“Do you mean that? I need you to know there is no place I’d rather be than on this farm with you.”
“Even if we get terrorized in the middle of the night by masked assailants?”
“Shit, just call me Kevin McCallister cause we would boobie trap this place likeHome Alone.”
I chuckled.
Fancy brushed her finger across my bottom lip. “Listen, I’m crazy about you, Eddy. I don’t know what that means. But I know what I feel.”
Nodding, I soaked up her affirming words like a parched philodendron. “We should probably marinate the meat first to give it a chance to sop up all that good flavor.”
“While you do that, I’ll start boiling the potatoes for the potato salad.”
Fancy selected a bluegrass record and turned it up loud as we got to work. Prepping the food, we danced around the kitchen sneaking kisses. It was like the quarrel out front never happened. I felt like the only one. Like I was her choice and not just the nearest option, and I loved that for me.
After dinner Edisonsaid he had a surprise for me and left me on the porch alone for over thirty minutes. More than enough time to obsess over what transpired this afternoon. Coming home was about a reset, not a rehashing of the past. I was already dealing with my own hurt feelings, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt Edison. Should we have slept together? Probably not. Was I counting the minutes until we did again? One hundred percent.
My life was all sixes and sevens. I’d dumped my cheating ex. Fans were sending thoughts and prayers based on the cryptic Whiskey Wild statement. I couldn’t turn to my manager for advice because he was my cheating ex. Darla was in Los Angeles on pause, waiting for me to figure my shit out. The record label was emailing me with questions. And God knows what Chap was telling them. He was probably torching my reputation as we speak.
Why was I so fucking impulsive? Fleeing LA, fucking Edison. I was always reactive, never proactive. I’d been in Hume for a week and didn’t have a game plan. What was my next move? Fuck all if I know. I was in Tennessee dicking around while theworld burned down around me. And by sleeping with Edison, I was just adding more bodies to the fire.
I surveyed the sky, spying as the stars came into focus and the last of the sun was chased away by the moon. A cool breeze rumbled through the trees as insects buzzed about, their only worries being who they were going to sting tonight. The scent of the grill still lingered in the air and made my stomach grumble for one more bite of tri tip. Somehow the tranquility of the farm forced me to turn my brain off and just be still.I could get used to this.
A shrill whistle pierced my ears, and I turned to the direction of the barn and spotted Edison waving his hands like a madman. I grabbed my glass of wine and headed in his direction. The grass on the property was the richest shade of green. Should I expect anything less from the man who ran the nursery?
“Did you just whistle at me like I was an animal?”
“I didn’t want to walk all the way back over.”
“I’ll have you know I’m a refined lady,” I said, obnoxiously slurping from my wine glass. “There should really be more pomp and circumstance when my presence is requested.”
“Like a member of the royal family?”
“Exactly, I’m talking bending at the waist, an old nasty, cunty curtsy, and a sharp salute.”
“And they could all shout Queen Fancy for good measure.”
“I like how you think. But when it comes to country music right now, I feel more like the ugly stepsister than queen.”
“Maybe they were so mean because everyone was commenting on their looks.”
“Shit I’d be a bitch if everyone in town was referring to me and my sister as ugly. I’d have burned that motherfucker down.”
“Just fuck the royal ball and everyone in attendance?”
“Fuck the ball and my weird ass stepsister who talks to mice.” We shared a laugh before my curiosity got the better of me and I shifted the subject. “So why are we at the barn?”
“Because I have a surprise for you.”
“Does this surprise include wine? Cause I could really use a top off.”
Edison pulled back the barn doors to reveal a spa-like experience. It was a barn, there was no mistaking that, but he’d transformed it into an oasis with ginormous potted plants and trees, several large area rugs and jazz music playing through the speakers. In the middle of the barn was an extra-large circular tin tub, steam visible on the surface of the water.
“What did you do?” I squealed.
“I thought we could have a soak. Drink some champagne.”
Edison put some thought into this. There was a bench with fluffy towels and two robes. Underneath the bench were slippers and next to the tub was a short stool with a bottle of champagne and glasses with strawberries in them. Right now, my internal dialogue was telling me to hate all men. But Edison’s thoughtfulness left a soft spot in my heart and a wet spot in my panties.
