Roe shook his head, evidently having experienced that before, and said to Grady, “Thank you so much for the help. You’re a lifesaver. He doesn’t like to ask for help.” He held out his hand. “Monroe Covington.”
Ah, now the Roe made sense. “Grady Dalton.” They shook. “As in Covington Supply Co?”
“The one and only.” Monroe chuckled. “Well, that’s not completely true. There are a lot of Covingtons, and my dad is Monroe too, though he goes by Charles, but I’m the only one who owns the Supply Co. Most work out at the farm.”
“Farm?”
“Oh, you’re definitely new to the area. The family runs Covington Acres—apples in the fall, winter activities during the cooler months, and everything you could possibly do with goats.”
Grady remembered something about that…Nathan telling him about the farm, though he hadn’t remembered the name. He grinned. “Well, this is quite the coincidence, and I understand if you’re busy or need to direct me to speak with someone else, but I came down today to inquire about the part-time job. You’re right about me being new. I moved to Everett a couple of weeks back.”
Monroe snapped his fingers. “That’s why you look familiar. I saw you a few days ago. I was with my family at Sundae’s Best, and you came in looking for Deacon.”
Shit. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to explain that. Grady hadn’t paid much attention to the customers when he’d asked about Deacon, only to discover he wasn’t at the ice cream parlor, so he didn’t specifically remember Monroe. “They have great ice cream,” he said, hoping that would steer Monroe away from him asking about Deacon.
“They sure do,” Monroe replied. “Come sit down with me and tell me a little about yourself.”
Damn. He hadn’t expected that. He’d thought he’d fill out an application and be done with it. “I don’t want to take up your time if you’re busy.”
“It’s okay. I’m a simple kinda guy, and I have a good feeling about you, so we can talk some and take it from there.”
Grady nodded and followed him. He thought maybe this was something that happened more often than not in small towns, but he also thought maybe it was just Monroe. There was something calming and welcoming about the dark-haired man.
Grady tagged along as Monroe told one of the workers he’d be back in a few minutes, then led him out the back door to a picnic table. “Figured we could get some fresh air.”
They sat. “Sounds good to me.”
“Smells like rain is coming soon,” Monroe said. “What brought you to the area?”
He wasn’t sure exactly how to answer that. Ultimately, he decided on as much of the truth as he felt comfortable with. “I had a good friend—like a brother, really—and he was from the area. He passed away a while back, and…it’s been rough without him. Moved around some and just haven’t found home, if that makes sense. He talked about home a lot, so I figured this was as good a place as any to try.”
Monroe gave him a sympathetic look. “Sorry about your loss.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“Doesn’t make it hurt any less,” he replied, and Christ, Grady already liked the guy. “So this could be temporary?”
“Honestly, yes. I’m hoping not. I’d like to put down roots, but I can’t make any promises. I won’t ever leave you hanging, though. If I move on, I’ll give notice and such.”
“That’s all I can ask for. What kind of experience do you have?”
Grady told him about his four years in the army and working construction. “There’s not much I can’t do with my hands. I know this position won’t require much of that, but if there’s anything that needs fixed, put together, or built, I can do that. I know about plants, animals, farm equipment, and the like. I like people, like physical labor, and I can be a hell of a salesman if need be.”
Monroe chuckled. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that. And you’d have to do some building and putting things together here, but not a lot. You sound like my partner when it comes to working. He moved here full-time only recently, and he’s in the process of getting his new handyman business off the ground. There’s not much he can’t do, and he gets a sort of peace out of it.”
There was no reason Grady should be shocked by Monroe’s admission. There were queer people everywhere, in all walks of life, but…well, he supposed he’d been a little judgmental about a small town in the South—that Monroe would have to consider whom he admitted his truth to. He loved that Monroe either didn’t have that worry in Harmony, or he was unapologetically himself, regardless. “Sounds like your partner and I have a lot in common, but I don’t want you to think I wouldn’t enjoy a position here too. Like I said, I’m a people person. I enjoy helping out with anything plant or animal related.” When Monroe grinned at him, Grady asked, “Was that a test?” the pieces clicking into place.
“Yes and no. What I said about Holden is true, but you can never be too careful. I grew up in Harmony, so everyone knows me and most people accept me, but it’s better to know from the beginning rather than later. Sometimes the world can be an ugly place.”
Which meant Harmony was just like everywhere else he’d ever been—good people and bad, hateful and not. “Yeah. Lost my family for the same reason.”
“Shit.” Monroe shook his head. “I’m real sorry about that.”
“Me too, but it was their choice. I don’t have time for that in my life. It’s too damn short.” He’d learned that losing Nathan.
“You can say that again. So, part-time gonna be okay for you?”
“It will for a bit, yeah. Again, not gonna lie. I’d eventually like something full-time, but it’ll work for now and might even be a good way to start as I’m just settling into the area.” Plus, he had no idea what to expect when he spoke to Deacon and Birdie. If they were uncomfortable with him and his ties to Nathan, he’d leave Everett. Maybe he’d even find himself in Harmony.
“I like you, Grady Dalton. I’ve made it through most of my life trusting my instincts about people, and I’m gonna do that here too. I’ll need you to fill out the application and everything, but if you’re still interested, I’d love to have you as part of the Covington Supply team.”
Grady smiled, warmth spreading through him. Though he hated getting his hopes up, something about this move, this job, felt right. But every time he cared about something, he seemed to lose it, and honestly, he didn’t know how much more loss he could take.
Chapter 2
Deacon
Deacon felt like a damn fool thinking this, but he wondered if he was being followed. What in the hell someone could want from him was a mystery, unless it was his recipe for ginger-pineapple or blackberry-crisp ice cream. He was a widowed, middle-class man who was sad more than he let on and had basically forgotten how to have real fun, despite how well he faked it. He didn’t have much to offer a stalker, but maybe it would make his life a little more interesting.