7. Jude
Jude
I stretched my legs out underneath the outdoor bistro table at Sweater Weather, as I watched the town move by, with sunglasses over my eyes to shade myself from the early fall sun.
Out here, I could soak up the morning light, slightly sheltered by one of the trees lining Main Street, and avoid Kasey’s prying questions.
It was an easy two-for-one.
Sure, I could also achieve that by working from the farm or at the Town Hall, but neither of those places had coffee—certainly none as good as Kasey’s. So, I put up with her questions about Harlow just long enough to order.
But she was asking the wrong ones.
Why am I being such a dick? Have we spoken again? Why am I pissed off?
I personally just wanted to know why her defiant brown eyes were stuck in my head.
Or at least, why I couldn’t stop thinking about the situation we’d got ourselves into.
Because I knew I had come off like an ass, and now I had to live with it.
Dawn wouldn’t change her mind, and I wasn’t even sure I would want her to.
With a good night’s rest, even I could see the benefits of us working together.
I took a long sip of my coffee. It was lightly sweet and had a hint of spice in it. Kasey had snuck some apple crisp syrup in there without asking. And my mind turned to how I’d googled Harlow Spencer last night.
Dawn had vetted Harlow, and I trusted Dawn, but I needed to convince myself.
After seeing her appear at my doorstep on the last evening of the long weekend, I’d almost rushed out to see if this strange woman needed help.
Until I’d got a cryptic text from Kasey about a friend needing a place to stay.
I didn’t connect all the dots until I saw her at her desk.
I instantly knew Harlow wasn’t some long-term buddy of my cousin’s.
What kind of disorganized person arrives in town for a new job without a place to live?
But, damn it, I had to admit that we were lucky to have her. It seemed like Harlow had worked with some of the top marketing agencies in London and Toronto. She’d been to a great university in the UK, too.
I just couldn’t put together how she’d accomplished all of that while being so impulsive. She’d just stumbled into town, presumably without a plan, and had gotten through due to the kindness of our community. Or at least, Kasey’s kindness.
If she’d just been some girl, new to Autumn Creek, it would be different. I’d be happy to help her out. But we were supposed to be working together as equals on this festival.
Despite what may be suggested, by me knowing Harlow’s educational background, I tried not to pry anymore last night.
I didn’t pay attention when I caught sight of her on my porch from the living room window.
I didn’t consider how she was handling living in a new place.
And I didn’t think about how her car was going to be completely useless in a few months when the snow started bucketing down, if she was even still here by then.
Which she won’t be.
I don’t think I could handle knowing anymore than I did. We were working together and I needed to focus on just that—how we would collaborate—not on my reservations.
I brought the latte to my mouth again just as the woman occupying my thoughts crossed the street. Dressed in a striped sweater and black skirt, she looked a little too formal for Autumn Creek. But she did seem more relaxed than yesterday, until she saw me.
“Jude.” Her eyes trailed over me and I caught them with a smirk. The wind blew her dark hair across her face and she tucked it behind her ear. I couldn’t help but watch.
“Morning,” I replied. “Did you get my email or are you here for coffee?”
“Can’t it be both?” She shrugged.
“I’m glad you came.” I kicked out the chair opposite me with my boot. “Let’s talk.”
“No. Caffeine first.” She escaped inside the cafe, seemingly glad to turn away from me. While I waited, I mulled over my idea for a plan. Could I get Harlow Spencer to like me enough to go along with it?
Finally, she sauntered back to the table and sat down.
“You paid for my drink?” she asked, sounding shocked.
I shrugged. It was probably the least I could do. I might still be suspicious of her, but I should at least try to keep that under control for now. “What’d you get?”
She hesitated at my small talk but replied, “Kasey convinced me to try an apple crisp latte.” She took a sip, and I cleared my throat to cover a laugh. “What, is that a problem?” She rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, too seasonal?”
“No. They’re good. You know you’re talking to an apple farmer?”
“Right.” She nodded slowly. “Bramley Farm. Would that be the cider I’ve seen around Ottawa and Toronto?”
“Probably. Our Northern Press cider is in the provincial liquor stores. Our others are in independent spots and at the ciderhouse on the farm.” There may have been a hint of proud arrogance in my voice, but I was pleased to boast about our family business.
“I’ll have to try them.”
I made an affirmative sound in reply, then cleared my throat to change the topic to what I actually wanted to talk about. “So, the festival is about seven weeks away.”
“October twenty-sixth,” she confirmed, without looking at her phone.
“We should start talking to vendors, look at entertainment, and get some tickets sold.”
She took her lower lip between her teeth. “It’s not a lot of time.”
“I know.” I ran a hand over the back of my neck. “It’s been a lot with the council. Dawn had to wait to bring it up.” I waved the thoughts away with my hand. “We’ll get it done. Do you have any thoughts for a name?”
Her nails tapped lightly against the tabletop. “Bonfire and Barn Dancing?”
I grimaced. “We’re not in the prairies.”
“So that cuts out The Great Autumn Creek Hoedown too, then?” She let out a laugh. “Pumpkin Bash?”
“Cheesy.”
“Well, what do you think?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. We should keep it simple. The Autumn Creek Fall Festival.”
“Boring.” Then her eyes caught mine. “What was it called back in the day?”
I hesitated for a second, staring down Main Street as if the sign was still hanging there. “Harvest something…”
“What about Autumn Creek Harvest Festival?”
“I like it,” I replied, and she gave me a dramatic look of shock that eventually ended in a laugh. “Do you have any other ideas?”
She took one hand off the table and covered her face. “Honestly, no good ones yet.”
I appreciated the honesty. I wasn’t going to mention that I’d seen some of her work already and knew she’d come up with some pretty incredible campaigns before. Her creativity was impressive. Where is all of that now?
“I threw some ideas out there to Kasey, and they weren’t great.
” She shot me a genuine smile—I hadn’t seen that before.
Something about the curve of her lips made me want to chase after that sight again.
“But I’ve got a plan. I’m going to get to know the town better.
Kasey’s organizing a little get together, and I’m planning on chatting to locals about what they want out of the festival.
I’ll focus on that as soon as I find a new place to stay. ”
“No.” I shook off her comment without hesitation.
“You’re welcome to stay at Bramley Farm.
Consider the apartment yours for your contract.
” I may still be uncertain about her, but my apprehension was slowly thawing.
She wanted to curate this festival to fit Autumn Creek.
She might actually be being more careful with the project than I had thought.
“I think I can help with getting to know the town, too.”
She cocked her head. “Really? Thanks.”
“I know you probably don’t want to spend any more time with me than necessary, but I know Autumn Creek.
I could show it to you.” She seemed to hesitate, so I quickly continued.
“It’s work. It won’t intrude on your personal time, I promise.
I’ll just help you care about the town like I do.
And like you said, it will be good for the festival. ”
She leaned back into her chair. “Seriously, why bother to show me around and get me more involved than you already want me to be?”
“Look, I do want you involved.” I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “I’m just a bit protective of the town.”
I could see now that she cared, even if we got off on the wrong foot. I still didn’t want to rely on her, with the whole town in her hands. I didn’t trust anyone but myself with things like this.
I finally let out a breath. “It will make me feel better if you know Autumn Creek like I do. It’s all for the festival. We can go see some local farms, pumpkins, alpacas, that kind of thing. I’ll introduce you to people, and take you around the ciderhouse.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay, let’s do it.”
I reached out my hand across the table. “I’ll show you what it’s all about.”
She gripped it firmly. “So you can loosen the reins a bit, Bramley? Trust me some bit more.”
“I’ll try.” And we shook on it.