Page 111 of When Sparks Fly

Evie waved her hand between Whitney and Andrea. “Your big gesture of community love won Luke back. And that was at a Blessing of the Grapes Festival, right? Maybe Andrea could...”

Bridget shook her head. She’d been friends with Zayne for years. “A publicanythingwon’t work with Zayne. He hates crowds. Hates attention. That’s why he fought against the corn maze so hard.”

Tani’s eyes went wide. “Oh God—do you think he’ll pull the corn maze from the festival? It’s only a week away. What should we do?”

“We should have a festival without a maze.” Andrea shrugged. “He never wanted it. We’ll survive.”

Evie sat back with a wry smile. “Well, look at you—notworrying about a pretty big glitch in your festival.”

Andrea thought for a moment before answering. “I guess I’ve realized it was nevermyfestival to begin with. I’ll make it the best I can, but the world will not come to an end if there’s no corn maze.”

“And if there’s no Zayne?” Bridget asked quietly.

Andrea turned her glass, frowning at the table. “My world would be very empty.” She looked over at Whitney. “I love him.”

Whitney nodded with a smile. “Then find a way to love him through his fear.”

ZAYNESATONthe tailgate of his truck, staring at his phone, trying to decipher the text conversation he’d just had with Andrea. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she’d walked away from the shop. Away from him.

A: Wanted to let you know the good news ASAP—we’re canceling the maze this year.

Z: Why?

A: You never wanted it. The field’s a mess. We’ll figure something else out.

And then, a few minutes later...

A: I love you.

Those three words were the ones that did him in. She still loved him. Even after he’d chased her away. There was a crunch of car tires on the driveway, but it wasn’t Andrea as he’d hoped. It was his brother, and he looked grim when he got out of his car.

Zayne held his hand up with a sigh. “I’m not in the mood for a big brother lecture.”

Luke nodded and joined him on the tailgate anyway. “Okay. How about a big brother ear, then? What happened?”

And just like that, Zayne was telling his brother everything. How happy he’d been with Andrea. With Hudson. What Marissa Wentworth had done and said—not only in the diner, but back when they were all kids. He told Luke about Andrea coming to the shop to confront him. How he’d tried to explain that he was no good for her.

Luke winced. “And how well didthatgo over?”

“She slapped me in the face.”

“No shit? Good for her!” Luke laughed.

“Who’s side are you on?”

“Yourside. Always.”

They’d had their years of barely speaking—all that Rutledge anger twisted up inside them, keeping them apart. Luke would check in a few times a year, basically confirming Zayne was still alive and functioning.

“Thank you,” he said, surprising Luke.

“For being on your side? You’re my brother, man.”

“Not just now, but...for the past, too. I didn’t make it easy, but you kept calling and stopping by, even in my hermit years.”

Luke chuckled softly. “There were a few times when I drove up that dirt road to the old trailer that I half expected you to greet me with a shotgun.” He paused. “I’m proud of how you’ve turned things around in the past few years. It took Whitney to pullmethrough, but you did it on your own. Found a job you loved. Built a business. Bought a place.” He looked around. “I told you I was on your side, and that’s why I gotta tell you—none of this matters without love in your life. And youhavethat.”

“I know. But—”

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