Page 128 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
He holds the door open as I walk into the back hallway of the farmhouse. “The main operational offices are all here on the first floor,” Perry says as he leads me down the hallway, pointing at different doors as we go. “Human Resources, Accounting, Event Management, Farm Management. That office at the end belongs to my sister, Olivia, who is out on maternity leave, and this one here is my office.”
Perry pauses in the doorway, and I peer inside. It’s a warm, comfortable space. A big desk sitting below enormous windows that provide a stunning mountain view, a leather sofa in the corner that looks butter soft, framed watercolors on the walls.
“It’s lovely.”
“You can leave your things in here if you want,” Perry says. “I don’t have an office, or even a desk for you, but you can use mine while you’re here. Or we’ll set you up in Olivia’s, since she isn’t using it right now.”
“Whatever is easiest,” I say, just barely managingnotto squeal at the idea of sharing an office with Perry.
Perry shows me the rest of the farmhouse with methodical precision, detailing the way each of the bigger rooms on the main floor are used for weddings and other events, then launching into a summary of the guest rooms and lounge areas upstairs. Actually, summary isn’t the right word. Because Perry isn’t leavinganydetails out.
I can’t tell if hereallythinks I need to know the square footage of every bathroom, or if he’s nervous and it’s making him ramble. Either way, I definitely don’t mind listening to him talk.
After the inside tour, we head outside and climb onto this golf-cart-looking thing that Perry calls a Gator. It has enormous tires and a sturdier frame, so a golf cart built for getting around a farm, I guess, which makes sense. We aren’t quite touching,sitting side by side like this, but I’m close enough to feel the warmth from Perry’s arm and catch faint traces of his scent. He smells exactly like I imagined he would. Like the outdoors and sunshine and pine trees and apples.
“How long would it take for you to show me the whole place?” I say, more out of curiosity than because I actually expect Perry to give me the grand tour. I’m not here on vacation, I’m here to work. Though, I’m also not here to ogle my boss, and I’m managing to do plenty of that. What would a little sightseeing actually hurt?
“Almost an hour, probably.” Perry looks my direction. “Do you want to see it?”
“Seeing as how you told me how many towel rods are hanging upstairs in the farmhouse, I thought there might be a quiz later. Do I need to see everything if I have any hope of passing?”
Perry’s eyes widen, and his frown deepens. “No, no, there won’t be—”
I reach out and touch his arm. “Perry, I’m kidding. I would love to see the farm if we have the time to spare.”
His eyes shift to where my fingers are still pressed against his skin, just below the sleeves of his flannel, rolled halfway up his forearm.
I pull my hand away and curl my fingers into my fist. Did he feel that too? That spark?
His mouth twitches the slightest bit before he purses his lips, almost like he’s fighting a smile. “Best hold on then. We’ll be climbing some hills.”
Chapter Nine
Lila
It only takes afew minutes to drive around the public parts of Stonebrook. The giant field where the festival takes place. The restaurant. The farmhouse. I do my best to listen to what Perry is telling me about the farm, but the reality is, the best view around this place is sitting right beside me, and it’s hard to focus on anything else.
At the end of a long drive lined with maple trees, we finally cross into an area I’ve never seen before. A giant barn—where the goats live, Perry explains—is to my right. On the left, there’s an enclosure full of chickens, and a second barn, painted just like the first but much smaller. We slowly ramble past the chickens, Perry waving at several people working nearby. When we reach the second structure, Perry slows, pointing toward an enclosure that opens into it. The biggest pig I’ve ever seen ambles toward the fence, where she presses her giant nose up against the railing.
“Buttercup,” Perry says gruffly. “She and I don’t get along.”
“You don’t get along with a pig?”
He shoots me a look. “She isn’t just any pig. She’s smart. Wily. Conniving.”
I press my lips together. “Wily? A pig?”
“Trust me. She’s meaner than she looks.”
We watch as a farm worker steps up to the railing and scratches Buttercup’s ears, the pig leaning into the attention like she’s really enjoying it.
“Oh yeah. She looks like a real menace,” I say.
Perry only grunts, and I stifle my laughter. I really want to hear whatever story is behind Perry’s opinions of Buttercup, and I almost ask him, but then we make a sharp turn onto a narrow path past the barn and climb a steep hill into an apple orchard. Suddenly, I’m too distracted by the view to think about anything else. The higher we go, the more my jaw drops open. The rest of Stonebrook is beautiful, but back here, away from the hustle, it’s magical. Beyond the apple trees in nearly every direction, the mountains roll into the horizon, fading into the hazy blue sky.
At the top of the ridge, Perry eases to a stop. I lean forward, taking in the view, the fall colors sparkling in the sunlight. When I finally glance back at Perry, he isn’t looking at the leaves or the mountains or anything else. He’s looking at me.
Reallylooking. In a way that makes my breath catch and my heart jump.
