“Okay,” I began and then stopped abruptly. “Oh. A Cove connection. You’re thinking of Jude’s daughter.”
“I was, yeah.” He slid me a sidelong glance. “The Reynolds have a farm stand along the highway. Thought you might want to stop and take a look, maybe meet your cousin.”
I was silent for a few minutes. While I’d left things with Jude on a positive note after the reunion, and I was very grateful for her pushing me to visit my mother before I left, I wasn’t altogether convinced that I was ready to embrace all of my formerly estranged family. I’d lived the better part of my life without blood relations, aside from Charlie, and there was part of me that thought life was simpler without all of those connections.
“We don’t have to do it,” Nash said when I didn’t respond right away. “We can skip the stand. I can still drive you out past the Nelsons’ place . . . oh, and my friends the Mayfields live out on the other side of town. They have a pretty spread.”
“I’m just not sure I’m ready to meet more family yet,” I confessed. “Jude has invited me to parties and special occasions at her daughter’s house in the past. Actually, Charlie, Peg and I were all invited to Meghan’s wedding. But I always found an excuse to decline. I think I’ve spent so long feeling like the black sheep of the family that I’m not sure if I’m really welcome anymore. I’ve been on my own for too long to figure out how to be part of a family anymore.”
The light turned green, and Nash made a right turn. The scenery outside my window changed from houses and stores and other businesses to wooded areas and then to long sweeps of land boasting a variety of crops.
“This is the Nelsons’ farm. They have horses—I used to bring Max out here to ride when he was a kid.” He chuckled. “You might not believe it, but they’re part of another Cove connection. Their son Alex and his husband Cal run Jude’s bed and breakfast. But that one’s a little easier to explain. Meghan got to be friends with Alex when she moved here, and she introduced him to Jude and Logan, I guess. Also, Mason sometimes sends recommendations for musical talent down to Emmy for her consideration to play at the Tide, and Alex has helped to facilitate some of that.”
“Emmy’s really done a great job with turning the Tide into a Cove weekend hot spot, hasn’t she?” I mused. “She was telling us how she got Jude to give her the job, and then how that job led to her relationship with Cooper.” I sighed. “She’s so happy. It’s great to see her that way. All of us could see the writing on the wall when she and Eddy Carter were dating—we knew he wasn’t the kind of dude to stick around. But sometimes you can’t tell people anything—they have to learn it themselves.” I hooked a thumb to my chest. “And believe me, I am fully aware that I’m a poster child for that particular cause.”
Nash didn’t comment, but he slowed the car and pointed to a grove of trees. “That’s Sam and Meghan’s land. Sam and his sister, Ali, lost their parents right after Sam graduated from high school. They struggled for years to keep the farm going, renting out land to other farmers in the area, but they turned a corner a couple of years ago. I think this season is the first time Sam’s farmed all of his family’s land since his mom and dad died.”
“That’s incredible. And Meghan’s married to him?”
“Yeah, for a while now. They have twins. I don’t know them real well, but we’re acquainted.” He shifted, resting his elbow on the steering wheel as he faced me. “Sure you don’t want to stop at the farm stand? It’s just up the road a piece.”
I hesitated and then shook my head. “Not today. Maybe another time. My next visit to Burton.”
Nash nodded and eased the car back onto the road. “I think you’d like Meghan—she’d remind you of Jude, a little sassy but always very kind. But I’m glad to hear you’re planning another trip back to Burton.”
“Well,” I said, trailing my finger down his arm. “I’ve found a great place to stay around here now, and I hope to join their repeat guest rewards program.”
“The rewards are pretty damn sweet,” Nash agreed with a grin. “Speaking of which, I don’t know about you, but I worked up an appetite last night. And this morning. And this morning, again.”
I rolled my eyes, my cheeks warming.
“How about we grab some coffee and pastries for breakfast? A friend of mine has a place in town that I think you’d like.”
My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, and we both laughed.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s go feed you, woman.”
Harmony Beans CoffeeShop was absolutely adorable. I loved it the moment we walked through the door, and I felt even more comfortable after the owner, Lucie Mayfield, greeted Nash with a hug and turned to me.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Peyton. I’ve heard all about you from this one—” She pointed to Nash. “You know, he was pretty glum about going to the reunion, but he came home singing a completely different song! He couldn’t stop talking about you.”
Nash ducked his head. “Lucie, stop. You’re embarrassing me. And Peyton, too.”
I shrugged. “I’m not embarrassed a bit. I think it’s sweet.”
“And I only speak the truth.” Lucie poked Nash in the side. “But to make up for it, how about I seat you two in my best table and bring your choice of beverage on the house?”
“You don’t have to do that,” Nash protested. “You can’t keep giving away your profits, Lucie. Didn’t I train you better than that?”
Lucie laughed. “It’s true. Nash here was one of my business mentors. Between him and Mason, they made sure I didn’t hit the pitfalls most start-ups encounter.” She paused, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “He’s also partly responsible for my husband admitting that he loved me, but that’s a much longer story. I’ll tell you the next time you visit Burton.”
“That’s it, Lucie,” Nash encouraged. “Give her incentive to come back.”
“Ha!” Lucie studied me, grinning. “I don’t think I need to offer her another reason to see you again, my friend. I don’t know quite how you managed it, but I think this one’s smitten with you.” She patted my arm. “Go grab your table and check out the menu. I’ll be right over to take your beverage order.”
We settled in a small table that sat in a window, looking out on a quiet avenue. Nash reached across the table to hold my hand.
“Don’t pay any attention to Lucie. She likes to tease, and she and her husband Wyatt are good friends to me.”
