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Lauren: You know I don’t care. I’m so excited too. I’m going to see if I can bring Ellen in too, but sometimes she’s just too damn stuffy.
I find myself laughing out loud, wanting to find someone to share this news with. I’m not just the girl who runs the tasting room anymore. I’m about to plan the grand fucking opening of Somerville’s latest venture and it’s going to be epic.
I walk over to the little worn-out fence that separates the Somerville property from the Apple Jacks’ land, watching some of the new guys as they listen to Tommy give them directions. A few minutes later they disperse and Tommy is left in the field swatting at a few bees that seem to love the rotting apples.
For some reason the bees don’t seem to fancy the rotten grapes as much and I try not to laugh as Tommy is now swatting and jogging away from them. He looks over his shoulder and stumbles a little, catching himself on the fence and landing a few feet down from where I’m standing.
“Shit!” he yells, slapping a hand on his neck. “Fucker got me. The bees are fucking out of control over here.” He has yet to look at me, but I can see the ruddiness of his cheeks as it spreads to his ears. He’s trying not to show how embarrassed he is.
He’s obviously a total hardass and being scared of bees doesn’t exactly fit with his persona. Something about him is kind of cute and endearing right now. I walk over to where he’s standing, rubbing furiously at his neck where the bee got him.
“Let me take a look,” I say, my hand reaching over to move his away. When my fingers connect with his warm skin he shies away.
“I’m fine,” he says gruffly, pulling back just a little.
“Stop being an idiot, Tommy. I’m not going to try to kiss you or anything.” I roll my eyes and dump an ice cube from my water bottle into my hand. I press it to his neck where the sting is starting to swell just slightly. “Keep this on here for just a little bit. It will help.”
“Thanks,” he grumbles, but I swear I see a small smile form on his lips.
“Oh my god, did you just smile at me?”
“Well, I mean you’re doing something nice. I think that’s the way most people respond.”
“Except you hate me and think I’m some insipid twit who’s only good at entertaining people with mindless conversation,” I say, feeling suddenly bolder than normal and I chalk it up to Lauren giving me more responsibility.
“When did I ever say that?” he asks, sounding slightly appalled.
“Well, I guess you didn’t, but I always get the feeling you don’t like me.”
He just shakes his head, not responding with anything that indicates what I’ve said is bullshit. “The bees suck out here. I guess I should start carrying a water bottle full of ice,” he says, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Or you could just learn to keep bees,” I say, feeling like I’m full of ideas today.
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Tommy responds, nodding pensively as he thinks about what I just said. “You know anything about beekeeping?”
“Not a damn thing so good luck with that,” I retort back. “You can keep the ice cube. I gotta get back to work.” I toss a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the tasting room. “Hope your bee sting goes down.”
“Thanks,” he replies, a bit of hesitation still in his voice and when I look back over my shoulder, he’s still watching me.
There’s something about him that I find familiar and it’s not just from working with him for the last couple of years. There was warmth to his smile and for a split second I didn’t feel like he didn’t like me but that he actually was enjoying me being around. Or maybe he’s allergic to bees and was trying to get rid of me before he had to thigh jab himself with epinephrine.
Whatever it was, it still feels like everything’s coming up Milhouse today!
Chapter Six
Tommy
“Oi, you lot, in here!”
The guys all turn to me, confused looks on their faces because clearly, they haven’t yet learned the Aussie lingo that the rest of us have been forced to try and understand for the last two years.
“He wants us inside,” I explain, rolling the last of the cider barrels into the shed. “Let’s go.”
The four new guys follow me into the newly finished cider house tasting room. It’s almost ready to go, even though we don’t open for another couple of weeks. It looks different to the tasting room at Somerville’s, Jack putting his own mark on things, but it’s no less amazing. This room is exposed brick and wooden beams, rustic hardwood floors and mismatched wooden furniture and chesterfield couches. There’s a huge log fireplace over by the far wall, with a long bar stretching the length of the opposite wall.
Cider barrels are stacked randomly around the room and there are black and white photos on the walls that showcase the changes Jack has made since he took over. There’s even an outdoor area that has a huge central fire pit surrounded by deck chairs. The whole place is like an awesome old bar or kick ass man cave, so basically, awesome.
“Hey, come and have a taste,” Jack says grinning as we all head inside.
