“And you don’t want a piece of that?”
I huffed, then awkwardly said, “Of course I want…a piece of that.”
She arched a single brow. “Why does that sound so precious coming from you?”
I laughed. “Things are…complicated.”
It was her turn to huff. “All I know is if a man looked at me the way Hunter looks at you—like he’s jealous of the sun and moon rays for getting to touch you—I’d be making things less complicated.”
I smiled. “The last time Hunter and I made love was in the back of his truck.”
Candace dropped the spoon she was using to mix with. She sat on the stool at the island and prompted me with her hand. “Keep talking.”
A nervous chuckle slipped free. “Oh, Candace. Hunter was—no, he still is the most romantic man I’ve ever met. He told me we were going to a movie and picked me up in his daddy’s old truck that he’d given to Hunter to take to college. Anyway, he pulled into this open field on the back side of the orchard. It was Christmas break, so it was cold and had been snowing nearly all day. He parked and told me to wait in the truck and not to peek.”
She propped her chin up on her hand. “Did you peek?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “I kept my eyes closed. He had bought this tent that fit over the bed of a truck. Inside it, in the back of the truck bed, he’d set up all these blankets and pillows. He even had a little heater going. He had popcorn and Milk Duds—they were my favorite at the time—and his laptop. We snuggled up under that tent and watched Steel Magnolias because he knew it was one of my favorite movies.”
Candace let out a sigh, waving at her face as if cooling herself off.
“Then after the movie, he made love to me…and I knew in the depths of my soul that I would love him forever and a day. He asked me to marry him that night. I don’t think he meant to,” I chuckled. “But he did, and I said yes.” My smile faded and I closed my eyes. “Little did I know that a few months later, my world would be shattered.”
A serious expression crossed over Candace’s face. “Bella, I apologize if I’m about to step over the line or assume something, but were you raped?”
I snapped my eyes open and stared at her. “What?”
Candace reached across the island for my hand. “If I’m wrong, I’m so sorry to have assumed.”
For a good thirty seconds, I wasn’t able to say anything. “How did you know I was raped?”
She shrugged. “I saw a lot of trauma in the few years I was in medical school. And I have a habit of noticing things about people. I put two and two together.”
All I could do was nod.
“I won’t pretend to know what that’s like, Arabella. But I do see the way the two of you look at each other. And I can only imagine that when he touches you, that night in his truck isn’t the memory popping into your mind.”
I pressed my lips together tightly.
Candace smiled, and Lord, there was something about that smile of hers. It radiated love and peace. She squeezed my hand gently. “So, what you need to do is draw that memory up, and not the bad ones. You’ve given them enough space in your head, don’t you think? It’s time the good memories moved to the surface and the old get buried where they belong.”
I walked around the island and Candace slid off the stool. We hugged for what felt like an eternity.
When we stepped apart, she winked. “I can be deep when I want to.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “You are like the female version of Kyle, I swear.”
Her head dropped back as she let out a roar of laughter. “Oh shit. I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”
“Trust me, it’s a compliment.”
The bell to the front door of the shop rang, and I felt the flutter of butterflies in my stomach.
“Go and enjoy yourself. I’m going to experiment with some pies and cobblers.”
“You’re sure this is how you want to spend your day off from the bookstore?”
She waved me off with her hand. “Please, there’s nothing more I’d rather do than bake and fiddle around in the kitchen. Well, sex…I’d rather be having sex, but that’s not going to happen when Eric is on shift for the next two days. It’ll be the old vibrator for me tonight.”
I snarled my lip as I mumbled, “Too much sharing, Candace.”
“Pffft. That’s tame for me.”
A knock sounded, and I turned to see Hunter step inside the small kitchen area of the store. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“No! No, not at all,” I said, grabbing my purse and jacket. Glancing back over my shoulder at Candace, I said, “Have fun playing in the kitchen.”
She shot me a wicked smile. “Have fun playing with—”
“Okay, bye, Candace!” I shouted, pushing Hunter out of the kitchen.
“In a hurry?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Candace started talking about her vibrator, so yes, I’m in a hurry.”
Hunter scrunched up his face in the most adorable way as I grabbed his hand and nearly dragged him out of the store. “Do I want to know what you two were talking about?” he asked while he held the door for me, then helped me up into his truck.
“No, you don’t.”
He reached in and kissed me softly on the lips. “I missed you.”
I reached up and ran my fingertip over his soft lips. “I missed you, too, even though I just saw you a few hours ago.”
Jack barked and poked his head up into the front seat, gave me a quick lick across the side of my face, then barked again.
Hunter rolled his eyes and shut the door while I gave Jack some attention. “Hello, my handsome boy. I missed you too.”
The driver’s side door opened, and Hunter slid into his seat. “Jack, in the back.”
The dog whimpered and then promptly took his position in the backseat. Hunter had a hammock-type thing back there for Jack, so he’d be more comfortable. I swore when he laid down, he sighed.
“What do you have planned for today?” I asked, buckling my seat belt.
“I thought we could go for a short drive. There’s something I want to show you.”
That flutter hit my stomach once again, and I had to force myself to draw my gaze away from Hunter. “Then I can’t wait to see it.”
Hunter drove down Althorpe Street and turned right on Main. I watched as we drove past Annie James, the Gristmill building, and Turning Pages. He turned on Chestnut Street and drove along the river for a bit before turning down a dirt road.
“I’m intrigued. Where are we going?”
Hunter looked at me and winked. “You’ll see.”
I couldn’t help the little bubble of excitement that was quickly building inside of me. I loved surprises, and I loved that Hunter remembered that.
Glancing around as we crossed over the river, I said, “I thought this was the road to the Wickerman farm.”
“It is…or it was.”
“What do you mean, was?”
Hunter gave me a quick look before he focused on the road. It looked as if someone had just plowed it, since we’d gotten snow recently.