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“What about your company? All the builds you’ve designed need your attention.”
“I handle it on my phone like everyone else. Besides, Malia runs my company better than I do.”
I knew his assistant well. She was a no-nonsense woman that scared most of the crew who worked under Kain. Heck, she’d scared me a few times during our project together.
“How did you even find this place? If it’s out of the way for me, it’s a half a world away from you.”
“Ronan.” He leaned back and stretched his arm out behind me. Kain didn’t know how to not take up space, but his was a soothing presence. The swing squeaked a little under our combined weight, but thankfully, it seemed sturdy enough. “My best friend since I was…hell, nineteen? Maybe earlier.”
“And when do you need your best friend?” My voice soft with understanding.
“Only place I could think to go when the old man kicked it. Only Jack would drop dead in the middle of a build.” His laugh was humorless and full of pain. The use of his dad’s name also told me things between them probably hadn’t improved between them since the last time I’d seen him.
I placed my hand on his leg and let him keep talking.
“After I cleaned up the legal end of his death and dealt with the pomp and circumstance of burying him in Hawaii, I just wanted quiet.”
I looked back out over the orchard. “This place seems to have a special knack for that.”
“For you too?”
I nodded and relaxed beside him.
“What the hell brought you here?”
“Long story.”
He nudged me with a shrug of his shoulder. “What’s the abridged version?”
“Wedding with a side of drama.”
He frowned. “Not that family one.”
“One in the same. I was a bridesmaid and everything.”
He whistled softly and kept swinging. “I heard some murmurs about some excitement at the start of the reception, but I was too busy tapping kegs with Justin and Hayes.”
I huffed out a laugh. Kain’s partying was legendary, whether the party was a picnic or black tie. “You mean drinking the kegs?”
He grinned with a shrug. “Maybe. That cider will sneak up on ya.” I recognized the distant look in his eyes. There had been many a time where Kain had disappeared due to some wild hair. His creative brain was staggering. “Anyway, I don’t really know Rachel. I’ve seen her a few times in passing, but she keeps pretty busy in the main orchard with her Cocoa Buses. Pretty genius. Wish I’d thought of them.”
“Your buildings are in Architectural Digest.”
“That they are.” He laughed. “But I’m learning that sometimes smaller is more impactful. These damn food trucks—or in this case, drink trucks—are genius as hell. Why I like it here. Everything is about building things to work within the framework of the orchard. Innovating to better the place, but not change the heart of it.”
The wistfulness in his voice made me a little sad. “But you’re not doing any of the building.”
He glanced down at me. “You haven’t had my pork sandwiches.”
My stomach chose then to answer.
His booming laugh drew out an answering one. “So what do you say? Not gonna rat me out?”
“People will wonder why we know each other.”
His arm fell down to squeeze me close. “Can just pretend we know each other from a whirlwind love affair.”
I elbowed him. I felt the blush creep up my neck and burn my cheeks. “Stop it.”
