Make it 45. I need coffee and a shower.
Nick
Take your time. See you soon!
Julie
Perfect.
I shower, my mind drifting to his hands, his voice telling me exactly what to do last night. It’s only been six days since we started this fake-dating thing. Six days. That’s nothing. So, why does it feel like so much more?
It’s because this invisible string has kept us tethered together for a year.
When Nick arrives, his hair is a mess, like he just ran his fingers through it. My eyes slide down his white button-up and dark slacks. Somehow, he’s sophisticatedly casual.
“Hi,” I say, suddenly shy.
“Hi, yourself.” He steps inside and gently pulls me against him. “I need to kiss you.”
“Please,” I whisper.
His mouth captures mine, and I lose track of reality. Our tongues slide together, and I’m tempted to pull him to the couch with me. Before I gain the courage, he pulls away. We’re both breathing too hard, and we’re too heated.
“Ready?” he asks.
“After that? I don’t ever want to leave.”
“Well, I kinda rented the orchard for us.”
My eyes widen. “The entire thing?”
“Yeah,” he admits. “I wanted it to be private. I don’t want wandering eyes.”
I can’t help but smile. “I can’t believe this. You just asked them how much they’d take?”
“I asked them how much they made per day, and I told them I’d triple it if they gave us the afternoon.”
I’m shocked.
He shakes his head. “You’re so damn cute.”
The drive to Coleman’s Orchard is filled with comfortable silence, his hand on my thigh the entire time.
Mrs. Coleman greets us at the entrance with a knowing smile.
“I was wondering if you were bluffing,” she tells Nick. “Nice to see you, Julie.”
“Hi, Mrs. Coleman. This is my boyfriend, Nick,” I say, sitting forward to chat with her.
The entire Coleman family moved to Colorado from Oklahoma several decades ago and started this farm. It’s been here my whole life.
“Nice to meet you,” he says, and it amazes me how damn charming he is without even trying.
She notices me staring at him.
“Well, you two go ahead and drive through. Going to lock the gate behind you. The Honeycrisp apples are perfect right now. Back section, row fifteen. Very private with lots of shade.” She winks.
I’m mortified, but Nick grins, taking the gathering baskets she offers us.
