Chapter 15 #2
“Wow, Aiden. That’s amazing. How long have you been working on this?”
“Since I was in high school, actually. This is the first time I think I’m really onto something.”
My eyes are wide. I’ve worked around the orchard for long enough to know what a big deal this is. “Are you working with a distributor?”
“No.” He shakes his head forcefully. “There’s a lot of competition in the orchard business. I can’t let just anyone know I’m doing this until I’m sure it’s ready.”
“Can I taste it?” The words fly out of my mouth. I’m really excited to see what he’s come up with.
His brow furrows, and a kinda shy smile pops to his lips. “You want to?”
I can tell he’s nervous, and I want to put his mind at ease. I smile back at him. “Yeah. I really do.”
***
Half an hour later, I’m out behind the work barn with Aiden.
He leads me over to a tree that looks a little different from the others.
In fact, now that I study them, all of the trees back here look a little different.
He’s been experimenting in this orchard.
This is Aiden’s lab. No wonder he didn’t want me and Charlotte poking around.
I also realize this must have been what he meant when he said he was working on saving the inn. A tasty new apple that’s disease resistant could be extremely lucrative. He knows that better than I do. Why is he so worried about money?
Aiden reaches up and pulls an apple off the tree we’re standing under. It is half red and half gold. A really pretty swirl of color I haven’t seen before. It’s already unique. If it tastes as good as it looks, the orchard could cash in.
He pulls a folded knife from his back pocket because of course an apple farmer has a knife in his back pocket.
He cuts the apple open, slices off a piece, and offers it to me.
I take the slice and bite into it. It’s crunchy, it’s light, it’s sweet like a Honeycrisp but even lighter, with an almost cinnamon taste.
“Wow!” I say, taking another bite. “This is amazing.”
“Do you really think so?” He looks both nervous and skeptical.
“Aiden,” I say, meeting his eyes so he’ll know I’m serious. “This is really, really good.” I’m not kidding. I’ve eaten more than anyone’s fair share of apples in my day, and I’ve never tasted anything like this. It’s outstanding. It’s got the most delicious parts of both the apples it comes from.
He flips the knife closed and slides it back into his pocket. He sucks apple juice off his fingers, and I have to look away. “You really like it?” he asks.
“I really do. Have you let anyone else taste this?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet.”
“It needs a name,” I say. And quickly. Because the moment the big apple distributors find out about this, they are going to want to buy it, and the Parkers are about to be rich. Like, next-level rich.
“Yeah, I was thinking about the name,” Aiden says. He looks almost shy again, and it’s the cutest thing ever. “I want to name it after my grandmother. My mom’s mom. Her name was Rosie.”
“OMG. That’s perfect!” I say. Could there be a more adorable name? “What was her last name?”
“Darling,” he says.
“The Rosie Darling? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a better name for an apple.”
“It’s good, isn’t it?” He smiles, and his eyes light up.
“It’s really good. The apple and the name.” I grab the rest of the apple from him and take another bite. Yep. Just as good as the first two. A smile covers my face. “Aiden, you did it. Do you know how much this is going to be worth?” I hold up the remaining part of the apple.
He lifts his hands straight up, palms out. “Hold your horses. I need to have other people taste it. There’s a lot to do before bringing a new apple to the market.”
“Maybe the national market, but we can use this for the festival. Come try the Rosie Darling. It’s better than a Honeycrisp!” I announce.
He rolls his eyes, looking away, clearly self-conscious. “All right. That’s a bold claim.”
“It’s true!” I tell him. “And I can’t believe you’ve been sitting on this for so long. You don’t need to worry about the festival cost. This apple is going to be a huge moneymaker.”
At that, he meets my eyes. “Thank you, Ellie... for supporting me.” His tone is serious, and the look on his face wipes the smile off of mine. He’s looking at me as if he wants to kiss me again. Or there’s a spider behind me. I’m not sure.
He steps closer to me and pulls me into his arms. And even though I remember that I had many good reasons to not kiss Aiden again, I cannot think of a single one as his mouth lowers to mine.
He tastes like apples and heat and need. My arms slide up his chest to wrap around his neck the same way they did last night. My head tips back, and the little moaning sound I hear is mine.
His hands splay over my lower back, driving me insane.
I want him to pull me against him again like he did last night.
Instead, he tortures me by tracing little circles just above my ass.
He moves his lips to kiss the corner of my mouth, my cheek.
He dips his tongue in the shell of my ear, and my body shakes.
Then his mouth moves down to my neck, and he sucks there, gently.
His tongue dips into the hollow of my collarbone and then nuzzles down the V-neck of my sweater.
I’m about to rip the thing off and toss it into the trees when he steps back.
I want to sob. That’s it? It’s over? I mean, the man can kiss.
But I want more. I’m a sweaty mass of hormones.
I glance around frantically as if I’ll somehow spot a bed.
We’re out in the middle of an orchard. We probably shouldn’t drop to the ground, but I sure wouldn’t mind if he backed me up against one of the trees and—
“Sorry,” Aiden says quietly. “I’m not sure if you wanted me to do that again. I should have asked first.”
“I wanted you to,” I assure him, nodding. But reality comes whipping back to slap me across the brain. I can’t do this. As much as I want to. I can’t. We can’t. “But...”
He studies my face. “But?”
“I just...” I swallow. I want to sink into the ground. How can I say this without sounding like the biggest self-absorbed a-hole on earth? “I don’t want to lead you on.”
He raises his brows. “Lead me on?”
“ You’re the one who left Aiden. ” Amber’s words echo in my head. Guilt slithers through my veins. I have to be honest with him. “As soon as the festival is over, I’m going back to New York,” I say.
“Did you find a job?” He’s frowning.
“Not, yet, but—” The look I give him is filled with remorse. “I just want my old life back.”
The briefest hint of disappointment flashes across his face. If I hadn’t been watching so closely, I wouldn’t have seen it.
He dusts off his hands and expels his breath. “No explanation necessary, Ellie. We’re planning this festival together. That’s it. I get it. No more kissing.”
“No more kissing,” I echo. But inside, I am burning.