Page 85 of Good Directions

Fuck if I know why. Not something that bodes well for a research and development manager.

I scan through everything again, running through the steps in my mind for what has to be the millionth time. I know this like the back of my hand at this point. I could recite it in my sleep. I followed my models exactly; nothing was different.

Except…

I sit up straight, my brain going haywire like a bolt of lightning struck me out of nowhere. There is one small thing that was different. Actually, maybe not all that small. Something that could have been enough to make my numbers jump initially and then come to a slamming halt.

“Ohhhhhhhh…”

“Figure it out?”

I bite down on my lip, turning to the tall, dark horticulturalist, “Maybe?”

“But?”

How he knows there’s a but coming, I don’t know. There is though.

“Buuuut, I would definitely need to go back out into the groves.”

Cary shrugs, lifting his shoulders like what I said was no big deal. “Out you go then.”

“I dunno. I…if I’m right, I would need lots more samples.”

“Then take lots of samples.”

“And I might need to do something…drastic.”

I let that last part hang in the air, trying not to be dramatic. Even though that’s exactly how this feels. Looking back at my computer, it seems so obvious now. And the only way to show it would be to…no, I can’t. Because I’m pretty sure it’s a no-go.

“Then do it.”

Still, hesitation rushes through me like the bulls through the streets of Pamplona, knocking down everything in its wake.

“Even if it means digging things up and making a mess and⁠—”

“Sawyer, you heard the man. You have free rein. To borrow words from Nike and Yoda, just do it,” Cary tells me.

I pause, opening my mouth to correct him and then stop myself. Because that is not at all how the Yoda quote goes. That is firmly Nike’s slogan. Yoda was do or do not. But now is not the moment to show off my Frank Oz and Muppet trivia knowledge. The more important part is that Cary has a point.

Free rein.

Anton absolutely did say that. Do what you need to in order to figure all this out and help Hayes and other farms along the way. Those were his exact words. Which means, if I need to do something drastic, I need to. The results matter more.

I’ll be careful. It’s not like I’m going to burn it all down to the ground. Not even close. And I have permission.

“Right,” I say out loud, still trying to convince myself.

Pushing to my feet, I gather everything I need. What I’m about to do might be a little bit crazy—okay, it’s a lot crazy—but I also think it holds the answer.

And if I’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that the risk is worth taking.

Anton is worth the risk.