Page 125 of Forever By Morning


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I shrugged. “I never really planted anything this big before. Mostly just the little container garden I have on my balcony at home.”

“Not much difference. Just a bigger pot.”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “I like it.”

“All right, let’s get you cleaned up.” Bells linked her arm with mine. “If I’d known you were willing to do all the dirty work, I would have left all the garden stuff to you.”

“Haven’t you though?” I teased back.

“Okay, truth. I really don’t like getting dirty. But I did pack a pair of shorts in my bag for when we get back. I’ll help you finish up the barrels.”

“Finally, she does some work.”

Bells bumped my hip with hers. “Shut up.”

We headed into the hallway that led to the atrium. I heard laughter and a familiar voice. I quickly dragged Bells toward the bathrooms.

“Where’s the fire?”

I leaned back to see Jessica Washington and her legion of bridesmaids having a brunch around the stately tree. They were doing a photoshoot for something. I had no idea what—the fact that she needed to do a week’s worth of events for her wedding was ludicrous in my opinion.

Bells ducked her head around the corner, crowding into me. “Who are we on the lookout for? Or from?”

“See that dark-haired woman wearing white?”

“Bride-to-be?”

“Yes. Our mothers know each other.”

“Oh. So?”

I was a thirty-three-year-old idiot who was afraid of my mom figuring out where and what I was doing.

But that sounded stupid to say. Not to mention pathetic.

“Ashamed to be seen at the orchard, Helena?”

I whirled around at Beckett’s voice. “Would you keep your voice down?”

He folded his arms. A racing stripe of something black and sticky criss-crossed his shirt and shoulder.

“I’m not ashamed. I just don’t want to answer questions.”

Bells glanced from me to Beckett and pressed her lips tightly together. I wasn’t sure if she was going to laugh or make a smart remark. I never knew with her.

“Or be seen as a commoner?” He glanced down at my dirty legs and hands.

“Common—what?” The hurt was sharp and blinding.

Bells’s eyebrows shot up and she backed through the swinging door of the ladies’ room.

How could he think that? But I still looked over my shoulder at the group of women, hoping they didn’t hear him. Not wanting to answer questions was a lot different than being ashamed of what I was doing.

He peered over my shoulder. “One of your city friends?”

“No. Not a friend of mine.”

He flipped his baseball hat around to the back, showing off his dirty face to full effect. He’d obviously been doing some sort of manual labor close by. “But someone you know. Don’t want to go and say hello?”

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