Chapter 7 #2
I muster the best smile I can, but it must seem fake because Chandra pats my hand.
When I leave the home, the air is damp and warm, dark clouds filling the sky.
May brings the rainy season in Florida, so the rain will surely come, dumping down on us with fierce punishment.
Hard to get work done at the farm in the rainy season, but it’s a good time to do some office work, meet with the guys to discuss any problems. Now that I’ve been promoted, Beau wants me taking on more managerial duties versus being out in the field as much.
Hard for me to do it, though, because I belong out in the dirt more than I belong under the fluorescent lights of the office.
I climb into the work truck with a sigh.
It’s an hour drive back to the farm, but the drive isn’t too bad, considering I’m driving out of the city instead of into it.
The rain starts to fall in gentle bursts.
A rainbow cuts through the sky, guiding me home.
I idly tap my fingers against the wheel as classic Reba filters through the speakers.
It’s been two weeks since I saw Joey last. Two weeks since Savannah wept and asked me why I can’t be her other dad, why she can’t live at the farm every day.
It killed me to tell Joey, to watch his face filter through more emotions than I could parse in a matter of seconds.
But it’s for the best. Everything is too much right now. My lovesick heart needs a damn break.
The parking lot is bustling when I pull in. The rain is a drizzle now, and there’s a wedding ceremony later this evening, so the lot is overrun with white vans for wedding prep. Beau and his sister, Andy, are talking amongst themselves just outside the office when I come up on them.
Beau smiles tightly at me, while Andy just winks.
“Are you gonna help me with the wedding tonight?” Andy asks with a teasing smile.
“For the right fee.”
Andy feigns a sigh. “Not you too.”
“It’s the busy season, we gotta be on the ball,” I tease, which earns me a glorious eye roll from Andy and Beau. “The watermelons are about ready. When’s the last time you were out in Field H?”
Andy salutes us to avoid manual labor. “Farm talk means it’s time for me to leave.”
We both watch her run toward the barn. The weddings are a nice moneymaker, but it’s also nice that Beau and I aren’t really involved with them.
They’re mostly Andy’s thing, her and other people from the office.
We don’t offer an on-site wedding planner, so we’re mostly just a venue, but Andy always likes to be here to ensure everything goes smoothly.
And she’s a romantic at heart, so she loves seeing the sickly-sweet vows and first dances.
Weddings are usually sad for me. A reminder that it’s probably not something I’ll ever get to do.
I remember Joey’s wedding like it was yesterday.
It was just me and Beau as witnesses as he married a pregnant Danica in the courthouse in downtown Orlando.
That night I’d about thrown up my guts at the idea of it all.
So, no thanks. Weddings aren’t my favorite thing in the world. Never will be.
“Let’s go over some business.” Beau tilts his head toward the office, and I follow him into the warm office that smells like blueberry pancakes.
Not because anyone’s cooked them recently, but because we make candles in that scent and the girls in the front are always burning them despite it not being exactly up to code.
“Is Melanie handling the workers’ comp for Hector okay? I want to make sure he’s covered at one hundred percent while he’s out since he broke his leg on company time.”
Beau nods. “Yeah, I checked with her this morning. He’s taken care of. Looks like he’ll be back in a few weeks.”
“We’ll be okay without him for May, but I hope he can be back in June. He’s essential to everything running as smoothly as possible for melon season, even without the u-pick.”
“I know. We always cover our workers.”
“I just want to make sure,” I say, because the workers mean more to me than the farm sometimes. We’re one of the rare farms in the area that likes to keep workers year-round if we can, instead of seasonal.
“We’ll take care of him,” Beau says again when we enter his office. The desk is a little messy, and there’s a new picture frame at the corner. It’s a picture of him and Trevor, twin grins on their faces, with the spring behind them.
I toss myself in the chair across from his desk. “What’s up?”
“How’s it going with your dad?”
I blink slowly. “That’s not work related. But it’s going fine. I guess. He didn’t recognize me today, thinks I’m some military pal of his. Better than him recognizing me, I guess.”
Beau rests his elbows on the table and leans forward, eyebrows furrowed. “You’re sure seeing him is what’s best for you?”
“How the hell would I know?”
Beau makes a sort of pained face, then sighs. “How’s the bunny?”
“Buster’s fine… So are Aragorn and Falcor. You want an animal of your own at the farm?”
“Maybe a barn cat,” Beau says with a crooked grin. “I’m just checking in on you. It’s been a long start to the year.”
I take my baseball cap off and roughly run my hand through my hair. It’s been a long few years for all of us.
“I was thinking of organizing a hangout at the springs on our next off day. Would you join us?”
“I don’t know, Beau… The entire group?”
“Yeah, all the guys.”
His friends are nice, but I’m not sure I’m part of the group. Maybe some of that is my fault for keeping myself so carefully at a distance the past few months. I nod in answer, which seemingly pleases Beau by the width of his relieved smile. That’s all I need to see to know I made the right choice.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the springs. Probably last summer, when we took Savannah to introduce her to the cold water once she’d mastered swimming at the county YMCA. But there’s no Savannah this time; she’s with her mom this weekend.
The gate that keeps the spring hidden from the public is only loosely latched, the lock probably in Beau’s truck.
I open it wide, drive my truck through, then hop out to tie the fence up with the rope.
Beau told me what time they’d be here, so I decided to arrive a little later so that I’m not forced to spend as long with everyone.
It sounds awful, but sometimes I get grumpy after being around too many people for too long.
The truck rumbles underneath me as I bounce down the dirt road.
The trees are thick until suddenly they aren’t, the brush opening up to clay dirt dust and shiny aqua-colored water with sunlight bouncing off it.
Laughter greets me when I open the truck door.
My heart kicks up a beat at the sight of Joey’s SUV.
Beau hadn’t told me Joey was invited; I guess I should’ve assumed.
If he invited me along, of course he’d invite Joey as well.
I take my shoes off and sling them into the truck bed, grabbing my towel at the same time.
I hold my hand over my eyes on my approach to shield myself against the bright sun.
All of the boys are already swimming, except for Joey and Harper, who are sitting on the edge with their legs dangling in the water.
I move to stand behind them. “You gotta jump in, y’all know this by now.”
Harper tilts his head back to glare at me. “I’m sunning myself first.”
“You’re just going to burn,” I point out. I’ve known him his entire life and he can’t tan for shit.
Harper blows a raspberry, then glances back out to the water, very obviously looking for Jackson, who is watching our exchange while wiping water away from his face.
Jackson swims over, all grace and athleticism, then comes to a stop right in front of Harper with a besotted smile on his handsome face.
Yuck. The entire spring seems to hush when Jackson rests his hands over Harper’s knees, his smile deepening.
“Ready to get in? I’ll carry you around.”
Harper sniffs as if offended at the idea. “I don’t want to get my hair wet.”
“Of course,” Jackson dutifully agrees. He shifts closer and wraps his arms around Harper’s waist, carefully tugging him into the water.
Harper squeaks a little but lets Jackson carry him off toward the center of the spring.
Honey, Harper’s service dog, stays out of the water, no vest on, so she must not be working.
Her tail thumps happily as she watches Jackson carry Harper off, the two men grinning at each other like besotted school children.
I rub my chest at the sight, so deliriously happy that Harper found someone who loves him just for him, while also being far more jealous than I’d prefer to ever admit.
I feel eyes on me and glance down to see Joey looking up at me with a curious tilt to his eyebrows.
Smiling shyly at him, I remove my shirt—hoping I don’t appear as self-conscious as I feel—toss it and my beach blanket onto the ground behind me, and take a seat beside Joey on the bank of the spring.
I swing my legs back and forth in the cool spring, enjoying the crispness of the water against the warmth of the air.
I watch as Harper ends up on Jackson’s shoulders, Nolan on Benji’s shoulders, and laughter erupts once again as they play chicken.
It’s easy to see Nolan feigns weakness when he easily falls over after only a slight push from Harper.
If Harper realizes it, he doesn’t let on, at least judging by the pleased tilt of his lips.
“They’re all so happy,” Joey points out, voice a low murmur.
“Yeah.” I don’t know what else to say. “I wasn’t sure you’d be here. You don’t always come to the springs.”
“Well, I wanted to see you.”