Chapter 9
Ariana
“Kingsley, I’m here for my grand tour,” I announce as I skip into the farmstand. I twirl in a circle, trying to be theatrical, and instead, I knock over a pile of cabbages.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” I mutter as I attempt to pick them up and place them back into a pyramid, which sounds simple enough, but they all just keep rolling off the table.
Kingsley laughs. “I got it, Miss Harlow. There’s a science to it,” he says, trying to make me feel better. I’ve never thought of myself as clumsy until I showed up at this farm. Now, I feel like a toddler learning to walk and not very successfully.
I reach down and hand him a few cabbages and he neatly arranges them like the pro he is.
“It’s just Ariana. And you’re very good at that,” I say as I look around the small store space.
“I may have been doing it for a while,” he admits with a shy grin. Kingsley is probably about my age, maybe a few years younger. He’s attractive in a farmstand-operating-boy sort of way.
“So, you run the farmstand?” I ask because I’m not sure where to start.
He nods. “I started working here in middle school. I’ve known Eric since I was a kid.”
“That’s cool. Are you in school now?”
“Yep. I’m just finishing my freshman year,” he says as he begins pulling lettuce out of a container and organizing them in a refrigerated showcase.
“What are you studying?” I ask as I lean against a wall.
“I’m undecided. I have another semester before I need to declare a major. I just haven’t figured out what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he admits.
“I hear ya. I switched my major freshman year and my dad wanted to kill me,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
“Oh yeah? What were you going to do?” he asks.
“I wanted to be an interior decorator,” I say with a sheepish grin. “I mean, I still like that stuff, but then I started on social media and got a bunch of followers, and it piqued my interest.”
“Yeah, guess I just haven’t figured it out yet,” he says with a shrug.
“Well, you have plenty of time,” I assure him.
I swear he gives me a sad smile, but then quickly looks away. What the hell is that about? I decide not to pry.
“Sooo…tell me about the farmstand,” I say as I look around. The farmstand takes up about half of the giant red barn. There’s a wooden wall that looks to have storage on the other side of it. This part of the barn is two and a half stories high. The only light coming in is from two large barn doors on the front wall and a smaller one on the side wall. It’s sort of dark even with a few hanging lantern lights above. The walls are dark wood and so is the floor. The only pops of color are from the fruit and vegetables in the stands.
I look up at the big empty wall behind the piles of cabbages and lettuce. There’s a single photo and I squint to see it in the dim light. I can make out a much younger Eric and a young girl and two adults. Eric’s family? Then there are two framed newspaper clippings. One about the farmstand opening and one about them winning some award at a county fair.
I run my hand over some purple leaves. “What’s that?” I ask.
“Purple basil. It’s really good. There’s this recipe with gnocchi and some onion and tomatoes…to die for,” he says as he turns the computer on that is set up with a swipe and touchpad for credit cards.
“Do you have other recipes?” I ask.
“Sure. People are always giving me recipes and I’m always looking them up. It’s fun. Sometimes, Eric lets me try them out in his kitchen. Have you seen it there? His kitchen is freaking awesome.”
I laugh. “It is. He just made gnocchi last night. It was really good.” I pause as I look at some plants. “This looks like the one someone put on my desk.”
He blushes as I glance back at him. “That would be from me. It’s a succulent. They’re easy to take care of.”
Now it’s me that’s blushing. “Oh, well, thank you, but I’m not doing such a great job.”
“Don’t water it every day,” he recommends.
“Right…” I trail off as I see Eric talking to a woman outside. I feel a twinge of jealousy. What the fuck is that about? Shaking my head a little at my ridiculous reaction. I decide to go back to the office and come up with some plans for our farmstand. There’s plenty that we can do to make it better.
“I’ll see you later. I’m going to start working on some ideas for this place,” I say as I walk past Kingsley.
“Sure thing. It could use some sprucing up.”
I nod in his direction but my eyes keep flicking over toward Eric. He’s leaning on a post and chatting away with a woman who is both his age and gorgeous. I nearly run into Buck as I reach the office.
“Whoa there!” he says as he reaches out to make sure I don’t fall.
“Sorry,” I mutter as I step back and motion for him to continue.
“Careful out here, Ariana. It can be dangerous,” he scolds, and I hate that he’s right. Almost as dangerous as falling for your boss, I think.
“What’s that?” he asks.
Oh shit, did I say that out loud?
“Nothing. Just talking to myself,” I state as I quickly open the door and go inside to the safety of the office.
Joy’s fussing with my plant as I walk to my desk.
“Poor little guy needs some rocky soil,” she says as she finishes repotting it.
“Thanks, Joy,” I say as I sit down and start coming up with plans for the farmstand. After an hour, I need a break. So, I walk out to the animal barn and find the lamb. She’s curled up, fast asleep and her mom is out eating in the penned area.
“Hey, little lady,” I whisper as I sit down on a wooden stool next to her. I stroke her soft coat. She stirs but doesn’t wake.
“How’s the baby doing?” Eric asks.
I shrug. “I guess fine. I can’t even keep a plant alive, so I’m hardly one to ask.”
He sits down next to me. “You figure out how to make the farmstand work better?”
“I’m working on it,” I reply. I nod toward the parking lot where the woman from before is coming out from the farmstand with some berries. “Is that your girlfriend?”
He coughs. “Uh, no. That’s Heather. She runs the thrift store in town.”
“Oh. I…never mind,” I stammer.
I steal a glance at him, and his lips are twitching like he’s fighting a smile. I quickly look away knowing my face is getting flushed.
“I don’t have time for a girlfriend,” he says quietly, but the way he says it makes me wonder if there’s more to that statement.
“You should make time. Until today, I hardly see you speak to anyone except your employees and the farm animals,” I say with a pointed look.
“I have plenty of friends, Ariana. And I have a family. And that’s all I need,” he says as he stands and brushes his hands on his pants. I feel like I’ve offended him and suddenly I want to take back what I said. Was I out of line?
“Sorry…I shouldn’t pry,” I whisper.
“It’s alright.” He starts to leave but stops at the stall’s door. “I think you need to take care of something more than a plant.”
My eyes shoot up to meet his. “What?”
“You can be in charge of our newest member here,” he suggests, motioning to the lamb.
I put up a hand. “Oh no. No, no, no. I can’t. I’d…” I look around and lower my voice. “…kill her. I’m bad at the pet thing. I’ve never really had one.”
“Seriously?”
Sighing, I nod. “Yep. No pets allowed. I always wanted one though, like maybe a cat or dog. Hell, I’d have taken a fish.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have to get you one,” he says as he leaves. I watch him pull away in his truck, wondering where he’s off to in the middle of the day.
After a few minutes of petting the lamb, and then visiting with Mooman, I go back inside and start contacting some people who might be able to help me with the farmstand. I soon learn I need to take measurements. Buck loans me a measuring tape, a tool that I actually know how to use, and I get to work. Kingsley asks me what I’m doing and I give him a general idea.
“I love that. Eric’s going to be stoked,” he says.
“I think I want to surprise him,” I say.
He grins. “He’ll love it.”
I head back to my desk to email some measurements and freeze, when I see a fishbowl with a single colorful fish inside.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“That’s our new intern,” Eric says as he walks in from the bathroom.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I got you an intern,” he repeats, grinning.
“Eric! I’ll kill him,” I groan as Joy and Eric start laughing.
“You won’t. I won’t let you,” Eric assures me.
“I think this is a really bad idea,” I state as I look at the fish which is red and blue with some purple. He’s very pretty. “What is he?”
“He’s a betta fish. They are basically indestructible. Consider him your starter pet,” Eric announces.
“What does he eat?” I ask. And just like that, Joy and Eric teach me all about owning a betta fish. I even got a small booklet filled with information from the pet store.
“What are you going to name him?” Eric asks as we all look at the fish.
“Barry the Betta,” I announce.
Joy giggles. “I like that.”
“Barry, it is,” Eric says.
“Thanks,” I manage as I take my seat to start working again. I’m surprised when Eric sits down at his desk while Joy packs up for the day.
“See ya, Joy,” Eric says as she goes to leave.
I wave at Joy and she nods in my direction as she shuts the door. Eric and I work in silence for about an hour before he turns to me. “How about we go get pizza? I’ve been craving some all day.”
“I should probably finish this,” I say as I point to my laptop because I’m afraid I’m going to start falling for Eric or maybe I already have. But it can’t end well. So I need to not fall for him. And getting pizza with him is going to make that a whole lot harder.
“Come on, little farmer. You can’t work all night,” he says as he stands and opens the door. I contemplate what to do for a full five seconds until I channel my inner Katia and decide what the fuck? I have to eat, right? Or at least that’s what I tell myself as I grab my purse and follow Eric out to his ridiculous, old, blue truck.