CHLOE
SoIdon’t even get to go kayaking at all?!?!?!
JACK
Do youWANTto go kayaking?
CHLOE
Ew, don’t be ridiculous.
Whatever,I’min.I’llaskTeddy.
I dragged myself to my feet, wiped my face again for good measure, and headed back to the studio where my laptop was.Therewere still hours left in the workday, andIhad a lot to do and a lot hanging on it.
I spent the next hour glued to my laptop,AirDroppingphotos and videos to myself, editing the ones that looked the most on-brand, and cataloguing every bit ofB-roll into folders for later.Iwanted to be organised.TeddyandIwere going to our first local event over the weekend– a cheese festival in a nearby town– andIwanted to get plenty of content.Andto be able to manage that much content,Ineeded all my digital ducks in a row.
Just before two p.m.,Iwas desperately trying to design a social media graphic that didn’t look terrible, thinking about loopingMorganin for graphic design help, whenIheard heavy boots on the hard floor behind me.Teddy’sboots,Iknew without looking.Shewalked past the table without looking at me, then doubled back and hovered across from whereIsat.Icould feel her there, even asIrefused to look up from my laptop unless spoken to.
“Do you have time to help me with something?” she asked, her voice so even it might as well have come from a satnav or a smart home device.
I finally looked up at her, noting the way she was chewing on her bottom lip, her brow intensely furrowed as if something were eating away at her.Iwanted to say something snide about howIcouldn’t very well say no to my boss, butIsettled for a nod instead.
“Thanks,” she said, then waved for me to follow her.Ifrowned, butIstill shut my laptop and followed her outside.
We ended up in the polytunnel.Despitethe fact that the doors remained open during the day so the bees could get in–Iremembered that much from the revised tourTeddyhad given me on my second day on the farm– it was humid as hell inside.WhichIsupposed was the point, butIhated the way my hair stuck to my neck instantly.
There were dozens of trays of seedlings lining the beds, most of which were relatively empty, and a couple of spades, one on each side.
“WillIbe doing some gardening?”Iasked, raising a brow at her.
Teddy nodded. “Bothof us,” she said, shooting me a fleeting glance, as if she were nervousI’dsay no. “Theseneed to be planted out today, ideally, andIhad to wash my mangy dog after she rolled around in a cowpat, so nowIcan’t finish it all on my own.”
Was this her weird, farmer way of trying to make amends?Inodded and tried for a smile. “Sure,”Isaid. “Tellme what to do.”
Teddy got me started on some sweetcorn seedlings against the wall, whilst she hunkered down in front of some rows of beetroot.Shetold me how deep to plant them and how far apart, and we worked in silence for a couple of minutes.Itwasn’t bad, actually, especially ifIpretendedIwas in a farming sim.
I fully expected that to be the dynamic for the afternoon– maybe quiet work was our version of being on good terms, even ifI’dbe infinitely chattier with anyone else– but she surprised me by asking me a question out of nowhere.
“Are you from the area?” she asked, without looking over at me.Shejust focused on what she was doing, soIdid the same.
I grinned, knowing she couldn’t see me.Thiswas the kind of question people asked after minutes, not a month. “Myparents own the farm next toJack’sfamily’s.Wegrew up together.”
“That’s really cool,” she said, andIheard a longing in her voice thatIcouldn’t quite place.
“What about you?”Iasked, pretendingIdidn’t know where she grew up from my internet sleuthing.
“I’m fromSouthernCalifornia,” she said, “butI’vebeen coming here every year sinceIwas a kid to spend summers withJen.”
“And you spend the rest of your time back home?”Iasked.
“Mostly travelling around,” she said. “Ilive in a van,actually.Or,Idid;Ihad to get rid of it beforeIcame this year because it was on its last legs.”
I smiled, remembering the pictureI’dseen of the converted camper van. “Thatsounds amazing,”Isaid. “Ibet you’ve been to some really cool places.”
“Yeah, a few,” she admitted. “Yosemiteis great, andIlove theCaliforniacoast.Ikeep meaning to drive up toOregonorWashington, but it’s never quite happened.”
“Too busy?”Iasked. “Friends?Girlfriend?”
