We laughed our way through the field, and when we were finally there, I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my shoulder.
“Here, let me,” he said, slipping behind me and digging his fingers into my sore muscles.
The tension melted away under his expert touch, and I didn’t hear the woman at the register call us until she cleared her throat loudly.
“Next,” she called out. “Gentlemen.” Her delicate blonde eyebrow was arched in disapproval, but she smirked, amused at our antics. “Put the basket on the scale, please.”
I paid for what we kept and she loaded the literal fruits of our labor into burlap bags with thick handles.
I led Shelton through the store and into the restaurant in the back. I ordered a slice of Dutch apple pie for myself and Shelton selected one made with crisp green apples. I took the tip of my pie off with my fork and leaned across the narrow, two-person table. Shelton opened his mouth, and when the warm dessert touched his tongue, he moaned.
“Store-bought pie will be ruined for you forever,” I mused, opening my mouth when he offered a bite of his pie. It was tangy, with a sweet note at the end.
“Can we buy everything the store has and take it home?” he quipped, taking another bite of his pie and sighing. “You’re right. There’s nothing you can buy in the store or a bakery that even comes close. This place is amazing. I can see why you love it.”
“You should add it to you list of experiences. Life is so fast paced now it’s like people have forgotten the things in life that make slowing down worth it.”
“I don’t know if I want to share this place with the world,” he countered. “But you’re right. It would be a wonderful addition to my list of experiences.”
“Do you have an actual list?”
“No, and now that you’ve said it, I’m thinking I should. Most of the time, people have a pretty good idea of what they want, but not always.”
“You can divide it into categories. Apple picking, farmer’s market, and things like that can go into country leisure experiences. Then there are outdoors, extreme sports, adrenaline rush, sightseeing. The possibilities are endless.”
“What about you?”
I blinked. “Me?”
“What have you always wanted to do that you’ve put off for some magical future date?”
I took another bite, leaning back to consider his question, then I shook my head. “I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Could that be why you’re burned out? You’ve been so busy sharing your wisdom, and helping others take control of their lives, but you haven’t spent any time living your life for yourself.”
I tilted my head, my features softening and it was only then that I realized how much tension I was carrying in my face. “I never thought of that,” I admitted.
“But now that you have, it’s all you’ll think about.”
“I believe you’re right.” I blew out a breath and more tension melted from my shoulders, down to my hips. “Shelton, that was, wow. You’re quite insightful.”
“Not bad for a guy almost twenty years your junior.”
“You’re amazing, Shelton.” I smiled and gestured at the pie. “Let’s count this as bucket list item number one for me.”
“But you’ve had pie here before.”
“Yes,” I said, reaching across the table to take his hands in mine. I looked deep into his eyes and my heart swelled. “That’s true, but I haven’t had pie here with you.”
10
Shelton
It took me all of Monday and Tuesday to weed through the emails I’d received over the weekend. It was almost lunchtime on Wednesday when my phone rang on the desk beside me. I checked out the caller ID, surprised to see my brother’s number on the screen. Then I remembered that I’d transferred all my calls from my old number to the phone Caine gave me, just in case. I answered on the fourth ring, preparing myself for the lecture that I was sure prompted him to call in the first place.
“Hey, Preston.”
“Hey yourself,” Preston said.
“You sound happy.” The computer gave a single, low click, notifying me that I’d received another email. It was happening so much since Monday I had practically tuned the sound out.
“Does that surprise you?”
“A little. I figured you were calling to give me grief about Caine.”
“No, well, not really.” He paused. “My advice that you should be careful still stands, but it looks like dating has been good for both of you. At least on the surface.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I muttered.
“It looks like the internet is starting to soften towards Caine. Not that they’re going to forget what he said, but there are quite a few comments about being happy to see him ‘looking content with a handsome, young mystery man’.”
“Mystery man? Who wrote that garbage?”
“It’s a total clickbait headline, and I fell for it. They plugged your business and for a ‘mystery man’, they sure know a lot about you.”
Another click.
“I’ve been working nonstop since Monday morning. I have enough clients to keep me busy for the next six weeks.”
“That’s exciting. Mother is happy about that, too. She said your account is looking healthier already.”
“I need to find a nice way to ask her to quit checking on my personal business that will stick. ‘Stop doing that’ isn’t effective.”
“She cares for you, that’s all. She did the same with me until I made enough money that she didn’t worry about me.”
“Oh, good.”
“Don’t get excited, little bro,” he teased, using a nickname he hadn’t called me in years. “She stopped all of five years ago.”
I groaned. “Great. I would unlink my account, but-”
“Don’t,” he warned with a laugh. “I did that once and she called me five or six times a day to make sure I wasn’t bankrupt. She’s the original helicopter parent. It’s more peaceful if you let her do her thing.”
“What did she say about Caine? Anything?”
“She remembers him from when we went to college together. She said she likes that you’re dating a man that is financially stable with a strong career.”
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Don’t worry. Father doesn’t approve, so the universe is still in balance.”
I snorted. “Thank goodness for that,” I said sarcastically.
“So, business is going well then?”
“Almost too well.” There was another click and I moved the mouse over the envelope icon until a number popped up. “I’ve received thirty-two emails just since we started talking.”
“That’s amazing.”
“I might have to hire an assistant to schedule consultations. I’ve been doing them on the fly, but with so many requests coming in and my Instagram blowing up, my process needs to be streamlined.”
“I’m sure Caine can help you with that.”