Page 139 of Keep My Heart
‘I’m already home. I live here. Well, I don’t have a place yet, but I’ll work on that next week.’
‘I don’t get it. What do you mean you live here?’
‘I’m taking over the orchard for my dad. He’ll still be there, but I’ll be the one running the place and doing the work.’
‘What about your job in New York?’
‘I’m quitting. I don’t want that life anymore. I want to be here, with my family.’ I take her hand. ‘And with you.’
Her face lights up. ‘Is this really happening? You’re seriously moving here?’
‘It’s really happening. I already talked to my dad.’
‘Nick, that’s great!’ She hugs me, then lets me go. ‘This is really what you want to do?’
‘It is. It just took me 15 years to figure it out. What about you? Is this really what you want? To live here again?’
‘Yes. I love it here. And I love being able to see my mom, and Diane and Tom. This feels like home. LA never did.’
‘What about dating a farmer? You okay with that?’
‘Only if it’s you.’ She smiles. ‘I love watching you work in the fields, shirtless and sweaty. It turns me on.’
‘Good, because you’re going to be seeing that a lot more, assuming you come over.’ I pause, getting an idea. ‘Did my mom tell you that Cheryl quit?’
‘Who’s Cheryl?’
‘Their bookkeeper. She retired last month. They haven’t hired a replacement yet. If you’re interested, I might be able to get you the job.’
‘Nick, if you’re serious, I’ll take it!’
‘I’ll talk to my dad, but I’m guessing it’s yours if you want it. We could go ask him right now.’
‘Okay.’ She gets up.
‘Hey.’ I stand up. ‘Before we go in .?.?.’
‘Yeah?’
I hold her face in my hands and kiss her, getting that feeling again that the pieces are coming together, that things are finally the way they should be.
I’ve been searching for this feeling for years, but I was looking in all the wrong places. It turns out it was here all along. I just didn’t see it until now.
Chapter 30
Two Months Later
Nick
‘The baskets go over there,’ Jason says to Brody, pointing to the table where people line up for the tractor ride that takes them to the orchard. ‘It’s been that way forever.’
‘Yeah? So why can’t we change it?’
Those two have been arguing all day, just like they did when we were kids.
‘Nick, where do you want them?’ Brody asks, holding a stack of the red-and-white woven baskets we give to people who want to pick their own apples.
‘Put them in both places this year. It’ll keep the lines from getting too long.’
