Page 5 of The Story We Wrote

“Hi, Sweetie!” Boone’s mom, Jill, greeted me. She slid off the stool and reached a hand out for me to shake. I’m glad she didn’t go in for a hug; my body was sweating bullets. My hands were clammy, so I wiped them on my dress before extending back. “Your house is lovely,” I said, allowing my eyes to wander around the kitchen. With sage green cabinets and white marble countertops, I felt like I stepped into my dream kitchen. Goldhandles decorated the cabinets, and a beautiful backsplash decorated the walls, tying everything in perfectly.

Boone’s dad, Dan, stood slightly behind his wife, reaching over to also shake my hand. “It’s a shame about The Coffee Cup,” Dan admitted, giving his best sympathetic smile. “That place has been around for decades, but family is important. I can understand why.”

I gave a nod. “It’s the right move for them. They’ve been generous enough to let me live there until the end of the month. They’re closing down next week.” Boone’s parents gave each other a look, mental words passing between them.

“I didn’t realize you lived above the shop. Why don’t we sit down and talk about the stand and see if it’s a good fit?” Jill ushered us towards the dining room table, Boone took a detour to wash his hands, cleaning up quickly before we ate. “Let me get dinner out of the oven. Aspen, do you like meatloaf?”

“Yes!” I chimed, almost too excited. This made Jill laugh. She served up a plate for each of us, bringing them to the table two at a time. The table sat six, but since there were only four, we sat on the sides. Boone was to my left, his parents across the way.

I glanced towards Boone out of the corner of my eye and he caught him already looking at me. Since coming inside, his dirty shirt had made it back onto his body, both a blessing and a curse. “So Aspen, what interested you in saying yes to helping with the farm stand?”

I needed a job. I don’t want to be homeless. I don’t want to clean up vomit. Outdoor labor and I don’t mix well.I thought all those answers to myself before actually saying, “I love being able to interact with the customers. I have an eye for detail, and I love to create new ideas. I’m also really organized!” I took a bite of the meatloaf, it fell apart in my mouth. It took every bit of restraint to hold back a moan that wanted to escape. It was soclose to my mom-mom’s, the closest I’d tasted since she passed two years ago.

“We have a vision with the store where we want to expand to bring in other products that are locally sourced. We heard from Boone you make a great blueberry muffin.” Jill confessed. I shot Boone a glance, he filled his mouth and shrugged.

“It’s true. I don’t even like blueberries, but that was a damn good muffin.” Boone replied, his attention directed towards me. I felt a moment pass between us, electricity igniting a flame inside me.

“If you’d be willing, we would love to have you bake your muffins and sell them at the stand. We have our blueberry bushes we could have you pick from. Ellie has grown the business well, and we want to keep it going.” Jill was doing most of the talking. She was the face of the family, kind and comforting.

The idea of being able to bake and sell at the stand increased the appeal. It was exactly what I was looking for, a cute store with enough traffic to keep me busy with plenty of avenues to grow and expand. I could get honey from locals and sell handmade crafts, the possibilities were endless.

“That sounds lovely,” I said, washing down the food with the cold lemonade that was freshly squeezed.

“We would be willing to pay you more than the coffee shop is paying you. We know this job will require more work and want to acknowledge that.” Dan added. The raise would allow me to find an apartment. I know I wouldn’t be getting the deal I was with the Wilders.

“Also,” Jill interjected, “we want to provide you housing. No charge as the cabin is sitting there anyway. It would be easier than having to come in from town.”

I nearly choked on my meatloaf. I started coughing and making noises that sounded like a dying animal. I reached formy drink to hopefully wash it down. I could feel Boone’s eyes on me as I tried to gather myself.

“Oh, that’s so generous. I don’t know if I could live there without paying anything. ” I used the napkin on my lap to dab my mouth.Was she reading my mind?The Cassidys were finding solutions to all my problems.

“Consider it part of the job. It’s an incentive to bring you on board. We need the help.” Dan offered. “We took a huge chance and spent a lot of money to get this operation up and running. We need to see the profit come in or we could be digging ourselves out of a deep hole. Combined with other changes we’re making, it could mean a huge loss for Cassidy Ranch if we don’t get something moving soon.”

It was so generous, almost too generous to also provide me with housing. For some reason, I was still hesitant, wondering why me. The self-doubt kicked in. I didn’t know this family until a few days ago; now they’re fixing all my problems. They barely knew me and were putting all their trust in my ability to keep the stand their daughter created running. Knowing how financially dependent they were on the success of this farm stand made the dream feel like reality.

Dan, Jill, Boone, and I spent time talking about logistics: what a day looked like, what products they handle now, and the future they want for the store. We also talked about me, my family, and where I saw myself. After talking with the Cassidys, I was calm and confident about my decision. Jill had a presence about her that made me feel at ease, welcomed even. Dan stayed quiet except for a grunt or nod when we weren’t talking about the store or financial stuff, which I appreciated.

Throughout dinner, I had a tingling feeling like someone was looking at me. Each time I looked over, Boone was sneaking glances and not being subtle about hiding them. My body wouldget warm knowing his attention was on me. I wanted to bottle up this feeling to bask in later.

After we ate, I offered to help with the dishes, but Jill insisted I head out with Boone to see the store and the cabin. I knew deep down I was going to accept, but a part of me needed to see it to believe it.

Boone and I stepped outside, the sun falling behind a mountain range in the distance. The sky was painted in orange and purple hues. I could get used to this view. I felt like I was living in a fairytale or some kind of movie. The job, housing, and now the view all seemed so surreal. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I would wake up and it would all go away.

Four

Aspen

“Did you want to walk? Or we can go on horseback? Maybe ATV? I got it all.” Boone smiled as we strode towards the barn. The barn was huge and painted in a faded red color, the paint chipping away from being exposed to the elements. It was clear the structure had been here a while and thoroughly maintained by his family over the years.

“How far is it?” I asked, attempting to look over the pastures to see if I could catch a glimpse.

“It’s out by the cabins, right off the main road. The cabins and store have a gravel driveway made for them. It’s easier to ride an ATV from here.” I wasn’t wearing the right clothes to hop on the back. Luckily, I decided to wear Converse instead of sandals tonight.

“The dress may be an issue, but…” I trailed off.

Boone’s eyes traveled along my body from head to toe. He took his time admiring everything, from my hair down to my shoes. His inspection made me nervous, I tucked a piece of fallen hair behind my ear in response.

Deciding my outfit was good enough, he nodded slightly. “Hang here. I’ll back out, and you can hop on.” Boone disappeared into the barn, and the engine of the machine roared to life before he backed it out of the open doors. “Get on the back. Make sure to hold on tight.”

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