Chapter 35
Asher
By the time evening settled over Maple Valley, the orchard had grown quiet.
The last visitors had wandered back toward the parking lot with their baskets full of apples.
The workers were heading home one by one, the long rows of trees glowing gold in the fading light.
I leaned against the back of the truck for a moment and stretched my leg.
My knee complained now and then, but the doctor had cleared me to move normally again.
I spotted Claire walking back across the orchard with Soleil and Jonah, the three of them laughing about something. The way the sun caught her hair turned it almost copper.
Jonah noticed me first.
“Oh look,” he said loudly, nudging Marc. “The boss is doing the staring thing again.”
Marc chuckled from the ladder he was climbing down.
“Man’s hopeless.”
I pushed away from the truck. “Get back to work.”
Jonah grinned. “Work’s done.”
“Then go home.”
Claire reached me just as the two of them walked off, still laughing.
“What did you do to them?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I shrugged.
“They seem amused,” she giggled.
“They think I’m whipped,” I deadpanned.
Her smile widened. “Are you?”
I stepped closer. “Depends.”
“On what?” she asked, intrigued.
“On whether you’re planning to keep that smile.”
She shook her head and laughed. “You’re impossible.”
“Come on,” I said, nodding toward the truck.
“Where are we going?” she asked, giving me her hand.
“You’ll see,” I said with a sly grin.
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s supposed to be mysterious,” I laughed.
She crossed her arms. “Asher.” She said, like she was parenting me.
“Claire,” I smirked enjoying the reaction.
The drive only took about ten minutes. There was a clearing near the edge of the property where the orchard gave way to forest and the land dipped gently toward a small lake. My brothers and I used to camp here when we were kids. When I parked the truck, Claire looked around.
“You brought me camping?” she asked.
“Sort of.” I climbed out and grabbed the cooler from the back.
She followed me toward the fire pit.
“You planned this,” she said.
“Maybe.”
“You definitely planned this,” she said with certainty.
I crouched and struck a match, watching the flame catch the kindling and slowly spread through the wood. The fire crackled softly as it grew. Claire sat on the blanket I had laid out earlier and looked at the cooler.
“What’s in there?” she asked.
“Dinner.”
“Did you cook?” she wondered, if she should be concerned about eating.
I gave her a look. “You’ve eaten my cooking.”
“That’s why I’m asking,” she giggled, and that sound hit me right me in the chest.
“I got dinner from the brewery. I wanted tonight to be special. I didn’t want to worry about food poisoning,” I joked.
Her eyes lit up immediately. She opened the container and laughed. “Chicken and steak quesadillas. My favorite.”
“I know.”
We ate slowly beside the fire while the sky darkened overhead. The stars began appearing one by one above the trees. Claire leaned back on her hands and looked up.
“This is beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
She glanced at me. “You’re being very romantic tonight.”
“Am I?” I said as if it was no big deal. I was never a romantic guy, but I just hadn’t found the right girl.
“Extremely.”
I shrugged. “I had some good news today.”
Her expression shifted slightly. “What kind of good news?”
I poked at the fire with a stick. “The Bellerose trial got expedited.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“The charges are sticking this time. Financial records, trafficking evidence, the whole operation. The courts are pushing it through fast.”
Claire was quiet for a moment. I could see the weight of those words settling over her.
For years, that man had haunted her life.
“Wow,” she whispered. “That’s… a lot.”
“Good a lot?” I asked.
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, it is.”
The fire popped softly between us. After a moment, she leaned her head against my shoulder. “You know something?” she said.
“What?”
“I’m really happy.”
I slipped my arm around her. “Me too.”
And for the first time, everything in my life felt exactly right.
“I love you, beautiful.”
“I love you too.”