character’s head like that. Wanting deeply to convey their message through your craft.” He smiles sweetly.

Without thinking, I take a step forward and wrap my arms around him. He drops his basket of apples and hugs me back. I lean my cheek against his chest. His heart beats rapidly as his strong arms envelop me, and I feel safe and calm.

But most importantly, for the first time in a very long time—I feel seen.