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“Oh, c’mon. You know we flirted around it in the city.”
“We did not.”
“Only because you were fake dating that Clay dude…oh, shit. No.”
The realization of how I knew Rachel and Clay seemed to spin and click like puzzle pieces in his brain. “Yeah.”
“Man, I always told you that fake dating bullshit would bite you in the ass someday.”
“Oh, it sure did.”
He kissed my temple. “I was more than willing to show you how a man should treat you.”
And I had been tempted. Who wouldn’t be? Kain was unbelievably attractive and exactly the kind of man my parents would have died to have attached to our family. But the spark had been little more than a flicker between us. He also never seemed able to settle in one place.
At the time, Clay looked like the safer bet. Obviously, my instincts were nonexistent.
He slid off the bench and dragged me up into his arms. “I’m glad to see you,Haleigha.”
I held onto him, still smarting from the tumultuous emotions I’d been wading through since the start of the day. Not to mention what I’d just overheard the brunette say about Beckett.
Kain eased me back and tapped the brim of my cap. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded. “I will be. I’m actually here for a good reason.”
“Not just to bust my balls?”
“Just an added benefit.” I straightened my shirt, showing off the Brothers Three Orchard logo. “I’m helping out Laverne with an impromptu party emergency.”
His eyebrows shot up as he scraped his hair up into a messy knot with the elastic on his wrist. “No one knows how to plan a party better than you do.”
“Actually, I’d say Rachel owns that honor—or at least she used to—but she’s on her way to Greece.”
“Can I say again how fucking small this world is? There’s gotta be some weird vortex around this freaking orchard.”
“I know. I jumped at the chance to help Laverne because I didn’t want to leave. There’s something about it that crawls under your skin.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Exactly why I don’t want to ruin a good thing.”
I sighed. “I won’t lie, but I won’t volunteer any details. How’s that?”
“All I can ask.” He finally seemed to relax, then just as suddenly he draped his arm around my neck and tugged me against his chest. Being around Kain was never dull, that was for sure. “Now what do you need from the taproom?”
“I’d like to see what kind of chairs you have. Since the event rooms were overbooked, we’re going to use the gardens for a birthday party.”
“Smart. It’s definitely an underutilized space.”
I peered up at him. “You’ve been in the orchard proper?”
“I sneak over to have lunch with Laverne a few times a week. She likes when I surprise her with food that isn’t from the café or bakery.”
“You just like flirting.”
“That too. If only she wasn’t married.”
I laughed. “Okay, so you know the space. I have to figure out the specifics of how many guests and the food, but I’d like to see what I’m working with or if we need to rent.”
“Kira can help you with the rentals if need be. She’s the boss lady here and can make pretty much anything happen by the sheer force of her will.”
