Page 88 of Burn With Me

“Ew, I don’t need to know that. It’s bad enough I have lover boy over here with Am.”

Carter starts laughing. “She’s hot though.”

“Don’t make me throw this pot of really good pasta sauce at you,” Sam says as he glares at him.

I snort because there’s no way he would waste food like that, but it’s a good threat.

He runs his hands through his hair. “I’ve also thought about asking Abby out. She’s a couple of years younger than me, so we never went to school together.”

I see Sam stiffen out of the corner of my eye and stop stirring the sauce.

“Yeah, she seems nice,” he says, trying to cover up his displeasure with Carter’s statement.

Huh, that wasn’t the reaction I expected him to have.

Before I can give him shit about it, the alarms start blaring. We turn off the burners and run to our turnout gear. I slip into my boots and stumble when I hear the address over the speaker.

“What the actual fuck . . .” Sam says and looks at me with wide eyes.

We hop in the fire truck and pull out of the garage, and the only thought I have is…Why the fuck are we getting a call to our rental house?

Thirty-Seven

Ameila

With a groan, I push my plate away. “No more. I’m so full I’ll have to be rolled out of here.”

“Nonsense, dear, you look amazing as always,” Ann tells me as she walks out of the kitchen with dessert.

Ann is exactly who you picture when you hear small-town grandmother. She wants to cook you all the food, and everything she makes is from scratch and so good you just can’t stop eating.

“How’s the construction coming along for the new section of the farm?” Joe asks.

“Good. I’m thankful that when I originally showed Wayne my plans, he came up with the idea to do it in sections. So we have this and two more expansions pretty much preplanned.”

“Yeah, he’s a good architect. We were lucky he came to town one day and decided to stay. He does good quality work without overcharging like other people.”

“Don’t I know it.”

I’m so happy he was willing to learn the best way to build these greenhouses with me. I gave him an idea and budget, and he ran with it.

“You’re doing good things for the city too. I was talking to the mayor about how tourism is up from pre-COVID times, and he said the farmers’ market is a huge part of that. Plus, this co-op idea between the cities will make us probably one of the biggest markets and co-ops in the state.”

A blush creeps up my neck at his words.

I didn’t come here to bring cities together or bring tourists to town to learn about farming techniques. I just wanted to bring fresh produce to people at affordable prices.

“Don’t give us that look, dear. You are doing big things. I wouldn’t be shocked if you opened a second farm in the next five years. We’re so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished,” Ann says as she pats my shoulder and sits down next to me.

“While that wasn’t the original goal, I wouldn’t be mad. I’m happy with how things are going, and I love that our little town is growing,” I tell them honestly.

“We know,” Joe says.

“I do have one favor to ask you before I head out.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, I don’t know how much you know about Luna’s life before she came here, but she didn’t have a . . . normal upbringing, and I want to get the whole town to go big this year for Halloween and Christmas decorations. Do you guys think we could get the businesses and homes on Main Street to participate?”

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