Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
I flip my phone in my hand as I stare out the window, watching cars and pedestrians in the street below, looking frantic and busy.
The constant motion that initially drew me to this city, and that I loved so much, now looks…
exhausting. Even though I felt like I was thriving in that state just weeks ago.
But ever since I interviewed for, and accepted, a job on PEI, something shifted.
Now the fast life has lost its appeal, and I find myself looking forward to something much slower.
I honestly never saw this coming. Especially this quickly.
Winston sits at my feet, and I glance down at him as he looks up at me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
“Ready to leave this place, bud?” I ask, letting my gaze sweep over the empty condo.
The past week was busy with packing, goodbye drinks with friends, and squeezing in my favourite Toronto spots one final time.
But today’s the day. The moving truck just left, taking all my furniture and boxes full of belongings, and my car is packed with everything Winston and I will need for the drive east. I just need to wait for a call from Island Farm Services, then we’re off.
A mix of nerves and anticipation rises as I glance down at my phone again.
During the interview, they explained that this role was created for a long-term, on-site placement with a large-scale, high-value farm looking for operational restructuring with a focus on optimization and sustainability.
Due to confidentiality and competition sensitivity, they couldn’t give me more details about the client, but the description of the job was everything I love.
And since I’m willing to go anywhere on the island, I accepted the offer and signed the contract.
The process moved quickly, driven by an immediate start and the urgency of the role, so I haven’t had much time to get excited or nervous about any of it.
I’ve been too busy packing and making arrangements to ship my belongings to a storage unit near my parents, and to live with them or my brother in Summerside until I hear where I’ll be going.
So now, since I have nothing to do but stand in my empty condo and wait…
it’s all rising. Excitement to start something new, support farms in my home province, and do what I truly love to do.
Happiness that I get to be closer to family and the ocean.
Anticipation to get to work and build something that really matters.
And nerves. Because this is a big shift.
I’m now working on my own instead of with a team, and a large farm’s structure, output, performance, and profit are riding on what I can bring to their table.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and my heart lurches as I look down at it.
Island Farm Services appears on the screen, and I pull a deep breath in before answering.
“Hello?” I say, pressing the phone to my ear.
“Hello, is this Levi?” a woman’s voice asks on the other end.
“Yes, speaking.”
Winston looks up at me expectantly, like I’m wasting his time and he just needs to get going already, and I hold up a finger to him as if he understands what that means.
“Nice to finally speak with you. I’m Claudia, the one responsible for the flood of emails about your contract and paperwork.”
I chuckle. “Nice to speak with you, too.”
“Now that everything is finalized and signed,” she continues, “I’m calling to share where you’ll be living and working for the next two years.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Sounds great.”
“So…” she starts, and I hear some papers shuffling. “You’re from Crapaud?”
“Basically, yes. Just outside of Crapaud, in a tiny village called Linton, on the coast.”
Claudia chuckles. “Really?”
My brow furrows. Is that really so weird? “Yes…”
“That’s where the farm is.”
I still, and my eyes lock on a building in the distance. “Which farm?”
“Gallant Potato Farm.”
Oh my god.
Scott’s farm.
Silas’s farm.
“You know it?” Claudia asks.
“Yeah…” I close my eyes and suppress a sigh. “I… grew up across the street.”
“Oh wow! What a small world!”
“Yeah, so, I…” I trail off, rubbing a hand over my face.
Fuck. How do I even begin to explain this?
And what am I even explaining? That it will be awkward as fuck because my ex-best friend’s family owns the farm, and he works on it?
It’s standard not to disclose client details until contracts are signed, especially when the client is high-value and information is sensitive.
And conflicts of interest can arise in cases like this.
.. but this isn’t a conflict of interest. This is just a conflict, on a personal level, that they won’t care about. And they shouldn’t.
“There’s some history there,” I say slowly, still not sure what to do.
“Oh?”
I wince at the slight tone shift that carries an edge of caution. And I can picture her sitting up straighter, fingers hovering over her keyboard, waiting to hear if this is about to turn into a problem.
But it can’t. And it won’t. They offered me a generous contract, made it clear this position needed to start immediately, and I agreed.
My things are already shipped, my condo’s empty, and I’m ready to go.
I can’t back out now, and I’m not going to.
The farm needs someone right away, and they had been looking for a while with no success before I applied.
So it would be a dick move to break a contract over this.
There are hundreds of farms on PEI… what are the fucking chances?
“Yeah,” I add lightness to my voice and slap on a smile so fake I’m glad she can’t see it. “So it should be fun.”
Although I can take a wild guess and say it probably won’t be.
“That’s so great. A true coming-home story for you,” Claudia says brightly. “So, as we discussed, it’s a two-year contract with the potential to extend based on need. You’ll be on-site at the farm full time. Do you already have accommodations in the area, or would you like us to help with that?”
I tip my head back and stare at the ceiling. “I have family nearby. I’m all set, thank you.”
“Perfect.” I hear her typing again, as she hums lightly for a moment.
“Alright, I’ve just sent over your welcome package, which includes onboarding documents, your role outline, and contact details for the client.
Scott Gallant, the farm owner, will be your point of contact.
We’ll follow up with him today to pass along your information, so you can expect to hear from him soon to get everything started on their end. ”
I let my gaze drift back out the window. “I know him well.”
Claudia lets out a pleased little laugh. “Well, this just keeps getting better!”
Right…
“You should have everything in your inbox now,” she adds. “And I’ll be speaking with Scott this afternoon. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear you’re his new Agricultural Operations Support Specialist.”
I let out a breath that could almost be mistaken for a laugh. Scott’s a great guy, and I know for a fact I will enjoy working with him and his farm.
I’m just not so sure about his son.
“That’s great, Claudia. Thank you.”
“Have a safe trip home, and we’ll chat again soon,” she says cheerily. “Let me know if you have any questions at all.”
“I will. Thanks again,” I say. “Talk soon.”
A deep sigh escapes me the second the call ends, and I gaze out the window, staring at nothing in particular.
What the fuck…
I turn the phone in my hand, then glance down at it, unease rustling under the surface as the reality of this situation sets in. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?
I haven’t talked to Silas in years. Usually, when I’m home visiting, our paths don’t cross at all. And if they do, it’s just us driving past each other on the road with a brief lift of the hand that barely qualifies as a wave.
I hesitate for a moment before I open my contacts and tap his name to bring up our messages.
But when the screen loads, and it’s completely blank, my heart sinks and hurt settles right in the middle of my chest. There’s nothing here.
No record of the years we spent talking about everything and nothing.
Our last exchange, just after my graduation three years ago, has disappeared somewhere between new phones, leaving behind a blank space where so much history used to live.
I stare at his name at the top of the screen, and a deep sadness spreads through me, magnifying the hurt as I think back to that day on the beach, and how everything came to an explosive end under words neither of us knew how to take back.
The anger I felt then is still here, but it’s different now.
Now the anger is not only towards him, but towards myself, and the way we both handled something we didn’t have the tools to protect.
And we don’t need to talk for me to know Silas is still pissed. Because he was my best friend, and I knew everything about him. We ended with anger, confusion, and hurt, and I still carry some of that. So knowing what I know about Silas, I bet he feels it a lot deeper than I do.
With a sigh, I lock my phone and stick it in my pocket, cutting myself off before I spiral any more.
I’m in this now, and the only thing I can do is wait to see what happens. Scott doesn’t know yet that I’m their new hire, so I’m not going to break the news to Silas before his dad even knows. I’ll just wait to hear from Scott and treat this like any other job.
“This is just a job…” I mutter. “I’m going to do a job. That’s it.”
I look down at Winston stretched out at my feet, watching me as if those words are the least convincing thing I’ve ever said.
“Well, bud,” I say. “Let’s go home.”