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I didn’t even catch that she was there.
I chuckled to myself, feeling the knot in my stomach loosen a bit.
Well, I did.
He texted back.
You know how I feel about her.
I wrote back a raised shoulder emoji and then thought about what next to say.
I’m honestly a little worried and perplexed about why she’s there. My parents are back in Portugal, and Nina is in New York, and James wouldn’t have a reason in the world to let Clara hang out there.
I let out a sigh and shook my head.
You could have Brad run by the orchard and see if she’s still there? It’s kind of creepy. I don’t know how she got my number, either.
He wrote back.
Well, I certainly didn’t give it to her.
I pressed my lips together.
Maybe you should. She seems to struggle with boundaries.
He texted back a sideways emoji and a new text.
Thanks, Captain Obvious.
I switched over to Clara’s text and found a not-so-poetic way of telling her to buzz off, and for the first time since finding out about her, I felt good.
I sucked on my bottom lip for a few seconds and forwarded the message I’d sent to Clara to Lucas. That would be the test of acceptance.
He immediately wrote back a smiley face.
You have a way with words. I bet the problem is solved.
I chuckled and wrote back that I loved him before finishing up my cereal.
The familiar sound of Ethan’s car idled out front, and I grabbed my folder to meet him outside.
I locked the door and bounded toward the car as he gave me a quick wave.
As I slid in the passenger seat, my phone buzzed again, but this time, there was a recent pic of Clara and Lucas. It was a selfie of her, and he was sitting next to her, seemingly unaware she was taking a photo. But that didn’t matter. The point was that they were together.
My heart seized as I stared at the selfie. They were out in public somewhere, and she had a very coy expression on her face.
I spotted planters full of geraniums and overflowing petunias, so it had to be a recent shot.
Ethan started pulling out of the drive, but I put my hand up and coughed.
“You know what? I’m not feeling well.” I glanced at him.
“You don’t look so well either.”
I nodded and clutched my folder. “I think I need the day off.”
“Totally. I’ll let the others know.”
