Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
The doorbell rang as Max finished lunch. He tossed his paper plate into the trash then went to answer it. His future son-in-law stood on the porch, dressed like a lumberjack—flannel button-down shirt, cargo pants, and work boots with a fleece jacket thrown over his arm.
“It’s a bit warm for that, isn’t it?” Max nodded to the jacket.
Nate shrugged. “It’s colder up in the foothills.” He gave a sheepish grin. “But it’s more for Lanie. She gets cold easily.”
“That makes more sense.” Max motioned for Nate to come in. “Lanie’s upstairs getting ready. Did you want something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I’m okay.”
They went into the living room and sat down to wait. Neither of them spoke, but the silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. The one thing Max had always liked about Nate was he was also a man of few words. In that respect, they were cut from the same cloth.
But they weren’t alone for long. The front door crashed open, and in walked Steven and Rose. Steven had brought his cane, likely more to help him navigate the rough terrain than because he really needed it.
“Glad you’re coming with us, Dad.” Steven plopped onto the couch beside his father.
“Where’s Lanie?” Rose flipped her black hair over her shoulder. “I’m anxious to get my basic white girl on.”
“I heard that!” Lanie called from upstairs. She scampered down and glared at her sister-in-law. “There’s nothing wrong with apple picking.”
“Of course not,” Rose said. “But it is one of those overrated traditions people prop up as the epitome of autumn. Like PSLs.”
“Whatever.” Lanie rolled her eyes. “It’s still fun, and I’ll be putting them to good use in several desserts that I bet you gobble up.” Turning her attention to the men in the room, she gestured to the door. “Are we ready to go?”
“As soon as we figure out who’s driving.” Steven pushed himself off the couch.
“Nate and I were planning to ride with Dad,” Lanie replied. “We thought you and Rose could come up in your SUV since it’s a bit more durable than my car or Nate’s Camaro.”
Steven grimaced. “I’m still not fully comfortable driving long distances yet.”
“Could you drive his car?” Lanie asked Rose.
Pursing her lips, Rose shook her head. “I’ve not driven it often, and I prefer smaller cars. SUVs make me anxious.”
“We’re actually waiting on one more person.” Max kept his gaze on the floor.
Steven frowned. “Who else is coming?”
Before Max could respond, a tentative knock sounded at the door. He rushed over to answer it, wondering if he should have warned his family prior to Carissa’s arrival.
“Carissa,” Rose called out, her brown eyes widening. “You’re joining us today?”
After a quick glance at Max, Carissa nodded. “If you’ll have me.”
Max held his breath as he finally risked a look at Lanie. His daughter seemed more surprised than angry, though she did raise her eyebrows at him.
“The more the merrier,” Lanie finally said with a tight smile. “Though that does complicate the driving situation a bit more.”
“No it doesn’t.” Max gestured to Nate. “You can drive my truck with Lanie, and I’ll take the rest of us up in Steven’s SUV.”
Lanie looked at her fiancé. “Is that okay with you?”
“If your dad trusts me with his truck, I’m game.”
They filed out of the house. Max handed Nate his keys before heading to Steven’s car. Steven started to climb into the passenger seat, but Rose stopped him with a meaningful look at Carissa.
“I’m happy to sit in the back with you, Rose,” Carissa called.
“Nonsense,” Max grumbled beside her, taking her hand. “You’re sitting up front with me.”
“But Steven might be more comfortable?—”
“He’ll be fine.” Max opened the passenger door. “You’re my guest, after all.”
Rose and Steven settled into the back as Max closed the door and headed to the driver’s side. Once he was buckled in, he started the engine then gestured for Nate to pull out first. Although he’d plugged the address into the GPS, he preferred to follow Nate because he wasn’t as familiar with the area where they were headed.
A few minutes into the trip, he started to regret his insistence that Carissa sit up front. Her intoxicating perfume filled his senses, and he struggled to concentrate on the road. He needed a distraction.
“How’s work going?” he asked Steven, glancing at his son in the rearview.
“Good. Mr. Willoughby’s divorce is finally going to trial.”
“Which I hope he loses,” Rose quipped.
“That’s not very supportive of your husband’s hard work,” Steven retorted.
“Perhaps not, but that man deserves it.”
“Back me up here, Dad,” Steven pleaded.
Carissa glanced at Max with an amused smile, and he rolled his eyes. For a couple who’d just had their wedding a little over a month ago, they fought like they’d been married for years.
“I’m afraid I’m with Rose on this one.” At Steven’s harrumph, Max amended his statement. “But I’m sure you’ve done a good job of painting what happened in a much different light. It’ll probably result in some sort of compromise where neither party is completely happy.”
“That’s typically how divorces end,” Steven agreed with a sigh. “It’s not for lack of trying, though. He would have gotten a better deal if he’d listened to me instead of fighting everything I suggested tooth and nail.”
“Like I said, I hope he gets what he deserves,” Rose said again.
“How’s your physical therapy?” Max asked, hoping to change the subject.
“It’s… going.” Frustration colored Steven’s tone. “There are still times where it seems like my legs and brain aren’t making the connection, but I’m able to move around without the cane most of the time.”
“That’s good news.”
“Although long trips like this tend to make me stiff.”
“If you need me to stop for a break, let me know.”
“You? Stop for anything aside from gas or food?” Steven laughed. “Who are you, and what have you done with my father?”
Max scowled. “People can change.”
“Can they?” Carissa whispered. At his grimace, she giggled. “To be fair, your father has been somewhat more agreeable the last few weeks.”
“Which I’m sure is owing more to your influence than anything else,” Steven said.
“Sitting right here,” Max muttered. He was grateful when Nate flicked on his turn signal, confirming they were almost to their destination. Maybe for the ride home, he could convince his future son-in-law to drive Steven and Lanie. Somehow, he expected he would have a more peaceful ride without either of his children.
The road into the farm was bumpy, though Max tried to alleviate the jostling as much as possible. Still, by the time they pulled into the parking lot, Steven’s face was a mask of pain.
“Do you want to rest for a minute?” Max asked.
“I’ll be all right.” Steven rubbed his back. “Honestly, getting out and stretching will probably be better than rest at this point.”
Max nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“I have some ibuprofen in my bag if it’ll help,” Carissa offered.
“Thanks, but I took some before we left.”
Lanie and Nate had already headed up to check them in and get the bags for the apples. It made more sense to hang out by the car while Steven stretched than to make him walk all the way up the hill. Rose stepped behind Steven and rubbed his back, which seemed to help with the pain.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be pushing yourself.” Her eyebrows pulled together as he completed a series of movements.
“Dr. Myers cleared me to come today.”
“I know, but?—”
“Here come Nate and Lanie now,” Max interrupted, hoping to stem another argument.
“We got two pecks.” Lanie handed one of the bags to Rose. “Four people can pick a peck.” She turned to Max and Carissa. “Did you two want to come with us or go with Steven and Rose?”
After finishing one last bent stretch, Steven straightened up. “Hey, that’s not fair. You’ll have more people on your team.”
Lanie scoffed. “Not everything has to be a competition.”
“What are we picking today?” Carissa asked, and Max gave her a grateful look for the distraction.
Lanie lifted one shoulder. “It’s whatever you want.” Gesturing with the bag, she explained the different types of apples available that day and where they were located. Max hid a smile. She sounded like a walking apple encyclopedia.
“Why don’t Rose and Steven pick the Pink Lady and Stayman Winesap, since those trees are right here? Then the rest of us can go up the hill to pick Crispin, Ambrosia, and Jonagold.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Rose said. “Meet you back here in about half an hour?” Without waiting for a response, she linked arms with Steven, and they set off into the trees.
The rest of their group headed up the hill. Quite a few people were at the farm, enjoying the cool October day. Several visitors had filled their bags to the brim with apples. Others were sneaking bites between the trees.
“I can’t do that,” Max murmured to Carissa, pointing at a young boy who had already eaten half of an apple.
“What?” Her eyebrows pulled together. “Eat apples?”
“Not with the skin on,” he said. “I’m allergic.”
Her eyes widened. “Can you pick them, then?”
“Oh yeah. The skin doesn’t bother me unless I ingest it. I have to peel the apples first.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s the weirdest allergy I’ve ever heard of.”
Lanie spun around, a wide grin on her face. “And one he was kind enough to pass on to me. Though at least I can eat strawberries.”
“You can’t eat strawberries?” The way Carissa looked at him made him feel like an alien. “Do you know exactly what you’re allergic to?”
He shrugged. “It could be the pesticides, but I’ve never been brave enough to try organic.”
“What happens?” she asked. “Do you go into anaphylactic shock?”
Despite the fear on her face, Max couldn’t help but laugh. “No, nothing that serious. I break out in hives.”
“My mom thought it was chicken pox,” Lanie said, linking her arm with Nate’s. “Which I honestly would have preferred.”
“Well”—Nate bent and kissed the top of her head—“at least it’s an easy allergy to avoid.”
By that point, they had reached the top of the hill. Nate and Lanie took the row of Jonagold while Carissa and Max slipped into the row of Ambrosia. Max had hoped to spend some time alone with Carissa, but as his wish came true, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Thank you for inviting me,” Carissa said. “I can’t remember the last time I went apple picking.”
His shoulders sagged in relief. “It’s been a while for me as well, but we used to go often when the kids were little.” He waved a hand. “Nothing wears a kid out more than physical labor.”
She laughed. “I can imagine.” They walked farther into the row of trees. “What do you do with the apples?”
“It depends. But Lanie loves to bake. I imagine she’ll be making all sorts of desserts. The school is having a bake sale soon.”
“You don’t bake?” Carissa asked, a hint of amusement in her blue eyes.
He grimaced. “Baking was more Melody’s area. And as I’m sure Lanie’s told you, my cooking leaves a lot to be desired.”
“She might have mentioned it.”
The conversation died as they focused on picking apples. Max kept track of the number they were picking, as he didn’t want to overload the bag with just one type. They each had their arms full when they met up with Lanie and Nate at the end of the row.
After a quick assessment, Lanie nodded. “We’ve got about ten of each, which means there should be room for a few Crispins. Hopefully, Rose and Steven tried to keep things even on their end as well.”
Together, the four of them headed into the last row of trees. The Crispins must have ripened earlier than the rest, as they were pretty picked over, but they each managed to find a couple in good shape.
As they traveled down the hill, Max’s body felt heavy. He’d hoped for more time with Carissa, but the activity hadn’t taken nearly as long as he’d remembered. Though he supposed that made sense. The kids were young then and had needed a lot more direction and attention.
“How’d you all do?” Steven asked when they met up by the check-in tent.
“Pretty well.” Lanie held out their full bag.
“Nice.” Steven gestured to the bag in Rose’s hand. “Looks like we’ll need to find some ample storage space.”
“They should fit in the garage,” Max said. “And I’m sure Carissa would like to take some home as a reward for her hard work.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”
“We should have a baking day,” Rose suggested. “Lanie can teach us.”
“I volunteer Dad’s kitchen,” Lanie joked. With a smile, she lifted her bag of apples and gestured to the car. “Shall we go?”
“Are we going home already?” Max asked.
His children glanced at each other, and Lanie shrugged. “The farm has a store not far from here. We could check out what other apple varieties they have.”
“If I remember correctly, they have a fall festival as well. We could hang out there for a bit, maybe grab a snack,” Steven said.
“Sounds like a plan!” Max could hardly contain his enthusiasm. Spending more time with Carissa was exactly what he’d hoped for, and who knew? Maybe by the end of the afternoon, she would take him up on his offer to go to dinner. The only problem was, he wanted more than a platonic outing, and he had no idea how to reconcile that desire with his promise to Lanie.