She rolls her eyes.
“But if I had to guess,” Everett continues, “maybe this is Charlie’s way of saying he’s hoping you’ll be able to help him stay.”
—
“Don’t you dare think about trying to run away from me this time, Charlie Waybill,” Gretchen warns as she approaches the farmhouse. Charlie’s eyes are wide, as if that’s exactly what he would be doing if she hadn’t issued the warning. She comes to a stop at the bottom of the three stairs leading up to the porch, which puts her a safe foot or so away from where Charlie sits on the top step. Definitely not close enough to accidentallykiss any part of his person. “I thought you went to Tipsy Lou’s to play pool last night.”
“Didn’t make it out there,” he says, and looks at the apple core sitting beside him as if urging it to regenerate and give him something to stuff his mouth with to get out of this conversation.
“The flowers in the seed drill. The sign. It looks great.”
He shrugs. “You’ve been complaining about it being an eyesore, and it seemed easier than moving it.”
“But your back,” she says. “You could have hurt it again.”
“It’s feeling much better, and bags of soil aren’t that heavy. I’m fine.”
“Well, then thank you. It’ll be a perfect photo op for the people who come today. It’ll help us get the word out about the farm.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re not the only one with business sense, Acorn.” Apparently, accepting that the apple isn’t going to save him, Charlie clasps his hands together and rests them between his splayed-out legs, leaning on his thighs. “Besides, it’ll help with curb appeal. The real estate agent called yesterday. Someone’s supposed to come check out the place at four thirty. Yoga will be over by then?”
Gretchen feels her stomach drop. “Yeah.”
An incline of his head is his only response.
“Well,” she says, “I just wanted to tell you it looks great.”
“Thanks.”
She moves to leave, then turns back around. “We sold out, by the way,” she says. “Forty people now. Penny’s going to bring an amp and a mic since it’s a big group. I think it’s a Bluetooth thing. Will that work out in the pasture?”
“Should. Lori’s good at tech stuff, and she’s got a ticket for this,right? She’ll be around if you need help. Off the clock, though, so don’t bother her too much.”
“Where will you be?” Gretchen asks. “You know, if someone has a question about the goats or something.”
“Oh, I think you can handle it,” he says, giving her a smile that reads almost like a snarl. “You know a lot about this place now, and for anything you don’t know, I’m sure you can make up the perfect response. That’s kind of your specialty anyway.”
She puts her hands on her hips, but her voice comes out more curious than angry. “You don’t need to do that, you know.”
“Do what?”
“The whole being-a-dick-to-keep-me-away thing. I’m already away. You’ve expressed very clearly how you feel, and I’m not that desperate, babe. I’m not going to keep lusting after someone who doesn’t want me back.” Thank god lying comes as second nature to her, or that would have been extremely hard to say.
“Not wanting you isn’t the issue,” he mumbles.
But before Gretchen can respond to that, Everett runs toward them with his arms waving as if he’s trying to shoo away a flock of seagulls. “They’re here! Your friends are here!”
Sure enough, a blue Volkswagen is making its way slowly down the long driveway.
“That’s Yolanda and Penny,” Gretchen says to Charlie. “Try to be nice.”
He brushes a blade of grass off his knee. “Aren’t I usually?”
“I suppose you are. To everyone who isn’t me.”
“Yep, that’s right,” he says, and strolls to the car to introduce himself and help unload.
26
