“Yes, she is.”
I stay standing, rotating my shoulder gently. It’s sore from the ladder work, but worth it. The orchard looks… right. Like the kind of place someone would whisper vows into the wind and actually believe they’ll last.
“You good?” Ramirez asks, nudging my boot with her own.
“Yeah,” I say. “Just soaking it in.”
She exchanges a look with Lee, who immediately smirks.
“I think you’re downplaying things,” Ramirez chuckles.
“You’re going all-out for this, huh?” Lee says.
“She asked,” I say simply.
Lee whistles. “You’ve got it bad.”
“She deserves the best,” I reply. “And not just because she’s the planner. She’s the one making sure everything runs while everyone else takes credit for the sparkle.”
Ramirez looks up from her solar jars. “Does that woman know how lucky she is to have you in her life?”
“Working on it,” I say.
Ramirez’s voice is quieter now. “So what? You’re just gonna be her behind-the-scenes hero forever?”
“I’ll be whatever she needs me to be,” I say honestly. “If she wants distance, I’ll give it. If she wants help, I’ll show up. But I’m not going to be the reason she loses credibility or control over something she’s worked her whole life to build.”
There’s a silence that follows, thoughtful rather than awkward. The kind that fills you with both clarity and ache.
Lee sighs. “That’s annoyingly noble.”
I huff a laugh. “Yeah, well, welcome to unrequited small-town crushes.”
Ramirez stands and dusts off her palms. “It’s not unrequited. She trusts you. That counts for something.”
“Trust isn’t love,” I say.
“No,” she agrees. “But it’s the first brick in something that lasts.”
We finish cleaning up as the orchard begins to dim around us. The solar jars hold their glow, warm and steady. Lee helps coil the last of the cables while Ramirez texts her boys to remind them not to burn the house down reheating frozen pizza.
As I lock the truck bed and tuck the final bracket into its case, I can’t stop thinking about Addison.
She didn’t see this tonight, in person — the orchard, the glow, the way people stepped up just because I asked. But I hope she’ll feel it. I hope she’ll know.
Because when you care about someone, you don’t push. You build. You wait.
You show up.
Even if it’s just with zip ties and backup batteries.
20
TRENDING AT THUNDERSTORM O’CLOCK
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Addison
