Twenty-Four
Gavin
The arboretum is one of my favorite places—a college buddy of mine works here and I visit at least once a season. I feel like
I can breathe with the wide-open spaces and shady groves. I’m fully aware I should be driving the other direction tonight,
toward the farm and the hard conversations I’ve been avoiding, but I can’t help wanting to stay in this bubble a little longer.
Mia seems sure that others finding out about us will complicate things, and while I disagree in general, I do hate the thought
of Scott thinking he was right and that Mia is all that’s keeping me here.
Still, it was hard to keep quiet about what happened between us at work all week when I wanted so badly to share the news
with Riley, who kept looking at me like she wanted to say something but was holding back, and Morris, who I’m 90 percent sure
has already told her his suspicions after spending Sunday staining the pergola with us.
But coming home to Mia every evening has made up for the secrecy.
She’s stayed at my house every day to watch the kittens, and most nights.
Sometimes she works until I’m long asleep, nudging me awake after I’ve dozed off on the couch or rising in the middle of the night to write with a shift of the mattress that has me instantly awake but pretending otherwise, not wanting to disrupt the rhythm she’s found.
With only three weeks left until she turns in the book, the last thing I want is to be a distraction, but these past few days
have been some of the best of my life, and I don’t want to think of what will happen if she decides she never wants to make
this trial run the real thing.
Tonight feels like a big step and I’m excited to bring her to the arboretum. I haven’t come here for a date since a disastrous
night out with my then-girlfriend who made it clear I was a walking cliché. Even though I know Mia would never tease me for
loving it here, I hesitated to invite her, because I wasn’t sure she’d enjoy it. But I wanted to bring her somewhere we’ve
never made memories as friends so we could start fresh as a couple, and the timing is perfect because tonight the arboretum
is hosting a sip-and-savor night with food trucks and tastings from local wineries. Mia will never have a bad time if good
food is involved.
The drive over was quieter than normal, since I was filled with first-date jitters, a weird sensation around the woman who’s
been my friend for years. But things feel so different now, even though—or maybe especially because—I woke up in her arms
this morning.
She’s never been a fan of bouquets, so I snipped a few sprigs of lavender from my garden and tucked them into the string knotted
around a charcuterie box I picked up for the road. The flowers are in her hair now, the stems tucked into the braids she knotted
into a low bun. She’s gorgeous as ever, and I have to remind myself not to stare.
We order kebabs and spring rolls to share and eat on high-top tables near the arboretum entrance, then take our wine on a
stroll along the garden paths, before I lead her out onto one of the many woodland trails.
“Where are you at in the book?” Conversation is an uphill battle tonight since I’m weighing all my words, not wanting to get it wrong, but I know she’s thinking about the story from the far-off look in her eyes. She gets that way when her characters push to the forefront of her thoughts.
“Ugh, now is where things start to fall apart. Tensions are high, and not in a good way. I just want to protect them from
what’s coming next.”
“So do it.” Sounds great to me.
She shakes her head. “It’s important to put their relationship to the test. But right now I’m not in the mood for that.”
A smile tugs at my cheeks, and she glances my way with a cute grin. “Quit looking so smug. Or don’t actually, because it’s
sexy.”
Mia just called me sexy. I think my brain might have short-circuited, but I’m okay with it.
But she still has that faraway look. “I just feel like I’ve stop-started this project so many times, I don’t know which way
is up.” On impulse I stop and gather her into my arms, aware we’re in the middle of the path, but not caring much.
“You’ll find a way to make it work,” I say, holding her close. “You always have. And even if you don’t, you’re still incredible.
One tough book isn’t going to define you.”
She wraps her arms around me, cheek pressed to my chest. “How do you always know the right things to say?”
“Remember that next time you come at me for my take on socks with sandals.”
She pulls away, eyes narrowed. “Sometimes a girl needs to run to the mailbox. Besides, you’ve got a lot of opinions on footwear
for someone who didn’t understand why I needed a pedicure before the last premiere.”
“You weren’t planning to wear sandals with your gown,” I protest.
“Slingbacks,” she says, as if that explains anything.
We start strolling again, the sun fading as fireflies start to flicker in the shadows.
“This place is enchanting.” She squeezes my hand. “You’ve been keeping it a secret.” Her face is silhouetted against the evening
sky, impossible to read.
“How did you know?”
“You haven’t looked at the map once, and this place is huge, yet you led me straight to this beautiful spot,” she says. We’re
standing in front of a pond bordered with towering oaks, water lilies dotting the gleaming surface.
I take a sip of wine, embarrassed she caught on, but not surprised. “I brought Megan here once. Remember her?” Mia nods. We’d
been dating for about six months, a long time for me. “She teased me about how cliché it was. ‘What a shock,’ she said, ‘the
tree guy thinking a forest would be romantic.’”
“‘The tree guy’?” Mia looks affronted on my behalf.
“I’m paraphrasing. But yeah. The only thing she was really interested in was the hedge maze. I figured it would be fine since
it’s open overhead. It wasn’t.” Even though I knew there was a way out, my mind refused to accept that. “After the first few
turns, I told her she could go on without me but I had to head out. Explained how enclosed spaces were difficult for me.”
“That must’ve been hard to admit, considering you didn’t even tell me.” There’s no hint of accusation in her voice, just sympathy.
“It was, yeah. But she laughed it off. Said it would be good to face my fears. And maybe it would’ve been, but I didn’t want
to.” Not with her.
“For what it’s worth,” Mia says, “I think human mazes are sadistic. Are we hamsters, or what?”
Grinning at her, I say, “To be fair, that’s also your stance on treadmills.”
“Rightly so.” She shakes her head. “I liked Megan, but it sounds like she showed her true colors.”
We follow the gravel path around the pond, watching a heron land in the shallows. “Since we’re sharing secrets,” Mia says,
“I’ve been thinking about why I decided not to date friends. It wasn’t just because I was scared of losing them. It was because
when I got rejected, I’d rather have been able to tell myself it was because they didn’t know the real me.”
Swinging our joined hands between us, she adds, “Guess it’s too late for us on that.”
I’m about to reassure her that she doesn’t have to worry about that with me when the bushes next to us start to rustle. I
step in front of Mia, wondering whether a deer is about to leap out. Whatever it is, it’s bigger than a squirrel or raccoon.
“Uncle Gavin!” The shout comes a split second before my nephew catapults into my leg. A second later his brother tumbles out
of the bush in a shower of leaves.
“Boo, scared ya!” Paxton announces.
I look around for their parents and sure enough, here come Scott and Amber on the path behind us. There’s no way they could’ve
missed seeing Mia and me holding hands, but she lets go anyway, and I gulp down my disappointment.
Stooping, I let both my nephews give me a quick hug, then they’re off again, picking up rocks to throw in the water. Standing,
I smile at my brother and sister-in-law. “Hey, Scott, Amber.”
Scott’s sandy brows lift, and he says to his wife, “Hon, you remember Mia. Gavin’s friend from college.”
Amber gives him a puzzled look. “Of course.” She goes in for a hug, but a shriek comes from off to our right and I turn to
find Brett and Paxton tumbling in a wrestling match.
“Oh gosh,” Amber says, and jogs toward them. “Boys, cut it out!”
They break apart as she gets closer, and I turn my attention back toward my brother. “What brings you all the way out here?” The arboretum is a good three hours away from the farm.
“We’re spending a few days in the city,” Scott says. “Met up with one of Amber’s friends and her family. Thought this would
be a fun outing for the kids.”
“A wine tasting?” I don’t mean to sound sarcastic, but I’m shocked to see them here, of all places. Especially when I haven’t
spoken to him since the baseball game.
He points back toward the front. “They have a children’s garden. We didn’t realize there’d be a special event.”
Amber comes back, a little breathless, my nephews trailing behind. “Sorry. The boys had cotton candy and shared a cupcake.
They’re wired.” Her phone chimes and she checks it. “My friend’s kids finally made it to the front of the face-painting line,”
she says. “We’d better go, but we’ll catch up next week, yes?” The end-of-summer barbecue. Hard to believe it’s already August.
“Great to see you, Mia. Can’t wait for your latest. Victor and Sydney are my favorites.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Mia stiffen, but she pastes on a big smile. “Thanks, Amber.”
Scott waves, his expression neutral, but I can see the wheels turning. “See you at the cookout.”
The boys are already off and running, and they hurry to catch up.
Watching them go, Mia frowns. “What’s going on with you and Scott?”
“Besides that he’s pissed I don’t want to take over for Dad?”
“But he barely spoke to me. What do I have to do with it?” Her eyes widen. “He thinks I’m pushing you to stay, doesn’t he?”
I shake my head, though she’s not far off.
“Then what? Because ‘Gavin’s friend from college’?” She makes air quotes. “I see them every summer. I’ve done virtual author visits with Amber’s book club.”
“I know. He’s...” I didn’t want to tell her this. “He doesn’t think you’re trying to get me to stay. But he does think
you’re the reason I don’t want to leave.”
Understanding dawns on her face. “So he thinks something’s going on between us, and running into us like this justifies all
his assumptions.” Her fingers are pressed to her temples, like she’s warding off a headache. “If he thinks I’m the reason
you’re turning down the farm, he’ll resent me forever.”
“So what?”
“So what?” Her brows go up, and so does her pitch. “That’s your brother. And you think he won’t mention this to your dad?
Can’t you see how I would be the bad guy? How would they ever be okay with our relationship if they thought I’d kept you from
taking over the farm?”
Dad would never, but Scott... “I thought we weren’t thinking about the future.”
“Of course I am,” she says. “I just didn’t want to put a label on this too early.” Her lips press into a thin line, and she
looks off in the direction Scott’s family left, brows furrowed.
“What if I do end up taking over the farm?” I haven’t considered it. Not truly. But would I do it to keep the heat off Mia?
Maybe.
“Then I’d worry you did it for me, just so they couldn’t accuse me of keeping you from it.”
“So there’s no way to win.” I blow out a breath, wondering how we’ve gone from the perfect evening to this. Except I know
how. If I’d been honest with Scott and Dad about my reasons for staying away, none of this would’ve fallen out on Mia.
She runs a hand over her head, dislodging the sprigs of lavender. “I don’t know, Gavin.”
“It’s just Scott. He’ll come around.”
She lets out a breath. “I told you this would be messy.”
“But maybe me moving would be like adopting the kittens.” She looks at me questioningly, and I explain, “I didn’t want to bring them home, but I don’t regret it. Maybe it would be the same with taking over for Dad. Not exactly what I planned, but good.”
She looks unconvinced. “Good enough?”
Everywhere I turn, it’s the same question. I thought I had the answer. Then I got a taste of life with Mia, and I know for
certain I can never settle for second best again.