Page 71 of Keep My Heart
‘I’m not taking your money,’ I tell her. ‘You can pay me in cinnamon rolls, but that’s it.’
‘You’re such a nice young man.’ She walks over to me. ‘I need to go get ready for church, but thank you again for all your help.’
‘You’re welcome. I’m glad I could fix it.’
She leaves and Lyndsay walks up to me. ‘Want some coffee?’
Before I can answer, my phone rings. It’s my mom calling.
‘Just a minute,’ I say to Lyndsay as I answer the phone. ‘Hey, Mom, I’m just finishing up. You need me to stop somewhere?’
‘No. I was calling because I wanted to know if you’d be willing to fill in for your father today out in the orchard.’
‘Sure, but why? Is he okay?’
‘He isn’t feeling well and I want him to rest, but I know he won’t if his chores don’t get done.’
‘What’s wrong? Is it his stomach?’
‘I believe so, but he’s not saying much. You know how he is. He doesn’t like me to worry. I know you had plans today, but if you could just help out for a few hours.’
‘Of course. I’ll be right over.’ I end the call and gather up my tools. ‘Sorry to rush out, but I need to get home.’
‘Is everything okay?’ Lyndsay asks.
‘My dad’s not feeling well. He needs me to cover for him in the orchard today.’
‘Can I help?’
I smile at her. ‘I’m not sure you’d want to do this kind of work. It gets hot in the fields and there’s a good chance you’ll run into a snake or some mice.’
‘I could help clean up from last night. I’m sure your mom hasn’t had time to do it and she really shouldn’t since it was her party.’
‘I’ll see if one of my brothers can do it.’
‘Nick, really, I don’t mind.’
I pause a moment, wondering if this is a good idea. I should be keeping my distance from her, trying to stop these feelings I’m having, but I can tell she really wants to help. It’s just how she is, how she was raised. We were both raised to help people out.
‘That’d be great,’ I tell her. ‘I’m sure my mom would appreciate it.’
‘Let me just run up and grab my shoes. Can I ride with you? My mom will want the car.’
‘Sure.’
While Lyndsay’s upstairs, I call Sawyer.
‘Hey, what’s up?’ he answers.
‘You hear about Dad?’
‘No. Why? What happened?’
‘Mom said he’s not feeling well. I’m going to fill in for him at the orchard today. I may not make it to your beer tasting.’
‘Why don’t I just close for a few hours and help you out in the fields?’
‘I don’t think I’ll need it. I’ll probably just be cleaning up the rows. And I don’t want you closing the place and losing business.’
