Butter You Up: A Grumpy Sunshine Romantic Comedy

16. Alex

Dinner goes betterthan I expect it to. When Sam and Jackson were here in February for the service and the reading of the will, we all got together, but it felt different. It felt morose, with the one-two punch of Grandad having passed away and learning about the farm’s debt.

When Jackson and Sam left, we all returned to our defaults as if nothing had changed—they went back to their lives, and I went back to the farm.

Looking at Ethan now, he’s not back to his default. My older brother looks happy and more talkative. With seven of us here, he’s at the head, opposite Gran, where Grandad used to sit.

Look, he’s become the patriarch of the Bedd family, just like Grandad knew he would.

Before I can get too into my head about it, Gran gets up to gather plates, and the rest of us stand up in protest. Colleen quickly picks up Gran’s wineglass and refills it, telling her to go sit somewhere and enjoy her book. Ethan starts loading the dishwasher while Lia and Molly pack up leftovers. Once the dishes are all loaded, Ethan switches to hand washing the pots and pans, and I grab a kitchen towel, ready to dry.

The women filter out, not all the way to the porch where Gran sits, but I can hear them talking in the living room. Kit lingers, sneaking pieces of Gran’s sourdough.

“So, does this mean you’ll return my calls now?” Ethan asks.

I grunt and glance over at Kit. He pretends not to be listening and crams another chunk of crust in his mouth. “We’re talking now, right?”

Ethan smiles into the suds and shakes his head. “Come on, let me take you out to lunch this week. Tomorrow? Tuesday?”

“He can do Tuesday,” Kit pipes up.

“What, you know my schedule?”

“Am I wrong?”

I sigh. “Fine. Tuesday.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up at noon. We’ll go into town.”

That means we’re going to Lick Your Fork, the diner that’s been a Fork Lick institution since I was a kid.

“Fine,” I say.

Once he’s got my assent, Ethan asks Kit about his work options, leaving me to dry Gran’s vintage Pyrex dishes and new wine glasses.

I should be thinking about my upcoming conversation with Ethan, but instead, I’m thinking about that stupid bet Molly and I made earlier. Did she offer the kiss because she knew she was gonna win? I was fairly certain she was going to lose, but I guess I’d been selling out faster than I’d thought.

All day, though, I’d been thinking about it. Wondering what she’d say to me after they closed for the day, waiting for that text. It came earlier than I thought, bringing with it crashing disappointment.

I’d never had anyone bet me a kiss.

“Yoo-hoo? Alex?”

My brother’s hand waves in my field of view. I jump.

“What?”

Ethan smirks at me. “That was the last one.”

Oh. I’ve just been standing, staring out the dark window, waiting for the next wine glass.

“Gee, what could he be thinking about?” Kit asks wryly.

I shoot him a dirty look over my shoulder while I hang up the towel. I’m about to pinch him when Gran walks in. “Don’t mind me, boys, just making a to-go box for Molly so she doesn’t have to cook tomorrow night.”

She opens the fridge, and behind her back, I deliver that pinch. Kit grimaces and bites his lip, working to stay quiet. Then he grabs a hunk of bread and rips off a bit, flinging it at me and shoving the rest in his mouth.

I catch it with my mouth and grin. When I look back at Ethan, he’s smiling at me softly. It hits me like a two-by-four that we used to pinch and throw food at each other right here in this kitchen. And the look on his face makes me think that he’s remembering when we used to play more than we used to fight.

“Here.” Gran shoves a Tupperware at my chest. “Now go walk Molly home.”

Ethan snickers, and Kit strolls into the living room. “Molly, your security officer is here to escort you home.”

I walk out with the leftovers, and Molly thanks my Gran for a wonderful night with a hug. She says goodbye to everyone and steps out into the night, waiting for me at the bottom step.

“Wanna see what Quinn’s been working on?”

“Sure,” I say, and we walk out to Vaniel. Molly hums quietly and looks up at the stars. The sky is clear tonight, the bugs loud, and it strikes me how different the two farms are. Mine is much noisier, even at night, with animals stomping and snorting. Ethan’s crops don’t make a peep.

In the van, we toe off our shoes, and Molly puts the leftovers in her fridge. The last tour didn’t include details on the electrical system, so Molly gives me a bare rundown of how it works. Thanks to government funding, we were able to put solar panels on the south-facing roof of the barn, a project that I largely handled, so I know the basics of how these things work. After Molly walks me through her system, I’m pretty up to speed.

“What’re you going to use for your battery management system?”

“Uhhh…” Molly wrinkles her brow in concentration. “I don’t remember.”

“What about?—”

Molly holds up a hand to cut me off. “Maybe talk to Quinn. I understand what she’s saying—kinda—while she says it, but it’s over my head.” She chuckles self-deprecatingly.

I straighten from where I was crouched on the floor and immediately whack my head on the ceiling. “Damn it.”

“Oof, you okay?”

I rub it. Nothing but bruised pride. “Yeah.” That’s my cue to leave.

Molly follows me to the door, which is open but covered with a screen curtain, keeping the bugs out.

I toss my boots onto the nearby grass and sit down at the lip of the floor to tug them on. I get up and turn around, coming face-to-face with Molly, who stands inside the van, holding the screen out of the way.

“Well,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Instead of answering, Molly bends over, putting her hand on my chest and freezing me in place. Her lips meet mine in a quick, soft kiss. She tastes like wine and strawberries and warmth. My brain, which has been sputtering a bit every time I’ve thought about Molly today, full-on seizes.

She straightens up, smiles at me, and lets her hand fall. “Goodnight, Alex. See you tomorrow.”