She studied him with an unreadable expression. “What?”
“We need to talk.”
“I’m busy.” She pointed toward the mural and then turned her attention back to her project.
Jake sighed and shook his head. She could be so stubborn sometimes!
“Seriously, we need to talk!” he called. He waited a few moments before he growled out an impatient noise. “Fine,” he muttered. “If you won’t talk to me, then I’ll come up there and talk to you.”
He climbed the scaffolding, but she only glanced at him before she continued painting details of the lake.
“Are you really going to ignore me while I’m standing right here?” he asked.
“I told you I’m busy.” She swiped her hand over her temples and then continued.
He watched her work, taking in her pinched forehead and serious expression.
“The mural is fantastic. Your best work yet.”
“Thanks,” she muttered.
He waited for her to speak, but only silence stretched between them. When he turned toward the ground, he spotted a group of orchard employees watching them, along with some curious folks who had stopped along the side of the road. “You have an audience,” he said, but she remained silent.
Emily Carmichael sure knew how to hold a grudge. It was upto him to get her talking, and the only way to do that was for him to start.
“Did you get any of my messages?” he asked. “I must have left you at least two dozen last night.”
“I got them.” She dipped her brush in blue and applied it to the lake.
“And...?”
She kept her back to him.
He was ready to yell his frustration. “Pleasetalk to me, Em. I’m begging you.” He folded his hands as if he were saying a prayer.
She spun to face him. “What’s there to talk about?” she demanded. Her face was all business, but her hands were shaking.
He reached for her, and she took a step back from him. He pulled his arms back, not wanting her to lose her balance on the scaffolding. “I’m sorry about last night, but you should know I had nothing to do with it.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Seriously. I’m not marrying her.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” she muttered.
“What do you mean by that?”
She sighed. “I don’t have time for this.”
He groaned. “Look, I was just as blindsided as you were. I never proposed to Claire. That was all a setup. She’s been determined to get me back ever since I told her we were done. Then she figured out that I was seeing you, and she was even more persistent. That’s why she did it. I honestly had no idea why her parents invited us over.”
She continued painting with her back to him.
“I don’t love her.”
She froze.
“Emily, I wantyou, not her. My greatest fear is losing you. Idrove around for hours last night looking for you.” His voice sounded thin and reedy. “I woke up at least once every hour during the night, hoping you’d called or texted me. I was so frantic. I worried that something had happened to you. You have to believe me.”
