“You okay?” Emily gave him a concerned look as they climbed into his truck.
He adjusted his cap and set his mirrored sunglasses on his nose. “Yup.” He drove the short distance to the former site of McClains’ Orchard and parked in the lot near the entrance. A brand-new sign declared the orchard was renamed “Apple Haven—Splendid Lake’s Premier Orchard.”
Emily bounced out of the truck and made a beeline toward the entrance. She peeked through the gate and took in the signs. Biting her lip, she moved her fingers over her mother’s rings while she studied everything.
He came up behind her and read over her shoulder. The Coming Soon sign promised a “fabulous fall festival fun for all ages coming in September” with hayrides, a pumpkin patch, and “the most delicious apples in North Carolina,” as well as “loads of activities for kids” at discount prices.
How could Jake’s family’s traditional orchard compete with that when they were dealing with his father’s hospital bills and Ally’s steep tuition?
Great. Just great.
His head started to throb.
“Quit frowning,” she ordered, grabbing his hand and yanking him toward the truck. “Let’s go. We have work to do.”
Back in the truck, Emily grabbed a spiral notebook from her giant bag and began writing furiously.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Thinking,” she quipped. “Just drive.”
“Okay...” He exited the parking lot, and when they hit the road, his stomach growled. “You hungry?”
“Sure,” she responded without peering up from her growing list.
“Let’s pick up food and go to my place,” he said before heading back toward downtown for takeout.
Emily looked up from her doodles and list just as Jake parked in front of his one-story ranch-style house. She recalled when he’d moved into the house nearly eight years ago when he’d decided it was time for him to grow up, move out of his folks’ house, and get his own bachelor pad. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-car-garage home had once been used as staff quarters when his father’s former orchard manager lived on the grounds.
When the orchard manager retired, Leon asked Jake to take a more active role at the orchard, and Jake had recruited Emily, Claire, and a few other friends to help him repaint the entire home before he moved in. It seemed like only yesterday that they’d sat on the old beige carpet in the den and celebrated that the house had finally been painted. Emily could still smell the scent of paint mixed with their half dozen pies from the pizza parlor in downtown Splendid Lake.
“Home sweet home,” Jake declared, gathering up their bag from the Splendid Kitchen and hopping out of the truck.
Emily followed him in through the front door and into a small foyer, where he hung his keys on a peg before moving to the kitchen and setting their bag of food on the counter. The delicious aroma of burgers and fries tickled her nose as she dropped her notepad on the table and hung her bag over the back of a chair.
She peeked into the den and spotted Dusty, Jake’s old blackcat, curled up on the same brown sofa Emily had lounged on nearly a million times.
“Dusty!” Emily sang while rushing over to the kitty. “How are you?” Crouching down, she brushed her fingers over the cat’s head. The feline rolled over to expose her chin, and Emily scratched while the kitty purred with delight.
Emily’s eyes flitted to the flat-screen television, which was bolted to the wall above a brown credenza. Next to the TV sat a framed photo of Jake and Claire posing on the dock. Emily didn’t recognize the picture, but she assumed they were dressed up for a wedding—possibly Claire’s cousin’s wedding, which Jake had mentioned they’d attended last spring.
Jake looked like he’d just walked out of a Brooks Brothers ad, wearing a dark blue suit coupled with a light blue shirt and a blue tie a shade darker. Emily couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn a suit, but as she studied the photo, she wished he’d wear one more often. His hair was trimmed and perfectly styled, and he’d shaved, revealing that strong jawline and those dazzling cheekbones. The entire ensemble complemented his baby-blue eyes while accentuating his wide chest, muscular biceps, and tapered, trim waist. He was drop-dead gorgeous, and Emily suddenly felt a case of the vapers coming on.
Beside him in the photo, Claire looked perfect, as usual, in a simple green dress that matched her eyes. Her long blonde hair was perfectly straight, which was something Emily could rarely accomplish with her wild dark waves—no matter how strong the product or flat iron. Claire’s angelic face had the perfect amount of makeup. She wore cute wedge heels, and since she was a few inches taller than Emily, Claire looked like she belonged beside Jake, who had his arm wrapped around Claire’s perfect little waist.
They had always been the perfect couple. So perfect that it was nauseating.
Emily swallowed a sigh. She’d once longed to be Claire and garner all of Jake’s golden attention, but she’d realized that was a ridiculous dream. Still, the heart wanted what it wanted, and hers still longed for Jake to allow her a chance to break out of the friend zone.
“Do you like where I hung your painting?”
Jake’s question hauled Emily back from her ridiculously pathetic spiral. He had wandered over to the sofa.
She stood, and when he held out a french fry, she took it. Then he stared at her, as if he were awaiting an answer to a question.
What had he asked?
Oh right, the painting!
