Page 48 of Break My Heart
I take a bite. ‘Wow, these are really good.’
‘They’re even better when they’re warm.’ He returns to the kitchen. ‘You want another one?’
‘Yes, please.’
He laughs and comes back to the couch with a plate of them. ‘Have all you want. I get more every time I go over there.’
‘Did you ever want to work there? At your parents’ orchard?’
‘No, but I would if I had to. I’m just lucky Nick took it over or I’d probably be the one running it.’
‘Because your dad can’t anymore?’
‘Yeah. After his heart attack he talked about selling it, but I don’t think I could’ve let him. That place is my home. I couldn’t see it going to someone else. My brothers felt the same way. If Nick hadn’t taken it, we would’ve had to figure out a way to keep it.’
‘Would you even know how to run an orchard?’
‘I know the basics from watching my dad when I was growing up, but Nick’s the one who was out there every day, learning what to do and how everything works. He was always the most logical choice to take it over, but he didn’t want it. He took off and became a lawyer.’
‘I’d rather run an orchard.’
‘He would too. It just took him forever to figure that out.’ Sawyer takes one of the apple pastries and pops it in his mouth.
‘You ate the whole thing in one bite?’
He finishes it, then smiles. ‘I can eat a lot faster now than when I was seven. I bet I could beat you in a pie-eating contest.’
‘You couldn’t beat me.’
‘You want to try again? I’ll obviously win, but I’m willing to at least let you try to beat me.’
‘I think I’ll pass,’ I say, finishing another pastry. I’ve had three now. They’re so good I keep eating them.
‘You’re afraid to even try?’
‘No. I just think we’re too old for that.’
‘We’re not too old for a pie-eating contest. And actually, they shouldn’t even let kids do it. They could choke. Didn’t that Phil kid choke back at camp?’
‘That’s right, he did. But Janelle, one of the camp counselors, stepped in and saved him.’
Sawyer nods. ‘Janelle was hot. All us boys used to sneak down to the beach where the camp counselors hung out so we could see her in her red bikini.’
‘You were only seven. You shouldn’t have even liked girls back then.’
‘I’ve always liked girls,’ he says, smiling. ‘And Janelle was the hottest girl out of all the camp counselors. Now that I think about it, maybe Phil didn’t choke. Maybe he just pretended to so Janelle would touch him.’
I roll my eyes. ‘I don’t think so. A kid that age wouldn’t think to do that.’
‘Sure they would, especially with a hot girl like Janelle.’
‘What about the other girls at camp? Did you have crushes on any of them?’ I take a drink of my beer.
‘Yeah. You.’
I choke on my beer, coughing as I set the glass down.
‘You okay?’ Sawyer asks.
