“Lead the way.”
I shadowed Cash as he spoke to several local growers, with pen and paper in his hand. I’d never seen a man more eager to hear about fresh onions, tomatoes, and green leaf lettuce before.
He asked about texture, flavor, and freshness. I had no idea it mattered what kind of onion a person used in their cooking, but apparently it did—it mattered a lot.
I liked watching him at work.
After several minutes and a few pages of notes, Cash stuffed the pad in his pocket and turned to me. “I’m all yours, now.”
“Lucky me,” I said, with a sarcastic grin on my lips. I couldn’t let him know I was enjoying myself already. Or could I? I’d put so much effort into pushing him away that I didn’t know how else to act around him.
“That’s right.” He stepped up close. “Luckyme.”
Okay, I’ll admit, that brought a real smile to my lips. “What’s next?”
“Cash, is that you?” an elderly lady called from behind a mountain of watermelons.
“Hey, Mrs. G.” He waved.
“Who’s your girlfriend? Bring her over.”
He looked down at me with an apologetic grin. “I was going to say dinner was next, but do you mind going over to say hi? She’s kind of like my unofficial farmer’s market grandma.”
“You meangranny?”
He shook his head and laughed. “You got me there. Five minutes? Then we’ll go grab some BBQ from Enrique. It’s out of this world.”
“That’s high praise coming from a cook as good as you. Let’s go say hi. Then I’ll let you feed me again.”
“You didn’t tell me you had a new girlfriend,” the little woman said as she waddled to the front of her booth. She wrapped her short arms around Cash’s waist and gave him a quick squeeze.
He hugged her back. “It’s kind of a recent development.”
She released him and patted his arm. “Well, it’s about time.”
Shock washed over me when she reached out and wrapped me in a bear hug as well. “Take good care of that boy. He’s been through a lot.”
Her words snapped me out of my surprise, and I gave her a quick hug back. “I will.”
But I couldn’t stop the flurry of questions her innocent statement stirred inside me. What had Cash been through? Up until now, if I’d had to guess, I would have assumed that he’d been through lots of first dates. Lots of flirting. And lots of ladies in general.
“That’s good to hear,” she said. “It’s about time you found a good girl, Cash.”
Cash’s ears turned a fiery shade of pink. “I’ve got to say it, Mrs. G., your melons look great this week.”
It would have been a horrifying thing to hear my newboyfriendsay to a sweet old lady if we weren’t standing next to about two hundred juicy, green watermelons. I knew deflection when I heard it, and Cash was trying to change the subject.
“It’s a bumper crop this year.” Mrs. G. Looked at me. “You like watermelon?” She knocked on one with her knuckles.
“It’s my favorite.”
“I knew I liked you! You two should sign up for the watermelon contest.” She pointed to a long table with a red and white gingham tablecloth. “There’s still time, and I can personally vouch for the quality of the melons.” She was cute when she was proud of her produce.
Cash looked at me. “What do you say? You up for some competition?”
“I don’t know. I think I’d rather hear more about what Mrs. G. was talking about. I had no idea you needed to be taken care of.” I was only joking, but my curiosity had definitely been piqued.
Cash folded his arms across his chest. “Tell you what, if you beat me in that contest, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
