I groan as I head for the kitchen with him right on my heels. It’s hard to tell if he’s only following me so he can prod into my love life some more, because this man really does seem to need a cup of coffee in his hand at all times in order to function.
After flipping all the kitchen lights, I go directly to the coffee maker and switch it on. The faster I can fuel him, the faster he leaves me alone.
He mercifully doesn’t bring up where I might have spent the night again, though. Instead, as he watches the coffee brew like a dog waiting for a treat—only less patient—he says, “Do you have the menu lined up for the summer festival?”
“Yeah,” I tell him. “We’re all set. And I can run the booth all weekend.”
“Nope.” He shakes his head vehemently. “I told you I’d take care of that so you can hang out at the festival.”
“And I told you that wasn’t necessary.”
Grabbing a mug, he starts pouring his coffee the moment the last drop hits the pot. “The schedule is already done.”
I try to restrain from throttling him as I start laying out the things I need to get ready for breakfast. “If you tell me I’m not working, then I’ll stay home. You can’t make me go to the festival. I see enough of this town’s crazy shenanigans on a daily basis.”
“Wow,” he says slowly. “You and Travis really are too much alike.”
“Well, he’s one of the only normal people around here,” I retort.
Brenden laughs. “Sure. But you both protest too much about participating in town stuff. I promise it’ll be easier for you if you stop worrying about how crazy everything is and just go with it.”
“Oh yeah? Did you teach Travis that?”
He gives me a blatantly suggestive look. “Among other things.”
“Gross.”
Laughing again, he takes his coffee and strolls toward the kitchen doors. “Anyway, Riley mentioned to me the other day how excited she is for the festival. Just an FYI.”
With that last little quip, he leaves, and I get started on my food prep, already forgetting all his nonsense. I can’t be so easily coerced into doing something I don’t want to do.
WhenI’mdonewithwork, I head out onto the porch, realizing Riley and I didn’t make an actual plan of when and where to meet. I don’t even have this woman’s number. I should probably rectify that if we’re going to keep doing... whatever this is.
Luckily, she’s not hard to find. She’s reading in one of the rocking chairs beside the main doors, gently rocking herself back and forth with one foot on the floor.
“Hey,” I say, going over to lean against the railing in front of her. “Did you still want to do something?”
She smiles at me as she slides a bookmark into her book to keep her place. “Yes, I’d love to!” Her smile slipping a bit, she adds, “If you’re not too tired.”
“I’m fine. You wanted to head down to Main Street and walk around?”
“That was my initial idea,” she says, standing up. “But I had another one. Would you be interested in driving over to the farm?”
I tug my hair out of my ponytail, relishing in that first second when the tension releases. “Shaw Family Farm?”
“Yeah.” She smiles at me hopefully. “I’ve been wanting to visit it since I’ve been back. I don’t know if you’ve been there. The store is cute if you wanted to buy any baked goods or jams. Not that you would, I guess, since you make your own stuff. But uh, there’s usually some fun stuff to do there too. Like petting the animals or different seasonal activities. But if you don’t feel like going, that’s totally fine. We can go downtown. I’m happy to do anything.”
When she finally stops talking, she looks a bit embarrassed, and I can’t tell if she’s nervous because we hooked up last night, or if it’s just the people-pleasing part of her personality making her feel like she shouldn’t ask for what she wants.
Either way, I offer her a reassuring smile as I push myself away from the railing and step closer to her. “I’m down to go to the farm if that’s what you want to do.”
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“Absolutely. It sounds nice.”
I’ve never been to the farm, despite being casually acquainted with Connor because I order most of the inn’s dairy and produce from him. He seems like a decent, laid-back guy. But I’ve been a city girl my whole life up until now, so hanging out on a farm isn’t exactly something I’ve been itching to do.
It’s clear that Riley really wants to go, though. And again, I don’t want to disappoint her. Plus, I don’t particularly care what we do. I just want to spend more time with her. Probably despite my better judgement, but this is where I’m at.
