“I don’t know if I can do that,” I admitted.
Candace looked at me in surprise. “You are the hardest-working person I know. Once you dedicate yourself to something, you fight like hell to protect it. You just need to communicate with Ian. Figure out how to work together to solve this thing. Ian is a good guy, Joanie. He’s charming and fun and so good with Georgie. He welcomes everyone into his orbit. Yes, he’s a movie star, but?—”
“That’s not the only thing he is,” I finished.
My sister smiled like I was her prized student. “That’s right. He fits here, and you know it. Let him decide for himself what’s too much or not enough. Don’t make that decision for him. Maybe he’s been hoping you’d ask him to stay. Maybe he’s been too scared to ask. You never know until you try.”
I nodded because she was right.
“Although,” she mused, “you’re going to need to be honest with him.”
I frowned. “About what?”
Candace grinned. “About how terrible he is at making coffee. You can’t keep letting him poison you like that.”
My laughter gusted out of me, even as I felt my eyes fill with tears. I thought I might put up with a lot of terrible coffee for the rest of my life if it meant Ian was the one making it.
A week and a half later, I forced myself to stop working and go to bowling league with my sister and our friends, even though there was an hour of daylight left. But with Ian gone, I knew they were all worried about me, and this was the easiest way to show everyone that I was doing okay, even if that wasn’t entirely true.
I’d started a top grafting project on a few rows in the orchard. It was laborious and required my focus and energy in order to graft a new apple variety onto an existing tree. That filled my time during my workday.
In the evenings, I generally checked in with Sophia and George over at the big house. My cabin was too quiet, so I liked cooking dinner across the highway while George colored or made friendship bracelets at the kitchen island.
Sophia had been happy to see me, and a few times I’d told her I was fine to watch George so that she could take a break. I got the impression she was dating someone in town, and I knew Ian wouldn’t mind if I read to his nephew and tucked him in for bed.
For months, we’d been a team, spending our evenings together—like a family. It felt natural to go through George’s nighttime routine and help him brush his teeth.
Only now, Ian was the one missing.
The ancient bowling alley still smelled like fried food and cheap beer. But oddly enough, the typical cacophony of clattering pins and rowdy conversation dwindled to nothing as I made my way to my team’s lane.
I was aware of eyes on me, gossip whispered into ears and behind cupped hands. But I kept my gaze forward and took my seat without acknowledging the sudden attention I’d unexpectedly garnered.
Eventually, folks went back to their own games and resumed drinking their beer.
“Do I want to know what that was all about?” I asked the group.
Candace, Bonnie, and Mac exchanged uneasy glances. A sense of déjà vu tickled the back of my mind. Last month, they’d been all aflutter over pictures of Ian and me from the Spring Fling.
Now, though, they appeared uneasy and reluctant.
“Well,” Mac said, taking the lead, “it looks like some of the celebrity gossip sites are finally reporting on your presence with Ian at the premiere.”
A sinking feeling pushed me lower into my seat. I had no idea what people were saying about me ... but I could imagine. “Oh?”
“I guess photographers got a few shots of you in conversation,” Candace confirmed, looking miserable. That could have just been the morning sickness, though.
“Several have been spotted around town,” Bonnie said gently.
“Paparazzi?” I asked, shocked that anyone would care enough to fly all the way across the country for practically nothing. Ian wasn’t even here.
My friends nodded.
I glanced around us discreetly. “Should I be worried?”
“Oh, no,” Mac said. “The orchard is private property since it’s seasonal and not open to the public currently. We had someone show up at Grandpappy’s, and Larry talked them in circles for an hour. She loved it. Don’t worry, Joan. The town has a plan.”
I blinked. “The town has a plan?”
