Page 33 of A Fall to Remember

“Are they?” Jim studied her, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Or are you just saying that to be nice?”

“I promise.” Miranda made an X over her chest and rested the sunflowers on the butcher-block counter. “I think they’ll look perfect in that cream pitcher.” She pointed it out to Jim. He removed it from the shelf and came to stand next to her. She could smell his cologne and feel heat radiating from his body. “Thanks,” she managed to mumble as their hands brushed.

To Miranda’s disappointment, he moved away and peered out the door. “So this is the famous garden? You have a green thumb.”

“I don’t know about that.” She ran water in the vase and snipped the edges of the sunflower stalks with a pair of kitchen shears before arranging them in the pitcher. Then she placed it in the center of the island. “It’s a few garden boxes—herbs, perennials, strawberries, tomatoes, that sort of thing. We’re lucky in that this is such a rich growing area. You don’t need a green thumb in Half Moon Bay.”

“Says the Green Grocer.” Jim winked.

“Green is my color.” Miranda wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “Don’t let the brown fool you.”

“You look lovely.” Jim’s voice took on a gravelly quality. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Miranda ignored the pounding in her chest and smiled. “You’re a charmer.”

“Me?” He tapped his shoulders in mock surprise. “Hardly. You should talk to my nieces. They’ll tell you otherwise.”

“How old are your nieces?” Miranda asked, rearranging one of the dark brown sunflowers. She was glad to have something to do with her hands because she couldn’t stop picturing them running through his hair or caressing his solid arms.

“Thirteen and fifteen. They’re brutally honest, and it turns out I’m no longer the cool uncle I used to be. To think I spent years letting them paint my nails and put glitter all over my face. For what? Now, if my sister or brother-in-law needs me to pick them up from school, they make me park blocks away, because apparently anyone over the age of sixteen is ‘cringe.’”

Miranda laughed. “Don’t worry. This phase won’t last long. They’ll outgrow it quickly, and you’ll be the cool uncle again.”

“I don’t know.” Jim bit his bottom lip and winced. “They’re tough critics. They’ve been giving me fashion advice and certainly wouldn’t approve of my ‘fit’ tonight. I’ve got the teen girl lingo down, but I have zero street cred with them.”

“You speak teen effortlessly.” Miranda wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Do you have kids of your own?”

“No.” Jim shook his head. “Just the nieces. I was married once, but it didn’t work out. So I’m solidly in uncle status. It’s been fun to get to be a bigger part of my nieces’ lives. What about you? I know from the profile you submitted to Voyager that you’re single now, but were you ever married?” He paused and held up both hands. “Please stop me if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m so curious about people, and I genuinely love hearing personal stories, but my nieces tell me I can have a tendency to overshare or come across like a pushy journalist. That’s not my intention.”

“You’re giving me the shakedown for a breaking news exposé, aren’t you?” she teased. The fact that he was self-aware and self-effacing made him even more endearing, but she needed to remember this was a job for him. Not a date.

“That’s right. Voyager is my cover. Or is it?” He pressed his index finger to the side of his mouth mysteriously.

“I’m an open book,” Miranda said. “I’ve never been married. It’s only been Pete and me. His father was never in the picture or involved. But like you, I’m close with my brother and his wife, and of course, Elise. Aren’t nieces wonderful?”

“They are, until they shuffle around with their AirPods glued to their ears and their phones in front of their faces. I mean, how can I compete with nonstop texting with their friends? I’m a relic comparatively.” Jim made a goofy face. “Speaking of nieces and Elise, I suppose we should probably get moving. I promised to deliver you on time, and I do not take that duty lightly.” He extended his hand. “Shall we?”

Miranda felt a jolt the minute their hands touched, like an electric current running up her arm. Everything about Jim was so easy and unexpected. He was handsome, funny, smart, and obviously, his nieces adored him. She kept having to remind herself that the flowers and all the “get to know you” questions were part of his job. He was getting paid for this. She couldn’t let herself fall for him. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was already too late for that.

26

SHELBY

Shelby was quickly losing control of, well, everything. First, Jim had gone rogue with the video. Now she was supposed to set Pete up on an over-the-top romantic date and film it? Things had gone from bad to worse.

Did Voyager expect her to pluck some poor, unsuspecting woman from the crowd at dinner and try to make an instant match? This wasn’t in her job description. This wasn’t what she’d signed up for. She and Jim had brainstormed a list of potential scenarios. The farm dinner tonight certainly had high visual impact. That was good. There was just one huge problem—how to find Pete a date.

She’d called ahead and arranged to arrive at Banner Farms an hour early. Working for the world’s most recognizable travel brand had its perks. Shelby had explained they’d be filming the event and wanted to get some before shots. Pete and Elise were supposed to be meeting her any minute to put their heads together and come up with an impromptu plan.

This wasn’t Shelby’s style. She had prepared for days before this trip—spreadsheets, competitive analysis, talking points, and style guides.

Shelby continued to be impressed by Half Moon Bay. The farm looked like something straight from the style pages of some of Voyager’s most influential partners. Guests were greeted with a rustic wagon overflowing with buckets of wildflowers, pumpkins, and gourds. After stopping to check in and receive a custom wine glass, they walked along a pathway lined with globe lights and corn stalks. She felt like she was in The Wizard of Oz.

The pathway spilled out onto the fields, which were filled with more pumpkins, hay bales, and rows and rows of corn. Long wooden tables were arranged in a rectangle. Pale orange table runners ran through the center and were decorated with cake stands, lanterns, and huge bouquets of farm flowers. Every place setting had a different jewel-toned earthenware plate and matching napkins. Guests’ names were marked on mini chalkboard place cards, and menus printed on pumpkin paper had been rolled up and tied with gold string.

The cake stands were filled with rustic apple and pear tarts, pumpkin and pecan pies, and chocolate and cinnamon Bundt cakes. Twinkle lights, tea lights, the lanterns, and more globes gave the illusion that the fields were on fire.

Shelby captured every detail while she waited for Pete and Elise. She almost felt relaxed for the briefest of moments, but then her phone rang.