Jake descended the front porch steps with Claire later that evening. They’d already cleaned up after supper, and Emily had excused herself before fleeing to her bedroom to work on a project. And now it was time for Jake to have a little one-on-one with his ex and try to get her to understand that he was done—completelydone—with their relationship.
The sky was dark, the air was cool, and the smell of a nearby fireplace filled his nostrils. He carried Claire’s enormous tote bag out to her car, and after she unlocked the doors, he tossed it onto the back seat.
“Thanks for walking me out,” she told him. “I didn’t expect you to.”
He scratched his chin. “I appreciate how you helped my folks today. So... thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She eyed him up and down. “You look good, Jake.”
Oh boy. Here we go.
He ignored the compliment. “Claire, I need you to respect me.”
“I do. You know that.”
“No, I actually don’t. I’ve been asking you to back off, but you keep showing up here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “First you thank me, and then you tell me to back off. Which is it, Jake? Do you want me around or not?”
“I want you to back off. I can take care of my parents.”
“And run the orchard?” She scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
He took a few steps away from her. “What I do is my business. And since when do you even care about the orchard, anyway?” He pointed to his chest. “I can handlemyfamily andmyorchard, so I need you to stay out of it. I’ve already told you that I’m done. We’re done.” He pointed between them. “Do you understand?”
Her expression darkened. “Have you moved on to Emily now?”
He studied her. “My life isn’t your business.”
“I see how you two look at each other. But Jakey, she can’t make you happy like I can. You’re making a big mistake.”
It was all he could do to keep his tone civil. “Thanks for your help today, but I’ve got it from now on. Please don’t come back. Goodbye, Claire.” Before she could respond, he jogged up the porch steps and into the house.
He made his way up to Emily’s room, where she was working at the desk and drawing something. He knocked on the doorframe, and she jumped with a start before covering her project.
“Hi.” She swiveled the desk chair to face him.
He sat on the corner of the bed. “Whatcha workin’ on?”
“Nothing.” She rested her feet on the bed beside him, showing off her magenta socks.
He grinned and grabbed her foot, causing her to yelp. “Tell me or I’ll tickle your foot.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed.
“Oh yes, I would.” He grinned before he started tickling her foot.
She screeched and tried to kick him away, but he continued to tickle her while she giggled and gasped. He’d loved tickling her ever since they were kids, and it never got old.
“Okay!” she managed through her gasps. “Okay, okay! I’ll show you.”
He released her foot. “That’s better.”
She wiped her eyes with her hands before sharing a sketch of a hundredth anniversary banner. “It’s not great, but I’m going to keep working on it. I thought we could hang it from the rafters in the barn.”
He studied it, taking in the details on the apples and the elegant Hughes Family Orchard logo. “It’s fantastic,” he said, and she shook her head. “You’re always your worst critic.” He stood. “Put your shoes on. We’re going for a walk.”
She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. “All right, I’m game for a little moonlit stroll.”
