His handshake is firm, but his smile is pleasant. He’s much less of an asshole than I expected. Nice surprise.

“Come on in,” I say, turning for the front door.

“We can stay out here if it’s all the same to you. There’s something about a big porch and fresh country air . . .” He inhales deeply and unbuttons his jacket as he lowers himself into one of the four straight-backed rockers. “So, young man, you’ve had a lot on your plate lately. How you holding up?”

I shrug, which aggravates the shit out of me. I never used to do that. I never used to feel like I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, where I was going, and what I wanted. Until now.

And now, all those things seemed to be wrapped up in one person that I can’t have and shouldn’t want.

“I’m okay. Just ready to get this over with. Obviously, I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the orchard with me and Jenna.”

“Well, it’s looking like the gods are in your favor.”

“And why is that?”

“Your aunt’s attorney contacted me this morning, shortly after I filed the inventory. It seems her husband has come into quite a bit of money and they’ll be leaving the county, which means she’d have to hire someone to run the operation here if she were to gain a controlling interest. Evidently, that just wasn’t very appealing to her, so she has submitted that she’d like to revert to an arrangement similar to what she enjoyed with your parents. Just a monthly sum that’ll be deposited into her account. No real say in the day-to-day operations.”

While that’s definitely good news, I hate to have her involved in this place in any way. Who’s to say she won’t pull this same stunt again if Turkey (her husband) loses his ass out there?

Nobody. So it’s up to me to do what I can to prevent it.

“I’m glad she’s found some other means of making money in life, but you’ll understand if I’m not comforted by her rash decision. She could just as easily come back at a future date and try this again.”

Bob nods. “Which is why I would suggest that you make an offer to buy her out with one lump sum. You’ve got some valuable assets that you could probably part with and not feel the sting of it quite so much, if you get what I mean.”

“Yes, I do. What did you have in mind?”

Bob proceeds to explain to me that there is a small tract of land, deeded to the orchard but not actively used, which has quite a bit of value simply because of its situation in regards to the river and the national forest. “If you had that appraised and then offered her the proceeds from the sale of that tract as an incentive to let you and this place alone, why, I think she’d likely take that deal and run. We could have her sign away all past, present, and future rights for the amount of the sale.”

This is a sly old man. I can see it in the twinkle of his sharp brown eyes. Meeting him and spending a little time with him leaves me in no doubt as to why my parents felt safe leaving their possessions and their legacy in his hands.

Just over an hour after his arrival, Bob is shaking my hand and heading back to his car. Strangely, I’m glad he came. As much as I’d have liked to see Laney, it’s better this way. And now, there’s a plan for handling my aunt, Ellie, and possibly being completely free of her in the future.

Now if only my own future was so clear-cut . . .

My cell phone rings. I sigh when I look down to see Shane’s number pop up. Never would I have thought I’d be friends with him again, but when there’s no one else, sometimes a familiar face is a welcome face.

“Hello?”

“Hey, beautiful. How about some lunch?”

I sigh again. He hasn’t given up giving me the full-court press. He swears he’s going to win me back. I keep telling him I’m just not ready and that I might never be, but still he persists.

But then there’s the loneliness that plagues me . . .

“Sure. Where can I meet you?”

“I’ll pick you up at one.”

I glance at my watch. That’s about six minutes from now. “Okay, see you then,” I say before hanging up.

I sit staring at the blank screen. The office is quiet around me. Bob is hard at work trying to free Jake and his family from his greedy aunt.

He didn’t tell me until after the fact that he’d gone to Greenfield to meet with him. That was almost two weeks ago. Two weeks since my last chance to see Jake flew right on by without me even knowing about it.

Now there’s just a constant ache and an ever-present sense of melancholy that I can’t shake. It’s like nothing that used to matter is very important anymore, and nothing that used to make me happy even gets me out of bed.

My parents have called dozens of times. I always answer and chat with them, but they’re astute enough to know that something is terribly wrong. But they’re also astute enough not to make a single comment about Jake.

Other than that, it’s me and Shane and my job here. Tori is back in Greenfield. She’s my only real friend, as I hadn’t lived here long enough before my breakup with Shane to make any more. Not that they would be much help now, anyway. There’s only one person who could possibly make me feel better.

And he’s long gone.

My phone rings again, stopping me from giving in to the threat of another round of tears. It’s Tori this time.

“Thank God,” I say by way of greeting.

“I know I’m the answer to prayer, woman, but damn!” she teases.

“Today, you really are.” This time my sigh is one of relief. “You’re not in town, are you?”

I’m hoping she’ll say yes, but I’ve learned to live with disappointment.

“No, but in just a few seconds, I’m gonna be begging you to come to me instead. Why don’t you save me the groveling and just tell me you’ll come home, okay? Okay!”

I can’t help but smile. I miss my friend. “You know, simply in the interest of helping you to preserve your dignity, I think I can manage that. But just this once. I’m not a fan of missing out on begging. Next time, it may cost you twice as much.”

“Duly noted,” she says easily. “I’ll bring my kneepads next time.”

“Wise choice,” I say with a giggle. “So, what is it that is so important that you’d beg me to come home?”

“Umm, if I told you, I’d have to kill you. And I love you too much to harm one lovely golden hair, so . . . there you go.”

“Lucky for you, I don’t need much of a reason to visit you. Mind if I borrow your couch?”

“Still avoiding the parents?”

“No, not really. I just think space is a good thing. I didn’t cut the apron strings too well the first time around. This time, I’m not making the same mistake.”

“Finally! Ohmigod! Boy, this summer sure was good for you, Laney.” As much as I love Tori, and even though I’ve forgiven her for the stuff with Shane, I still haven’t really felt comfortable talking to her about Jake. At least not about how my life is like a barren wasteland without him. I haven’t told anybody that. It feels almost like, if I keep it a secret, it’ll just go away and not be this way anymore. Eventually.

If only . . .

“Yeah, I did a lot of growing this year, didn’t I?”

“You sure did. And all for the better, I might add.”

I’m glad when I hear the front door open. I’m sure that’s Shane. Just in time to rescue me from a torturous conversation about how wonderful this summer was.

It seems that, no matter how hard I try, I can’t forget how wonderful it was.

But sometimes I wish I could.

“I’ve gotta go, Tori, but I’ll see you home tomorrow night, okay?”

“Sounds good. Meet you here around seven. The key’s under the mat if you get here before I get home.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

“Be safe.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You know that’s right,” Tori says before making a kissing noise and then hanging up.

“Who was that?” Shane asks as he saunters through my office door.