Page 38 of Trick or Tease

GARRETT

I spent the entire night running from one end of the farm to the other, putting out small fires. Actual fires. Someone put an actual candle in one of the pumpkins. I was still not sure who did it. All of the other pumpkins had LED candles in them.

Thankfully, the pumpkin wasn’t near the dried cornstalks or hay.

And then there was a little kid that vomited all over the maze. The little dude had eaten too many sour candies and he left a scary surprise for the family behind his.

Every time I thought I might steal a moment with Sabrina, another crisis popped up. There was a lost child in the corn maze, a group of teenagers trying to sneak into the old house, and someone smashed several pumpkins.

Dicks.

By the time the last hayride of the night rolled in, my nerves were frayed. I needed to see her, to touch her, to reassure myself that whatever weird tension had sprung up between us today was all in my head.

I caught Sabrina as she was climbing down from the tractor, her face flushed from the cold night air, her blonde hair tousled from the wind. The dramatic goth makeup was hot. I never thought I was into the heavy makeup, but damn, on her, it was jaw dropping. I just stared like an idiot.

“You look incredible,” I said, stepping into her space before she could walk away.

She stiffened slightly but didn’t pull back. “Thanks. It was fun playing dress-up.”

I brushed my thumb along her jaw, tilting her face up to mine. “I’ve been trying to get to you all night.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I kissed her. She moaned into my mouth. Her body practically melted into mine.

“There you are,” I whispered. “I missed you.”

“I saw Janet again today. Taking pictures.”

My stomach knotted. “Just finalizing the appraisal numbers.”

“For the insurance?”

“Yeah.” The lie tasted bitter, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet. There was nothing to tell. No decisions had been made.

She studied me for a long moment, then nodded, stepping out of my arms. “I should go help clean up.”

I caught her wrist before she could walk away. “Sabrina.”

She turned back. “Yeah?”

What could I say? Nothing felt like enough.

“Meet me later?” I asked.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Maybe. I’m pretty tired.”

Then she was gone, slipping into the crowd, leaving me standing there. I tried to tell myself it was nothing. But it did feel like she pulled back.

It was in my head. I was being paranoid. Too much stress.

Two hours later, I sat on the edge of my childhood bed, staring at the old photos tacked to the wall. Sabrina had declared she was tired and needed real sleep. I couldn’t blame her. We had been pretty busy.

I stared at the pictures on the wall and found myself smiling.

Billy, Sabrina, Lucy, and me throughout the best years of my life. We had been kids with no idea what life had in store for us.

I got up and went to the collage of pictures on the wall. I traced my finger over Sabrina’s face, a pang twisting in my chest. She had always been there. In the early years, I thought she was a pain in the ass. But the older we got, she changed.

Or I changed.

She had an energy about her back then. She was always the life of our little group.

I didn’t think she ever had a bad day. When one of us was in a shitty mood, she would be there.

Whether it was a shoulder to lean on or delivering a joke that made things better.

If we needed something, she was there. Even now, she still had that spark.

They all did. Billy was a goofball, but he was also solid. Shit didn’t get to him. The guy was mellow. He was the steady Eddie of our group. And Lucy was always supportive. The best friend to all.

And me? I felt like a stranger in my own skin. I wasn’t that kid anymore, the one who used to climb trees and dream big dreams about leaving this town behind.

I had left, hadn’t I? Made something of myself in the city. Built a life that was supposed to mean something. But sitting here, surrounded by these memories, I couldn’t help but feel like I had lost something along the way.

Something important.

Something vital.

But I gained something new. Something I was pretty sure would be fulfilling. I was still chasing the dream.

I felt like I was in two different worlds. But only halfway. I didn’t fully belong in either one of them.

Not really. The farm wasn’t my life. It was theirs.

Billy’s, Lucy’s, and Sabrina’s. They’d built something real here, something good.

And I just showed up, pretending I could be part of it.

But I wasn’t. I was just passing through, waiting for the season to end so I could go back to the city and pick up where I left off.

Back to the law firm, the meetings, the endless grind. It was what I had worked for, what I had sacrificed for. But God, the thought of going back felt like a weight pressing down on my chest.

I glanced at the photos again, my eyes lingering on Sabrina sitting by the pond in a bathing suit. No makeup. Her hair wet and hanging over her shoulders. It had all been so innocent back then. We lived for the day, not for the year or the career. I remembered the day that picture was taken.

I was the one who had taken it.

It had been hotter than hell. We had all worked so damn hard. We dove into the pond and practically turned into prunes. When she dragged herself out, she’d been exhausted and beautiful.

Damn. Those were the days.

I let myself get too close on this visit.

I got too wrapped up in her. She was everything I wasn’t and nothing I deserved.

She was kind, grounded, hopeful. And me?

I was the guy who brought an appraiser to the farm without telling anyone.

The guy who lied to her face when she asked me what was going on.

The guy who was still lying to himself about why he was really here.

I couldn’t stay. That much was clear. Even if I wanted to—and part of me did—it wasn’t fair to her.

She deserved someone who could give her everything she wanted, someone who wasn’t torn between two worlds.

Someone who wasn’t holding back because they were scared of what it might mean to really let go.

I cared about her. More than I’d cared about anyone in a long time. But that didn’t change anything. We couldn’t be together. Not really. Not when I couldn’t stay here.

I sat back down, my head in my hands. I would finish out the season, make sure the festival was a success.

That much I owed them. And then I would go back to the city, back to the life I had built.

Maybe someday, when I was older, when I had done what I needed to do, I would come back.

But Sabrina wouldn’t wait for me. And I wouldn’t ask her to.

The thought made my chest ache, but I pushed it aside. This wasn’t about me. It was about her. About doing the right thing, even if it hurt. Even if it meant walking away from the one person who made me feel like I belonged somewhere again.

The shrill ring of my phone jolted me from my thoughts. I glanced at the clock. After midnight. My heart leapt. Maybe it was Sabrina. Maybe she changed her mind, wanted to see me. But when I looked at the screen, it wasn’t her name flashing there. It was Ron’s.

I hesitated, then answered, bracing myself. The screen lit up with Ron’s face, flushed and grinning, his tie loose, a drink in one hand. Behind him, the penthouse was alive with music and laughter, the kind of party that didn’t care about the hour.

“Garrett!” he slurred. It was that salesman tone I had come to loathe, cold as a slithering snake. He held up a stack of papers, waving them like a trophy. “Seven point two million! Can you believe that shit? Seven point two!”

I stared at the screen, my stomach sinking. “What are you talking about?”

“The farm, man! The appraisal came through, and we’ve got a buyer ready to fork over seven point two million. They’re looking to break into that market, and your little haunted farm is perfect. Haunted Farm or whatever the hell it’s called.”

“Hogan’s Haunted Farm,” I corrected, my voice tight. “And there’s no deal until I talk to my brother.”

Ron rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his glass. “Yeah, yeah, family first or whatever. But come on, Garrett, this is your ticket to the big leagues. The grown-up table. You want to keep playing small-town lawyer forever?”

I clenched my jaw. “This isn’t just about me. Billy’s involved too, and he’s not going to just hand over the farm.”

Ron leaned closer to the camera, his grin turning sharp, predatory. “Then convince him. Or don’t. Either way, I’m sending the docs over. You’ve got two choices—get them signed or get lost. Your call.”

The call ended abruptly, leaving me staring at the darkened screen.

My hands were shaking. Seven point two million.

It was more than I ever dreamed the farm could be worth.

But it wasn’t just money—it was Billy’s life, Sabrina’s life.

It was the place where we’d all grown up, where we’d built something real.

Ron was right about one thing. This was my ticket. My chance to prove myself, to finally matter. But at what cost?

I thought about Sabrina, about the way she’d looked at me earlier, like she wasn’t sure she could trust me anymore.

I thought about Billy, about the way he talked about the farm like it was his future.

His and Lucy’s future. Their future family’s legacy.

And I thought about myself, about the man I had become and the man I was still trying to be.

The room felt too small, the walls closing in. I needed air. I grabbed my jacket and slipped out into the night. The farm stretched out before me, dark and silent under the stars. It was beautiful, in a way I hadn’t let myself see in years.

I didn’t know what I was going to do. But I did know one thing: whatever happened next, it was going to change everything. And I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. Even on my hardest days in the city, I always knew this place was here. It was my safe landing.

But then again, keeping a safe landing meant I expected to fail.

That was not how one got successful. It was all about looking ahead and never looking behind.

Billy would see that. If he had a couple million dollars in his pocket, he could buy Lucy a ring, a house, and they could do whatever they wanted. They didn’t have to spend their days getting dirty and working hard. Mom and Dad would get their share.

It was a real future. It was a future that didn’t depend on how much rain we got or if a freeze came too early in the season. It was a secured future. They had to see the benefit.

Right?