Lightbulb Moment #2
For now, driving the thirty minutes to pick up compost from the No Phail Diner was an easy task that would free the others to do their thing.
Thea, Knox Malssum’s partner, ran a farm-sized compost facility. The Worminator created dream compost that helped the trees and the gardens. He wanted to benefit from it as well, so he’d gladly pick up the food scraps and coffee grounds as often as needed.
He’d spent the past few days exploring the farm and the businesses within and around it.
The No Phailed Apples Inn was the most obvious, but there were more.
Nash, Olivia, and their kids ran the farm’s cider-making division.
Jolie Malssum oversaw the farm’s biodiversity and health.
Her partner, Ford, was the construction and renovation guy.
Lawson Malssum took care of the machinery.
His partner, Dani, ran several apiaries on her property adjacent to the farm.
Seth and Mara covered the cooking and baking for the inn, using fresh herbs and produce from Gray’s gardens, and fresh eggs from their Chick Inn Time coop.
Wyatt had to figure out how to use his skills to help them all. Charlie, Nash’s kid, wanted Wyatt to create a new strain of apple trees that would produce apples with a unique flavor to help the farm stand out.
Easy as blinking, kid. Hah.
The boy was full of ideas and questions. Wyatt figured Charlie would be able to run any division of the farm in a few years. His curiosity ran deep, and he liked learning new things. Wyatt would enjoy teaching him to splice and graft.
First, he had to build a greenhouse. One big enough to run a variety of experiments.
And maybe grow their own cinnamon. The farm was all about using local sources whenever possible.
Gray had planted maple trees in the hopes of making their own syrup for the inn.
Having their own cinnamon would be a fun addition to that.
Wyatt knew nothing about growing cinnamon, but he’d enjoy finding out if it was possible. Even with a greenhouse, the Vermont climate was harsh. Long winters with tons of snow. Could a greenhouse maintain tropical temperatures to grow cinnamon and other plants year-round?
Things to find out.
Wyatt drove by the Come to Phail to Succeed sign and laughed out loud. Troy Phail was always the first to have fun with his surname. Everyone at the farm said the town needed to be experienced in person to get the full effect. Having heard the name of the No Fail Diner, he knew it would be unique.
The first business he spotted was Phail Phoods. He passed the diner on the other side of the street, followed by Phail General and Phail Central. They faced a large park, Phail Way Park, with a jogging track, a kids’ play area, and lots of benches beneath maple trees.
The other street facing the park showed that the silly names continued—Doc’s, The Saloon, Yoganna Love It, Phail Jail.
That one had him chuckling. How in the hell had Troy talked his team leader into using that name? Marcus Ramirez was the local police chief, but he’d been one of the best military men Wyatt had ever served with. Arrow’s reputation had many fighting to work alongside his team.
The man was steady as the Rockies. He saw more than most people did, and his ability to anticipate an enemy’s movements was legendary.
Wyatt figured Troy had talked him into the silly name because it fit the town and Epic’s sense of humor. Maybe as mayor, he’d pushed it through without Arrow’s knowledge. Nope, Troy wouldn’t do that to a friend.
Wyatt drove through the rest of town. It was a short drive. Phail wouldn’t qualify as a suburb of a suburb of San Antonio.
He turned around and parked in the lot closest to the diner to make it easier to exchange the compost buckets later.
Instead of heading there, he walked along the sidewalk to the park.
A few kids played on the climbing equipment, more in the splash pad with a couple of dogs.
Parents watched from the benches. With this temperature, people in Texas would be putting on sweaters.
Here, everyone wore shorts. He’d wanted a change, and he had it.
A woman walked toward him from the park at the back. She hefted one of those bags that carried everything from her wallet to a refrigerator. With her attention on her phone, she didn’t notice him.
He couldn’t say the same. Gorgeous body.
Tall, with legs that reached to the sky in jeans that he bet would show off her ass to perfection.
Her long, wavy hair was pulled into a ponytail, but some of it flew around her face, too.
If her face matched the body, he was in for a treat—nothing like seeing a pretty woman to make a day brighter.
Except for Genn. Seeing her would only piss him off. She was gorgeous on the surface. Beautiful enough to be an actual model. It had taken Wyatt too long to realize that her beauty was only on the outside.
Finding her and his buddy wrapped around each other with half their clothes on the floor had helped him figure that out.
The woman in the park dragged his thoughts away from his ex when she stopped to do something on her phone, then turned away from him to look around the park slowly.
Yep, her jeans were doing their job spectacularly.
Feeling like a creep, Wyatt yanked his eyes away and surveyed the town from his position, then forced his feet to move along. He’d head to Phail General, Troy’s store, to see Epic.
He’d barely opened the door when his buddy whooped from where he was organizing cleaning supplies on a shelf. “Slinger. You made it.”
He was engulfed in a back-slapping hug because Troy was as effusive as Gray.
Wyatt returned the greeting in kind. Maybe it was a military thing.
After surviving the shit they’d seen overseas, it was a celebration that they were alive and together.
No simple handshakes the first time they saw each other.
Wyatt shook off the memories to focus on the present. “Quite the town you’ve got here, Epic.”
Troy laughed. “It’s a fabulous place to live, as you’re about to discover. Welcome. We’re all glad you’re here.” His friend’s eyes dimmed. “My condolences again about your mom. I know you miss her.”
Wyatt swallowed hard and nodded. “She’d like this place.”
Troy grinned. “Who wouldn’t? Come and meet my wife, Piper. She runs Phail Central in the back.”
Phail General was your typical small-town everything-in-one-place store. Phail Central was another world. Tourism and art in a combination that could have been off-putting, but it was the opposite. Bright, fun, and welcoming.
After she helped a family choose a selection of mugs and shirts with slogans like Phail Better, Phail First, and Phail Super Hero, showcasing Phil Fox and Fancy Firefly, Troy introduced Wyatt to his wife.
“It’s nice to meet you. You’ve got a great place here.”
Her face lit up. “Thanks. It’s Phail Central’s first summer, and I’m thrilled that I have to re-order Phail merchandise. I never dreamed we’d sell out of things so quickly.”
Wyatt grinned. “It’s fun. I bet any kid who shows up here leaves with at least a few of those t-shirts.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Then I get to talk the parents into buying other things. We’ve got work from local artisans that sells itself.”
Troy kissed Piper’s cheek, then smiled at Wyatt. “Piper was a big-city urban planner.”
“Now, I’m having so much more fun than I ever expected. Applying to your advertisement for a short-term town planner was the best decision I ever made.”
Troy’s face softened, and he kissed her again. From the emotions that chased themselves across the woman’s face, Wyatt figured there was more to the story, but he didn’t ask.
The back door to Phail Central opened, and the woman with the mile-long legs walked in, a huge smile brightening her face as she took in the store.
She was as beautiful as he’d imagined—twinkling eyes and an expression of wonder.
The scar running down the side of her face didn’t detract from her looks, but it made Wyatt want to kick the ass of whoever had put it there.
From his experience in the military, he knew a knife wound when he saw it.
Legs had been attacked viciously, and he wanted a few moments alone with whoever had done it.
Beside him, Troy stiffened, and he knew the same thoughts ran through his buddy’s head. Well, similar thoughts about the scar and who had caused it. Epic was so in love with Piper that he was sure the man didn’t have an inkling of the sexual attraction and longing that ran through Wyatt.
He wanted to get justice for Legs even as he wanted to kiss her from scar to toes and all the places between.
Internally shaking his head at himself, he pulled his attention away from Legs as Piper moved toward her. He’d been burned by a beautiful woman once, and that was more than enough for him.
Wyatt turned back to find Epic grinning at him, as if he could read his mind.
Wyatt rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the store and his friend. And if he shot more than one glance toward Legs, it couldn’t be helped.