Page 16 of Not Just Gal Pals

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, I was perched on a large orange pumpkin, Walter’s little head poking out from behind another smaller one, while Dad took photos. We’d already gotten some great footage of us on a tractor, me pretending to drive it with Walter on my lap, and I was hoping I’d be able to get back to wedding planning soon. Although, with the streaming sunshine and blue skies, it was a perfect day to be outside enjoying some fall activities.

“Let’s do the apple cannons next.”

On the way over to the apple-shooting range, I ducked into the restrooms to change my red flannel shirt to a blue one so it wasn’t obvious all the footage was taken on the same day.

Dad’s phone rang just as he was filming me aggressively shooting apples out of a cannon, Walter by my side. It was unexpectedly fun.

“I’m sorry, pumpkin, we’ve got to go. Your mom needs me to sort out an issue with a subcontractor on the Arnold project. Can we finish this another time?”

Damn. I really wanted to get this over and done with so I could focus on the wedding. “Thanks, Dad, but I really need these shots. I think we might stay, and I’ll see if I can sweet-talk a few people into helping me out. Walter and I can walk home.”

Dad’s face brightened. “That’s a good idea. You might even meet a nice young man or woman who’ll give you a hand.” He winked. I shook my head, smiling. Despite Dad’s optimism, I wasn’t holding my breath. Given it was a Tuesday, it wasn’t particularly busy. The visitors who were here were almost all families with small children—not exactly fertile ground for meeting single people my age.

I waved Dad off and made my way over to a surprisingly attractive scarecrow I’d spotted in a corner of the farm, next to a run-down barn. He was wearing flannel and a cowboy hat. Even if the photos weren’t good enough to post, at least I’d be able to send them to Serena and Dad, along with a message letting them know I’d had an encounter with a hot lumberjack/nice young man after all.

“Howdy, handsome. Do you mind if we get a pic?” I looked around for anyone who might be willing to take a photo, but this section of the farm, away from the main attractions, was deserted. I went through the bag of outfit changes I’d brought, and decided, since no one was around, to change into boots, a denim miniskirt, and a green flannel top. The skirt was not my style, nor was it really the season for miniskirts, but unfortunately, I’d run some stats on my posts. The more skin I revealed, the better they performed. Given my current situation, now wasn’t the time to be prudish.

I quickly changed in the spiderweb-filled barn, balanced my phone on the frame of one of the barn windows, set the timer, and then sprinted over to the scarecrow, wrapped an arm around him, and pretended to land kisses on his face while the camera app clicked. Because no one was around, I really let myself get carried away. If this was one of those fantasy-romance movies, he’d come to life and start kissing me back. While this was not what Serena had in mind when she suggested a fling with a flannel-wearing lumberjack, it was probably as close as I was going to get. I bent one leg up in front of him and was going hard on the kisses when—

“Jenny?”

Shit. My stomach sank. I knew that voice. I turned my head to look behind the scarecrow, still embracing him.

Blake, in flat black ankle boots, black jeans, and red flannel, her dark hair peeking out of a gray beanie. And two small children, staring at me, slack-jawed.

CHAPTER NINE

BLAKE

“Blake! Hi!” Jenny’s face was bright pink as she disentangled herself from the scarecrow and smoothed down her short skirt. My eyes lingered on her bare legs. Eyes up, Blake.

“Hi. What are you doing?” My lips twitched. The last thing I’d expected on a wholesome visit to Red Tractor Farm was to come across Jenny in a miniskirt, her legs wrapped seductively around a scarecrow like it was a stripper pole—and for me to find it kind of hot. Good lord, what’s wrong with me? Do I have a scarecrow fetish I never knew about? Is that even a thing?

Jenny tugged her skirt down again and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m just…just getting some content to post.” She pointed at her phone perched on one of the barn windows. “Dad was helping to take them, but he had to leave. What are you doing?”

I ruffled Liam’s hair. “Taking my nephew, Liam, and my niece, Ava, on an excursion while they’re in town. Since I won’t get to see them much on the weekend with Amanda’s wedding, I took the afternoon off to show them around. Say hi to Jenny, guys!”

“Hi, Jenny,” the twins responded in unison.

God, they were cute. My brother and his wife loved dressing them in matching outfits, and today, they were both wearing blue jeans, brown rain boots, and red jackets. That, along with their round faces and curly brown hair, was giving off adorable Noddy vibes. I’d been stressed about taking the afternoon off work, but now we were out, I was glad I’d done it, even if looking after them was a little hectic.

“Why were you kissing that scarecrow?” Ava asked, clearly very intrigued. “Did he kiss you back? Can I kiss him?”

“Is that your dog?” Liam asked at the same time, pointing at Walter who was sitting near Jenny. “Can I pet him? Does he eat pumpkin? Does he bite?”

Jenny, still flushed, looked down at them, smiling. “I’m kissing him for a silly photo. No, he didn’t kiss me back. And I wouldn’t rec—” The kids lost interest in her responses and ran over screaming to the scarecrow, which they proceeded to poke with sticks.

I sighed and sidled up to Jenny. “It’s been a constant barrage of questions and activity since my brother dropped them off,” I muttered under my breath. “I love them to bits, but it’s . . . it’s a lot.”

Liam and Ava, now bored with the scarecrow, started to jump excitedly on a hay bale next to him. I winced. How on earth did my brother and his wife do this on a daily basis?

My eyes darted to Jenny, who was watching them, chuckling. It dawned on me that, while my heart still beat faster in her presence and her smile sent my stomach twirling, the panicky feeling that made me lose the ability to form sentences around Jenny had disappeared. This was a decided improvement. Maybe our chat at Novel Gossip on Sunday morning had cured me of my painful awkwardness.

A kernel of an idea popped into my mind. Before I had a chance to overthink it, I opened my mouth. “Hey...if you need help with photos, would you be willing to do a trade? I can take the photos, and you could help me look after these two inquisitive Energizer bunnies.”

Jenny looked apprehensively at said Energizer bunnies, who were now running in circles around the scarecrow. She was clearly trying to weigh the benefits of me taking her photos versus the cons of hanging out with me and two small, hyperactive children all afternoon.