Page 16 of Raised On It (Between the Pines #1)

Mason

D ear Journal,

Today, Miles began what he’s calling his “Raised On It” tour of Eastlyn.

We started a lot later today, and he only had about three hours to spend with me, but it was great. Not sure anything could match our sunrise from yesterday, but every minute spent with him somehow seems better than the last.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed by me that he’s extremely busy with harvest and whatever business deals it is he and his parents have been meeting about. I haven’t said it to him, but it means a lot to me that he would take what little time he has to show me around town.

Since I’d already been to the farm, he took me to the schools he grew up in today. It’s still summer break for the kids, so they were empty. However, Miles had the keys to the K-8 school as well as the high school and could open any room he wanted to show me.

Maybe he’s the mayor of Eastlyn, and somehow it hasn’t come up in conversation? I can’t think of any other reason to explain why he just happened to have the keys to all of the schools in town.

When I asked this exact question, he just said he had friends in high places.

I have a sneaking suspicion there’s more to this local farm boy than he or anyone else is telling me.

He showed me each and every classroom he had over the years, gave me teachers’ names, and shared stories of pulling pigtails on the playground and stealing kisses in the library. We even went for a walk on the football field where he played for the Eastlyn Eagles.

The gleam in his eye while he shared his stories was incredibly endearing. Sweet. And yes, charming. It’s also more than evident he loved growing up here, and I think it’s safe to say he loved his school years. From the sound of things, he participated in everything school had to offer him.

He played football, basketball, and baseball all while earning a 4.0 grade point average. He was prom king and salutatorian. All of this while working on the farm early in the morning before his school day had even started.

On the surface, it seems life has been easy for him, but if you listen closely, it’s clear he’s made his own destiny with hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude.

Reading that last sentence back does sound like I’m describing Rachel Hollis or some other motivational speaker and not a backward ball cap-wearing, smart-ass, small-town farm boy, doesn’t it?

Every day I spend time with him assures me there is much more to him than meets the eye, and I can’t wait to find out what I'll learn about him next.