Chapter 4
Come And Go
Nash was pleased Charlie hadn’t had nightmares or enough worries to cross the hall and sneak into his bed. He never minded having his kid with him, but it was a good sign of Charlie’s comfort level that he’d stayed in his own room.
His son was growing up.
Something Charlotte would never see. The thought ached even as he’d spent at least part of the night dealing with the fact of his attraction to Olivia.
It had been over a decade since he’d lost Charlotte. He knew he’d never get over it. He figured you never got over the death of a loved one; you just learned how to deal with it.
Dealing with this new attraction made him feel guilty. That was probably dumb, but that didn’t change the feeling.
He showered and dressed, then knocked softly on Charlie’s door. The door flew open immediately and Charlie grinned at him. “I’m up. Had my shower already. It’s neat, having a bathroom right in my own room. They even had towels ready for us to use. What are we going to do today?”
Nash laughed. “Have you been sneaking in some caffeine while I was sleeping?”
Charlie grinned. “Who needs caffeine? I’m not old, so I can be wide awake on my own.”
Nash wrapped an arm around his neck. “Come on, spring chicken. Let’s go rustle up some breakfast. Or don’t you need food either?”
“I need food. All the food. What did we buy for breakfast? Can we have pancakes? Or waffles? Or breakfast enchiladas? Did we buy any sugary cereal? I need to keep my energy up.”
The night before, they’d learned the house rules. Everyone was on their own for breakfast and lunches, while the adults had a rotational system for suppers. The group tried to eat together every night to catch up, and connect like a family.
It was another reason Nash had decided to make the move. Neither he nor Charlotte had any family left. Charlie hadn’t grown up with grandparents or aunts and uncles. It had always been the two of them. He figured his son could use the bonus family Nash had found in the army.
Nash and Gray had worked together as strategists, and they’d both worked with a variety of other teams. They hadn’t been attached to a single team but had worked with many at a time.
He’d met a lot of great people in those years and had become close to the ones he spent the most time with.
He knew each of the Malssum brothers who owned the farm and had worked with them all on their separate units. The men were loyal and determined. Along with Gray and Ford, they were some of the best people Nash knew.
Of the three brothers, only Knox Malssum was currently living on the farm, but Nash didn’t doubt he’d see Lawson and Burke for at least visits. He’d spoken to all the male Malssums to ensure that he and Charlie weren’t imposing or taking advantage of Gray’s offer.
They’d all assured him that there was plenty of space, and that he and Charlie were welcome. They were happy that Nash was willing to work on creating an apple cider division for their product.
Not that Nash had any history with cider making. He did have a brewmaster license, so he knew the basics, and had been doing some research on cider making, both hard and soft.
It looked like fun, and something Charlie could help with.
Nash had researched Vermont paperwork and laws around cider making, too.
It wasn’t much of a stretch from brewing craft beer.
He wasn’t sure if there was a compatible space on the farm already or if he’d have to build something.
That would take more time, and they’d have to wait until the snow melted to build.
Hopefully, he could find a space to work—even a kitchen no one used to test out different recipes and methods. Gray said there were plenty of small buildings on the property, and he thought a few might work.
The main floor of the farmhouse smelled delicious, and Charlie’s stomach rumbled loudly. “Smells like pancakes.”
The whisper had Nash nodding. He didn’t know exactly how everything would work here, but he knew no one would mind that he hadn’t brought pans or a griddle. He’d brought ingredients, and he knew they could share what the others used.
The kitchen had one of those swinging doors, and when they pushed their way in, the scent was stronger. To his surprise, the other six people who lived on the property were all there, working around the kitchen in harmony.
Cooking bacon and pancakes, cutting up apples and plating other fruit, setting the table, and feeding the dogs.
Of course, Charlie aimed right for the dogs. They’d met Hemsworth and Boomer the previous night, and Charlie was in love. The Australian and German shepherds were friendly and well trained.
A Great Pyrenees lived out on the property and didn’t like the indoors. He figured they’d meet Fox later. The name made Nash smile as it was also the name of the Malssum’s grandfather. The man had raised them after the deaths of their parents and had been a big influence on the five siblings.
The man who’d left them the farm had been Fox’s estranged brother. None of the siblings had known he existed until they’d inherited the place.
He knew there was some mystery around the estrangement, but it wasn’t his place to pry.
Amber, the quietest of the Malssums, noticed him and Charlie as soon as the door swung inward. She smiled and that smile widened as Charlie moved to the dogs. “Good morning.”
That caused everyone to turn in their direction and wave. Knox flipped over another pancake. “I hope you brought your appetites. Normally we all eat on our own for breakfast, but we thought your first morning warranted pancakes.
Charlie looked up. “That’s awesome. I just asked Dad if we could make some.”
Jolie grinned. “Knox is the pancake master. We’ve got some plain ones, others with blueberries and apples.”
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “I’ve never had apple pancakes.”
Knox pointed with his spatula. “Prepare yourself for awesomeness. We use our own apples, and they’re the best in the universe.”
Charlie laughed and bounced up to see what everyone was up to. Gray handed Nash a mug filled with steaming dark roast. “He do okay through the night?”
Nash nodded as he sipped. “He did. I didn’t see him until a few minutes ago.”
Gray grinned. “Good. He’s going to love this place.”
“I think he already does. He’s been lonelier than I knew. He’s talking a lot more than he has been recently.”
Gray nodded. “That’s a good sign.”
“Until your ears start to bleed with all the questions.”
His buddy laughed. “Not a chance. It’s going to be a blast to have a kid here.”
Nash recognized the tone. “You thinking about adding to the crew?”
Gray laughed. “Not just yet, but not too far down the road either. Amber will be an amazing mom.”
“It’ll be the scariest thing you’ve ever done. And the absolute best.”
Gray clinked his mug with his own. “I can’t wait.”
Over breakfast, they talked about how the work on the farm would change with the recent snow. Snow that might melt but would likely stick around for the next four months.
He nudged Charlie. “Four months of the white stuff. How long before you want to run screaming for a beach?”
Charlie laughed. “Never. I like the beach, but I think the snow is going to be just as awesome. It’ll be neat to have different seasons. Then we can’t get sick of any of them.”
Thea leaned forward. “I’ve been thinking of buying cross-country skis. It would be a great way to keep an eye on the orchard. Does that sound like something you’d like to try?”
To no one’s surprise, Charlie’s eyes lit up. “That would be cool. I’d like to try that. I’ve watched people do it in the Olympics. Downhill would be fun to try one day, too.”
The talk turned to other winter fun, and Nash figured he’d be buying skis and skates for Christmas. It sounded awesome.
Olivia woke to find Ella Mae playing with her stuffed dragon in her toddler bed. The dragon wasn’t based on the ones in Olivia’s books, but she figured it was never too early to introduce Ella to dragons.
If she had any drawing skills, she’d make her a dragon baby book. But art wasn’t in Olivia’s wheelhouse.
It still surprised and shocked her that her desire to escape into fictional worlds had turned into a career. Until she’d met Mary Mae, she’d spent most of her hours lost in books. Ones she read and others she created in her head.
She’d never had her own laptop until she’d saved enough money to buy a used one, so she’d never risked putting her stories down in words. That hadn’t occurred until they’d moved out of the group home.
Notebooks could be stolen by others, and her stories could have been a weapon for other kids to aim at her. While most kids in care were just like her, a few who were broken in ways she couldn’t begin to understand.
Those kids always looked for ways to make others feel as bad as they did themselves. Putting herself out there by showing a love of books hadn’t been safe because there’d always been kids like Adam. Kids who were angry and jealous, who wanted to make everyone suffer as much as they did.
But there were also kids like Mary Mae and Liam, safe people who were ready to support each other.
The three of them had shared their dreams in quiet whispers. Mary had dreamed of being a teacher. Of working with kids who struggled to read. She wanted to help them find magic in the words. Liam had been aiming to be a social worker or a police officer. Someone who would help.
The shared dreams had brought them closer and made Adam more and more jealous. When Liam and Mary became a couple, Adam had lost his shit. He’d decided Mary Mae should be his and his stepbrother didn’t have the right to her.
Thankfully, they’d aged out of the system soon after and moved to a tiny apartment in a different part of the city. They hadn’t told a soul and hoped Adam would never find them
She was hoping the same now.
Ella Mae looked over at Olivia and held up her dragon. The baby babble was a jumble of consonant and vowel sounds.