Page 29 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
‘I’m pretty sure Norman hates me,’ she said, picking up the only part of Ben’s comments she felt like dealing with at the moment.
‘Why would he hate you?’
‘I don’t know, but he seems to always be annoyed with me or something. And I’m apparently supposed to set up a tent at the farmers’ market this weekend and he didn’t even mention it.’
‘Farmers’ market? That’s adorable.’
‘Shut up. It’s part of my new image.’
‘I happen to like your old image.’
It was Jeanie’s turn to frown. ‘Don’t get all sentimental on me now, Bennett.’
He stuck his tongue out, transforming into his seven-year-old self so perfectly that Jeanie couldn’t help but laugh. ‘I just don’t see anything wrong with being the high-strung but cheerful, slightly paranoid café owner that almost took off the head of the local hottie farmer,’ he said.
‘I never should have told you that.’
‘Honestly, I’m proud of you. A woman on her own needs self-defense skills.’
‘Yes, so you’ve told me many times, which is probably at least partly to blame for my gross overreaction to a produce delivery. Also, I never said he was hot.’
Ben laughed. ‘Pretend to be New Jeanie all you want, but I know you. As soon as you mentioned him, your face turned bright red.’
Jeanie rolled her eyes. Something about talking to her brother reverted her back to her childhood. Cozy and nostalgic, but terrible for having a serious conversation.
‘Well, he’s beloved here so the townsfolk probably would have come after me if I hurt him.’
Ben lifted a curious eyebrow. ‘Beloved, you say? Tell me more.’
Jeanie shrugged, her hair rustling against her pile of pillows. ‘They’re just a really tight-knit community. They all grew up together and stuff. I think if you’re born here, you’re not allowed to leave.’
Ben laughed.
‘Anyway, I need to steer clear of the hot farmer. The last thing I need is angry townspeople with pitchforks outside my door because I broke his heart at the town square dance or something.’
‘Okay, you lost me. What the hell are you talking about, and is there really a town square dance?’
Jeanie sighed. All the conversations from the café today ran through her mind simultaneously accompanied by the memory of Logan’s shocked face when she told him she thought Lucy was a fool. Shocked and hopeful.
‘There’s no square dance. At least not that I know of.’ Although she would not be at all surprised if there was. ‘It doesn’t matter. Logan, the farmer that is, is off-limits. Way too much pressure there.’
‘Right and you’re all about that low-key life now,’ Ben said, with a sarcastic smirk. But Jeanie didn’t let that get her down.
‘Exactly. Easy breezy Jeanie. That’s me.’
‘Well, I have to go. Some of us still have high-stress jobs we need to attend to.’ Her brother worked in tech, and if she was honest, she still didn’t really understand what he did. When people asked, she just said ‘computers’.
‘Okay, good luck. I’m going to go take up knitting or something. Maybe hiking? Hiking could be fun.’
‘Not hiking. You have a horrible sense of direction.’
‘Maybe New Jeanie has a great sense of direction.’
‘She definitely doesn’t. Stay out of the woods. Love you.’
‘Love you, too. Bye.’
Ben’s face disappeared from the screen, and she was alone with her ghost cat and her book about sexy farmers. She stared at the cover pretending to deliberate for only a minute before cracking it open.
