Being in Mark’s garden felt sacred. I’d known he was an intensely private person—for reasons all the more clear now. Between the gossip about his divorce and how little time he spent out and about in Kirby Falls, I’d sort of assumed hishome was his safe space, the place he felt most comfortable. Where he didn’t need to worry about whispered words and hurtful rumors.
Yes, this place was, indeed, magical. Like a hidden treasure that didn’t exist on any map. A secret I felt compelled to keep.
I was intensely grateful he’d shared it with me.
Yet, for as much as this place was his sanctuary, it was also his prison.
fourteen
MARK
More than a week went by with Candace knowing the truth, and nothing fell apart. The world didn’t end.
But I still had moments of panic when I considered what I’d done, what I’d revealed.
Life at the orchard continued as usual. It was nearly Halloween, and the pumpkins were almost gone. We still had a couple of varieties of apples available for the tourists to pick, and weekends continued to be packed at Judd’s.
For the next couple of weeks, Joan and I would be busy getting whatever was ripe off the trees to sell pre-picked in the Apple House before the first freeze hit and all the fruit dropped. We’d been lucky so far with a mild autumn. The plan was to also use what we picked at the end of the season for the first cider pressing next year.
Then we’d be navigating the extended open season with Candace’s Christmas tree setup. Joan and I would be chipping in along with everyone else to get the tree lot arranged on the property and figure out the ins and outs of that operation. Candace had a meeting on the calendar to go over those aspects.
It seemed like Candace had a plan for nearly everything. Her advertising, social media posts, events, and collaborations with local businesses had definitelyimpacted the bottom line this season. We’d seen an increase in the number of tourists through the gates, making our busiest months even busier.
Even Joan couldn’t deny her sister’s hard work and dedication to the farm. She was still a little standoffish with Candace, but she didn’t openly object to the changes Candace was implementing. I thought she might be coming around even if there still wasn’t any sisterly bonding happening. At this point, Candace spent more time with Bonnie and Mac than she did with Joan.
I knew it bothered Candace. We’d talked a little about it the last time she’d come over for dinner, two nights ago. I’d told her to be patient. That she was doing all the right things, and Joan would come around. But part of me realized there was a clock counting down until Candace left, and, eventually, Joan would be too late.
I tried not to think about the deadline looming over Candace’s time in Kirby Falls. Two months didn’t feel like nearly enough time to see where things went with us. We’d taken it slow so far. Candace had agreed to keep our relationship private, and she’d been to my house three times for dinner. We’d had another night out by the fire, and then two nights ago, we’d watched a movie, snuggled together on the couch in my living room.
I didn’t want to rush her into anything she wasn’t ready for, but with her body draped across mine, I’d been hyper-aware of every breath she took and every time she shifted in her seat. It was hard enough to be close to her at work and not kiss her in her office every morning. To sit next to her at the picnic table while we ate lunch together and not hold her hand. But I could wait as long as she wanted. Despite the stopwatch on her time here, what was happening between us wasn’t a race.
It was Friday, and we had a long day ahead. The orchard was open to tourists, and then Food Truck Friday would close things out around eight o’clock. I thought there might even be a band on the schedule for the night.
“Hey,” I said as I poked my head into Candace’s office twenty minutes before the gates opened.
She glanced up, a bright smile ready and waiting on her pretty face. “Hey, you. What do you have on the agenda for the day?”
Unable to stop myself, I drifted closer to her desk. “Picking Gold Rush in the east field.”
Her fingers played with the edge of her notebook, the one she brought everywhere. “I know it’ll be late when I get off tonight with the band and the food truck being here, but I thought I might bring some dessert over afterward. Would that be okay?”
“Sure.”
Candace worried her bottom lip. “And if I wanted to stay the night? Would that be okay too?”
I took in her nervous fidgeting and the abuse she was inflicting on her plush lower lip. Then I thought about what she was really asking. Smiling, I replied, “Yeah. That would be more than okay.”
“Yeah?”
When I couldn’t take her tentative worry anymore, I closed the distance between us and leaned over her desk. Cupping her cheek, I pressed a quick kiss to her lips, trying to alleviate her hesitancy and her nervousness. Doing my best to address the part of her brain that told her she had to question herself with me.
I wanted her at my house and in my space. I wanted her all day, every night...for as long as she’d let me have her.
Eventually, I pulled back, brushing my nose gently against hers before confirming quietly against the soft skin of her lips, “Yes. Stay.”
Reluctantly, I straightened and released her.
Candace beamed up at me. “Okay.”
