“I’ll keep that in mind for our nextactivity.”
His words and smile were filled with an exciting promise that carried over throughout the afternoon.
I wasn’t usually one for material items but I couldn’t deny how much I loved every single item I ended up picking out, both for myself and them, and how much it meant to me that they’d thought to do this for me. Jack was right, the farm had turned into home for me these past couple of weeks, even if by circumstance.
They made me feel like I fit. And honestly, that little voice of worry in my head was growing smaller with each passing day.
Chapter20
Autumn
I’d been hearing so much about the upcoming festival, it felt crazy that it was only a little over two weeks away.
There was still so much to do that maybe that little kernel of worry had flared up slightly. I’d barely managed to get a usable pie crust, and from all of the pies popping up in the kitchen from time to time, Jack had definitely perfected his.
Now here I was standing in the middle of the festival grounds, surrounded by tools, piles of lumber, and about half the town.
“This is crazy,” I said. It was already overwhelming and we hadn’t even really started.
“There you are!” Janet sang out. She looked all business today with her hair in a professional bun and wearing a white pantsuit. She had a whole stack of papers in her arms and was already counting out three for us. “I’ve got the information here, including the very precise booth chart we worked out. We’ve got it by crafts, produce and homemade goods, treats, and then the food is by the live band stage.”
“Wow,” I managed to choke out as I took it, flipping through the blueprints she’d crafted. “This is impressive.”
“Oh, don’t sound so panicked,” she teased. “I stuck you and Jack next to each other and Boone is already out here being a gem and helping put the booths back together and fixing any that broke from the last festival.”
Boone had done an amazing job on the booths, and I had to admit I was once again impressed by his skills. Each one was made of wood with hinges at the junctions so it could be taken down. They were locked in place and an awning was stretched over the roof of the structure. There was a counter at the front of the booth that was big enough I could load it up with pies, jams, and cider.
“Thanks, Mom,” Jack said as he flipped through his own stack of papers. “Can you sign us up for two tables each to put in our booth? I’ve seen what she’s got and it rivals mine.”
“Already done,” she said excitedly. “And I put in for an extra display in front of the grocery store to entice people over to the festival! You’ll be able to drop off some samples if you’re interested?”
“Count me in,” I said without hesitation. I was still trying to forge a name for myself out here so the extra advertisement couldn’t hurt. Claire had agreed to make some prelim batches of goodies that we could market together so it would work out perfectly.
“Wonderful,” she said before Jack could even ask. He snorted out a laugh but didn’t seem all that surprised.
“There’s Boone,” he pointed out instead. I grinned up at my favorite mountain of a man who dropped his drill and started walking our way. Neither one of us hesitated as he opened up his arms for a hug.
I loved how open to touch he’d grown to be. Over the last few weeks between the shared meals, dates and late nights, we’d grown closer than I’d ever imagined. Even though the guys alternated according to their own work schedules, we still found time to make it work. Even Hunter had stopped keeping his distance and I was seeing sides of him I didn’t expect.
He wasn’t just the flirty man I was used to, but now I was seeing the softer sides of him too. They weren’t often, but I’d seen him snatch things out of my way in the kitchen so I couldn’t accidentally hurt myself, and I’d seen him sit on the porch swing staring off at the sunset like he was contemplating all of life’s secrets. Those were the moments I couldn’t help but appreciate. Sometimes I’d even sit out with him, the two of us enjoying the view in silence. Oftentimes Boone would come out and whittle one thing or another while Jack would lean up against the porch with a book in his hand.
Even I was opening up more. Sure they’d heard stories about my childhood, but now they were getting the business side of things as I worked through the chaos that was the farm now.
“You’re always getting lost in there lately,” Boone noted, tapping a finger on my forehead. “You doing alright?” The concern was etched into his expression and I waved it off quickly.
“I am, there’s just a lot of final decisions to figure out with the orchard,” I said. “That and the jobs in the city have been calling to check in lately… it’s just easy to get lost in thought I guess.”
“Well, we’ll be here to bring you back,” he promised. My chest tightened at his words, the heaviness in his words meaning so much more than simply keeping my focus on track. Boone was offering me safety, a place to belong, and a pack that I could rely on. It was just up to me to accept it.
“Thank you,” I offered with a shaky smile before I was saved from letting the conversation get more intense by Janet running back to us.
“Boone!” she screeched out, her calm demeanor gone. The woman was panicked enough it had all three of us rushing forward. “It collapsed. I-I, don’t know what happened!”
“Show me,” was all he said, not asking for more information. It was for the best, she was near tears and it likely wouldn’t have been understandable.
When we got across the fairgrounds we jumped into action. A group of men were lifting the heavy wood and metal of the booth from off of someone, a smaller leg sticking out.
“Theresa?” Jack questioned.