Page 84 of Traces Of You

“Neither do I,” Blaze said. “I spend the least amount of time here.”

Blaze came back to the area because he loved it, but he worked way too much at the hospital to put time in on the farm if he had a day off.

“I’m good with it,” Ash said.

“I’ve never wanted to do much here,” Gale said.

“Looks like you’re outnumbered, Clay,” his father said.

“You’re not getting any revenue from the apples. It’s not right,” Clay argued.

“Dad, you know roughly what you made a year, right?” Ford asked

“Of course.”

“So either charge Clay rent, so that you get a steady income monthly that equals what those months of revenue were, or factor in a percentage of sales from the hard cider. Whatever works or is the easiest,” he said.

“I was going to suggest rent,” Gale said. “That’s only fair and it’s a business write off.”

“I wanted to pay rent and Dad wouldn’t let me,” Clay argued.

“Dad,” Blaze said. “Give some too.”

“Clay pays me a salary. He doesn’t need to do that. This is my land.”

“Enough,” Ford said, putting his hands up. “Does anyone have any problems with what Dad is proposing?” There were only head shakes. “Good. We are all in agreement. Clay and Dad, along with Gale can work out the details. No one is taking advantage of anyone. It will be fair in the end. At least I know that.”

“Me too,” Ash said.

“The same,” Blaze said.

“There, it’s done. Is there anything else we have to talk about?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Gale said. She’d lowered her voice. “I can’t believe you’re dating Reenie again?”

If his sister wasn’t grinning and looking so thrilled, he’d throw one of their mother’s pillows at her.

“You didn’t bug her about it earlier, did you?” he asked.

“Noooooo,” Gale said. “Cut me some slack.”

His sister’s head turned toward the kitchen. “She’s watching to make sure Mom doesn’t come out and rap her knuckles with the wooden spoon for talking about this now,” Ash said.

“Jerk,” Gale said. She didn’t hesitate to chuck a pillow at their brother.

“Enough,” his father said. “We don’t need Reenie to think your mother and I raised a bunch of animals that aren’t on four legs and your mother doesn’t need to pick up this mess when you’re all done wrestling.”

Ford stood up. “You guys are on your own. I’m going to help Mom.”

“And your girlfriend,” Blaze threw out there.

Even Clay laughed over that. A rare sound from the oldest of the family.

Walking to the kitchen, Ford saw his mother smirking and Reenie’s face red.

She turned to look at him. “Am I your girlfriend?”

“You are,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. His mother cleared her throat. “What? We aren’t twelve anymore.”