Page 3 of Cherished Lands
"Date," I said simply.
"What he means is that he was fucking some tourist he'll never see again."
"Fuck off, Chase," I snapped. There was nothing more important to me than my family. But I swear to fucking god, my twin brother was on my last damn nerve.
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. "Why don't you go do something productive?"
"Sounds awful," Chase drawled, not bothering to move an inch.
Ignoring him, I turned to Jasper. "I have an idea I wanna run by you and Nat. She around?"
Chase perked up at this. "I wanna hear the idea."
Jasper and I exchanged a look, silently agreeing to ignore his interruption.
"She's on her way," he said. "Be here in a few."
I nodded, leaning against the counter. Mom's kitchen always smelled so good. Today, it was cinnamon, apples, and coffee—like walking into a damn bakery.
"So, what's this brilliant idea of yours?" Chase prodded.
I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to snap at him again. He cared about the orchard, sure, but he never contributed, so it was hard to take his interest seriously. Chase only wanted things when they came easy, when he didn't have to work for them.
"I'll wait for Nat," I said, my voice tight. "This affects her too."
The sound of the front door opening and closing made us all turn. Natalie strode in, her cheeks flushed from the cold. She was bundled up in one of Jasper's old flannels, and for a moment, I was hit with a pang of... something. Envy?
I was glad Natalie was home, glad she was back in my little brother's life. But fuck if I didn't want what they had. They were getting married in the spring, and something told me it wouldn't be long before Mom was knitting tiny clothes for her first grandkid.
I'd grown up knowing that this orchard would be my legacy. That I'd carry on the traditions generations of Evertons before me had started. And I hoped to one day pass it on to a son of my own.
Jasper was lucky. He'd found someone who loved this orchard as much as he did. Who wouldn't fault him for putting his time and energy into it. Making sacrifices.
Finding a partner like that was at the top of my mental checklist. But it was like searching for a goddamn unicorn. Where would I ever find a woman who could handle this life?This family? Me and my need for control? If tonight's encounter with the pretty brunette was any indication, I wouldn't be checking 'find soulmate' off my list any time soon. And if my person wasn't out there, I could forget about passing my legacy on to my kids. Chase liked to make fun of my bucket list, but I believed it's important to have goals. And I wasn't prepared to take shit from a thirty-one-year-old man who'd never made it further than our parents' basement.
"Hey guys," Nat said, her eyes darting between us. "What's going on?"
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "I've been thinking about our financial situation, ways we might turn things around."
"What did you have in mind?" Jasper asked, looking up from his laptop.
"I think we should open a cidery."
The kitchen fell silent for a moment. Jasper's fingers paused over his keyboard. Natalie's eyebrows shot up, and even Chase looked mildly interested.
"A cidery?" Jasper echoed, his brow furrowing.
I nodded. "Yeah! We've got the apples, and Dad's hard cider recipe is fucking amazing. We could use the west grove to build a new facility."
"Hold up," Natalie interjected, her accountant brain clearly whirring. "That's a huge investment. We'd need to look at the numbers, see if it's even feasible."
"I know," I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "But think about it. We're already producing the main ingredient. This could be a game-changer for us."
Chase sat up straighter and grinned. "Wait, we're talking about making booze? I'm in."
Here we go.
My brother's relationship with alcohol was troubling, at best. At worst? It was a major fucking problem, and he'd need to deal with it sooner rather than later. We could only bail him out so many times.
