Chapter 15
Thirty minutes later Jake and Emily walked down Main Street in Splendid Lake. It seemed as if overnight the restaurants and
storefronts had been transformed into an autumn wonderland decorated with pumpkins, bales of hay, scarecrows, orange and purple
twinkle lights, decorative wreaths, and so much orange. And adding to the ambience were the trees—boasting a dazzling display of leaves in shades of yellow, orange,
red, purple, and brown.
“I love this time of year.” Emily looped her arm through his. “This is the best part of living in the mountains. The days
are cooler, and the air smells like fall. Even the lake smells like fall.”
He smiled down at this adorable young woman. “I do too. So about your flyer—which is dynamite, by the way—where do you want
to start distributing them?”
“Everywhere.” She stopped moving. “We need to hit every store—the restaurants, the coffee shop, the ice cream shop, the bakery,
the candy store, and the knickknack stores. Each one might want to have a booth. Some shops may even want to split a booth.”
Jake was stunned by not only how much talent this woman possessed but also by how much she cared about the success of the
market and his family’s legacy. He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her body against him.
She lifted her gorgeous golden eyes to meet his. “What was that for?”
“Just ’cause.” He studied her. “Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.” Her smile widened. “Now let’s get some vendors signed up.”
They turned toward the line of stores just as someone called Jake’s name.
“Hey, Jake!”
He spun, and Travis Johnson rushed over to him. Jake and Emily had gone to school with his older brother, Daniel.
“Travis!” Jake shook his hand. “The last time I saw you was at my graduation. How’s Daniel doing?”
“Great. He got married a few years ago and moved to Virginia.” Travis pointed to the flyers in their hands. “I heard about
the hundredth anniversary you’re planning for the orchard. By any chance, are you looking for a band to perform?”
Jake turned to Emily, and she grinned.
“We sure are,” Emily said. “I’ve seen your band on social media. Carolina Dreamin’, right?”
“That’s us. We’re a rock band.”
“You’re really good.”
“Thanks.” Travis’s grin was wide. “We’ve mostly been doing local gigs, but we played in a music festival in Asheville back
in June, and it’s opened several doors for us. We’re available if you need some entertainment.”
Jake mulled over the idea of adding performers to the celebration. Although it would be great, it definitely wasn’t in their budget. “How much do you charge?”
“Charge you?” Travis waved him off. “For Hughes Family Orchard, it’s free. Every year my mom makes the best applesauce with
your apples, and when I was a kid, she took me to the orchard to help her pick them out. My band and I would be honored to
be a part of your celebration.”
Jake shook his hand, and his heart lifted. “Thanks, man.”
They exchanged phone numbers, and Emily promised to send Travis the details about the event.
After Travis left, Jake and Emily spent the next two hours visiting each shop in Splendid Lake, sharing the news about the
market’s grand opening. By the time they finished, they had two vendors signed up and three that were interested.
“It’s coming together. We have a couple of vendors and a band booked. Let’s stop at Apple Haven on our way back,” Emily suggested
while Jake drove toward the orchard.
He snuck a glance her way. “Why?”
“I want to see something.”
He lifted his eyebrows, but she pointed toward the road that led toward their competitor.
After parking in the nearly full lot, they climbed from the truck and headed inside. The delicious scent of apples mixed with
funnel cakes and buttery popcorn filled the air, and the orchard was buzzing with patrons. Families headed toward the petting
zoo area, while others moved toward the small carnival. Other folks carried their bags of apples toward the line of cashiers.
Jake pushed his ball cap down lower, scanned the crowd, and tried not to allow his competitor’s success to break his spirit.
How was his little market going to outdo this bustling fall festival?
Emily shook her head. “You’re allowed to be here. You don’t have to try to disguise yourself.”
“But I feel like I’m betraying my ancestors.”
She laughed, and he couldn’t stop his own smile. “I promise I won’t tell your folks.” She threaded her fingers with his and
yanked him toward the petting zoo. “Come on.”
They wandered around the grounds, and the more delighted customers Jake encountered, the more despondent he became. There
was no way he could ever compete with Apple Haven, and they were making a huge mistake thinking they could. He’d spent his
entire savings and almost maxed out his credit card on the barn refurbishment, and now he was going to lose his business and
his family’s legacy.
“We can go now,” Emily suddenly announced, steering him toward the exit. She had a spring in her step as she towed him toward
his Dodge truck and hopped into the passenger side.
Jake took his seat beside her, pulled out his keys, and started the truck. Before putting it in gear, he glanced over at Emily
and found her bouncing on the seat as if she were ready to explode. “I can tell you’re dying to say something, so spill it.”
“I have an idea.” She turned toward him and rested back against the door. “How do you figure out what to charge for apples
at your orchard?”
He eyed her suspiciously. “You don’t need me to tell you that. You worked at the orchard for six years, up until we graduated
from high school. You know we’ve always charged per pound.”
“So . . . what if we didn’t?” she asked, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Just listen, okay?”
“All right, I’m listening.”
She held up her hand. “What if you gave out baskets, and you charged per basket of apples instead of per pound?”
He settled back in the driver’s seat and considered it.
If they charged per basket, they would lose money.
Or they would make money, depending on how much they charged.
But how could he convince his dad to make such a drastic change in their pricing policies?
He turned toward her. “I don’t know . . . ”
“It could work.” She bent over the console separating them. “The prices here are insane. They are way cheaper than your orchard.”
He frowned. “I know.”
“So if you tried this, it would make you competitive. I promise, people would come back for more of your apples.” She held
up her hands as another idea hit her. “You could have a special promo where they’d save two dollars if they bring back the
basket! Try playing the volume game!”
He gave her a sad smile. “You know how my dad is. He’s having a difficult enough time accepting the market idea. If we ask
him to lower prices, he might put his foot down.”
“Let me talk to your dad.”
“I respect your confidence, but my dad is all about tradition. And selling apples by the pound is how his father did it, and
his father before him.”
She gave him a knowing look. “I got this.”
Jake took in her tenacity. And her hair in a messy bun. And her face glowing with excitement. At that moment, Emily couldn’t
have been any more attractive to him.
His mind replayed the memory of their near kiss, and he couldn’t deny the desire rushing through him. He wanted her as more
than a friend.
But would kissing her be worth risking their friendship, just to find out if she felt the same way he did?
No matter the risk, his hands trembled at the idea of kissing Emily Carmichael.
Her eyes squinted. “Why are you staring at me like I’m a puzzle?”
“You are a puzzle. You’re a woman. All women are puzzles to men.”
She snorted. “No, we’re not. You guys just don’t pay enough attention.”
“Right . . .” He shook his head and turned over the engine.
She buckled her seat belt before patting his arm. “You leave your dad to me. I can convince him to give my idea a try. I have
a good track record with him.”
“Don’t worry. I’m happy to leave that to you.” He backed out of the parking spot and motored toward the road while he contemplated
when would be the perfect time to tell Emily that he cared about her—really cared about her.
He couldn’t wait to find out if Emily would consider taking their relationship to the next level.
“We had a busy day, didn’t we, Diane?” Claire carried a platter of chicken enchiladas to the table.
Jake’s mom nodded while setting a bowl of rice beside the platter. “We sure did. We cooked and baked and took care of some
cleaning.”
Claire’s smile was smug. “And it was so fun to catch up with you.”
Emily bit back a frown while adding five glasses of sweet tea to the table. An irritated expression flickered across Jake’s
face so quickly, she was almost sure she’d imagined it. But when she did a double take, she saw the annoyance was still in
his blue eyes.
Interesting. It seemed Claire got under his skin just as much as she got under Emily’s.
Claire brought a bowl of refried beans to the table before sitting beside Leon. “Bon appétit!”
Emily took the chair next to Jake, and they all started filling their plates with the food. She hated to admit it, but Claire’s enchiladas were actually pretty good. Because of course they were.
“We have freshly baked apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert,” Claire added before waving her fork through the air with
a flourish. “And what did you two do today?” she asked, dividing a look between Emily and Jake.
Emily turned to Jake, hoping he’d answer the question.
He swallowed a bite of enchilada and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “We went to town to round up some vendors.”
“How’d it go?” Diane asked.
Jake nodded. “Pretty well. We have a band booked to help with entertainment, and we also secured two vendors, and we have
three more interested.”
“Two vendors?” Dad asked. “Only two?” He closed his eyes before continuing at a much higher volume. “You spent thousands on that barn, Jake. Two vendors are not going to give us a return on that investment. I knew this was a bad idea.” His nostrils