Page 18 of Cozy Girl Fall
Maybe he’d been joking, she reasoned. He could have been playing off of the whole ‘stalker’ thing, rather than literally meaning he’d see her today. She sighed, shaking her head at herself as she made her way down the steps of her ladder to deposit another load in the bigger tub.
You’re here to pick apples, not pick up men.
But thinking about Ethan as only amandidn’t feel right. There was too much between them. He’d been her best friend since they were kids, and her boyfriend since they were about fourteen. Ethan Blake wasn’t just some guy, he wastheguy. Her first love, maybe her only love really.So far, she reminded herself. Because Ethan wasn’t her future, he was her past, regardless of the lingering connection between them.
She worked methodically, figuring the harder she focused on harvesting the less time she’d spend debating the way Ethan Blake made her feel, and pulled apples down from the large tree at a pace far quicker than usual while trying to dodge the fall leaves that sprinkled around her like confetti.
It was only rational, she supposed. Being back in this town, with these people, it was easy to fall into old patterns—and Ethan was the person she’d had thehardest time convincing herself to leave behind the first time. And shewasleaving again, she couldn’t let herself get caught up in emotions that were just a result of nostalgia and admittedly toned abs.
The sky had darkened a little, the sun having vanished behind a cloud and refusing to reappear, and Penny worked to keep one eye on the sky, not liking the way the air was feeling. The prickle of static along her skin, the slightly dew-heavy moisture surrounding her … If she wasn’t careful, she’d be caught in a storm.
On the one hand, if it was the kind of storm that brought wind as well as rain then it was likely the winds might shake free some of the apples waiting to be harvested—but on the other hand, it might chuck them around so much that they were only good for jam or the horses in the stable next door.
She increased her pace, moving as fast as she could without putting herself in danger so that she could at least finish this tree and pack the apples safely away. The wind picked up, changing from a light breeze to a more insistent push that made her wobble.
Nearly done. Just one more section …
She reached up, stretching for the top branches of the tree that she’d stupidly left for last. The wind blew harder, her fingers slipped on the glossy skin of a red apple, and she shrieked when her footing slipped.
Two hands came at her with a blur of speed and scooped beneath her before she could hit the ground. Long-lashed pools of brown met her eyes as she gasped,grateful that Ethan had somehow appeared just in time for him to catch her. “Need a hand?” He placed her gently on the ground, his sturdy arms able to lower her easily.
“Sorry,” she croaked and swallowed before trying again. “I lost my footing. The wind—”
Ethan nodded and she pressed a shaky hand to his cheek, assessing his pallor. He smiled but it was weak. “Glad I got to you in time. Can’t believe you’re still out here.”
“How did you know?”
The disapproval that puckered his brow moved her fingers and she dropped her hand quickly, having forgotten it was pressed to his face. “Your car was still here.”
He let go of her slowly, his body brushing against hers as his hands steadied her with a palm to her ass that he quickly removed, color staining his cheeks.
She cleared her throat, willing the heat in her own cheeks to die down—a task that was probably impossible given that her body was still fixated on the brief warmth of Ethan’s hand on her butt. “I want to finish up this tree and then get out of here before that storm hits.”
He nodded, face turning serious as he climbed up the other side of the ladder and began pulling apples down a little faster than she could. “I’ll help you finish up. The road still floods when the weather gets bad, so we should get out of here before we get stuck.”
Flash floods on old country roads had always been a pain in her childhood, and now she wasn’t sure her little bug would survive a drenching.
Once she felt steadier, she helped lower the apples he collected into the tub at their feet. They worked in companionable silence for a while and in its echoes all Penny could think about was the feel of Ethan’s arms around her, the way he’d clasped her to his chest like something precious, even as she tried desperately to focus only on the task at hand. It didn’t help. The warmth of his fingertips pressing into her skin was as good as a brand.
The clouds rolled in, getting darker and thicker, like the evening had come around instead of the afternoon. But there hadn’t been any thunder yet, so for now they still had some time left to finish up and get out of there. Her pace increased, fingers searching for purchase on the smooth surface of the apples.
“So you work here.” She hadn’t phrased it as a question, but he clearly heard it there anyway as she bundled a haul of apples into a cloth and walked it down the ladder to the larger tub at the base of the tree.
The wind kicked up, ruffling Ethan’s hair as he nodded. “Yeah, it gives me an excuse to leave the house, get some fresh air. Meet people.” He added the last with a quick grin flashed in her direction that she pretended not to see.
The ladder clanked as she climbed up the other sideto help him, reaching for the next branch and jerking back when her shoulder brushed against his.
“What about you? I thought you were a chef.”
She nodded, careful to keep her distance as she twisted another apple free, its sweet scent filling the air as thunder rumbled quietly enough that she almost missed it. “Yeah, I was. I am. I’m just taking a break while I decide where to go next.”
He hummed like that was a completely reasonable thing to do and she was relieved when he didn’t push for more information. Their eyes caught and held and Penny jumped when the next clap of thunder seemed to be right overhead, the sound so loud she dropped the apple she was holding as the noise rippled through her.
“We should probably go.”
No sooner had she said it than lightning flashed and the heavens opened, warm rain falling from the sky in a deluge so heavy that a fine mist filled the space between the trees, cloaking the orchard.
They hurried down from the ladder and grabbed a handle each of the large tub of apples, the rubber slippery in their hands as they wielded it between them. Normally they’d leave it behind when they were done, but with the weather raging around them the fruit wouldn’t have lasted five seconds.
