Page 81 of Love, Untangled

Chapter 42

Penelope

A week later, Pen remained in a state of bliss. Not even her mother’s impending trial or Leon’s continued insistence that he preferred to be left alone could dampen her joy. Carlo loved her, and he showed her so every day.

The barn was nearly finished—thanks to many talented contractors and craftspeople. Fall was cooling the air, and Pen’s hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves sold out almost faster than she could finish them.

Her classes were full, and Carlo had completed the secondary fermentation stage of his cider and had planned to start bottling it today. Pen couldn’t wait to try the sweet treat—one she could now drink because today was her birthday.

“But before we get to the cider,” Carlo teased, “I want to show you the barn.”

“Oooh, I’ve been looking forward to this!” Pen exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Carlo chuckled. “I know. And I can’t believe you actually waited.”

“You asked me to.”

He brushed her hair back from her cheek. “I’m impressed with your strength of will.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious,” Carlo said, tone stern. “It’s an impressive show of willpower.”

“Come on, show me already! I’m getting antsy.”

“All right.” He threw open the doors.

Pen pressed her fingers to her lips, eyes wide as she stared in wonder at the expansive new space. They’d had to shift the location for the barn so that it now sat farther back on the property—behind the location of the old barn. But that was okay because the additional space was perfect for the client parking for her classes. Even the deadened grass was a benefit—making it easier for people with small cars to pull into her yard.

“This is so much better than the previous barn.” She frowned, a bit surprised by the size. Based on its exterior dimensions, she’d expected it to be bigger.

“And look at this.” Carlo caught one of her hands, tugging her forward. “See? It’s got the normal crossbar but also a lock on the outside, here at the bottom, so that Alpaca Man can’t escape if we ever decide to keep him from roaming.”

“You thought of everything.”

Carlo beamed, his eyes alight with pleasure. “And one more thing.” He slipped his fingers between hers as he pulled her toward the far side of the barn. “Because we made the barn itself a bit smaller, we built this.”

“What in the world…”

Pen inhaled sharply as Carlo opened the door to the large room. Her gaze swept the airy space, taking in the wooden cabinets and bright white countertops that held her bins of yarns and her various looms. Her spinner stood in the corner.

“You brought all my things in here? When…how?”

“With help from the Blazers team while you were at your class at the café.” He pointed at the windows. “This has both southern and western exposure,” Carlo said. “So you’ll always have good light to spin.”

“It’s…” Pen spun in a slow circle, her mind tumbling, her heart racing.

She threw herself against Carlo’s solid chest. She tugged his head down and smashed her lips to his. She pulled back after a moment, her cheeks burning and her lips tingling.

She tugged her shoulders back and turned away. “This is amazing.”

He pulled out two bottles from a cooler and held out one to her. “Happy birthday, Sunshine.”

The logo was a woman and an alpaca against the setting sun. Pen gasped. “Is that—”

“You and Alpaca Man. Yup.”

“But this was supposed to be Cora’s cider, not Sunshine Farms Apple Cider…” Her voice trailed off. “You named your farm and your business after me?”

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