EASY AS PUMPKIN PIE
A RIVALS TO LOVERS ROMANCE
ONE
CHASE
“What the hell, Quinn?”
My brother glances up from the spreadsheet on the computer screen in his makeshift office in the barn. “What are you complaining about now?”
I ignore the annoyance in his voice and the question. He doesn’t get to be mad. It’s my turn.
Especially after the stunt he’s pulled.
“What the hell is this?” I raise the piece of paper I found posted on the snack shop’s window.
He squints. “That’s a flier Tricia made. Can you believe she designed that in ten minutes? I could spend a day tinkering and it would never look half a good.”
“Yeah, your girlfriend is amazing.” I can’t quite keep the edge out of my tone. “This isn’t about the flyer or the design. It’s about what’s on it.”
“What about it?”
My eye twitches. “When the hell were you planning on telling me you hired a new cook?”
“I didn’t hire a new cook.”
“That’s not what it says here.” I smack the offending bill. “‘Carver Family Pumpkin Patch Presents Celebrity Chef Katelyn Baker.’” I roll my eyes. “Do we actually think her last name is Baker?”
“It is according to the contract we signed.” Quinn runs a hand down his face.
“You think some TikTok chef can just waltz in here and teach me about pie crust?” I clench my jaw. “You know my recipe is perfect.”
“She isn’t here to teach you anything,” Quinn says. “It’s just a pop-up.”
“And raw chicken is just al dente.” I scowl. “How could you book another chef to cook in my kitchen without giving me a heads up?”
“I was going to talk to you about it.”
“When?”
“When I saw you next.”
My eyes narrow. “Don’t you think you should have made the time to talk before you signed any contracts or made signs?”
“You’re right. I should have.”
His ready agreement knocks some of the heat out of my fire. That’s new. Quinn—stubborn cuss that he is—would usually go round after round with me and never admit that I’m right.
Tricia must be rubbing off on him. In more ways than just improving the patch’s branding and “aesthetic.”
Whatever the hell that means.
“Well then.” I shove my hands in my pockets and shift from one foot to the other. “Why didn’t you?”
“It all happened so fast,” he said. “I guess Katelyn saw one of the posts Tricia put up on social media about the new Enchanted Forest. The two of them messaged back and forth. Katelyn saidshe’d love to see the farm. An invitation was made. A pop-up was offered.”
“So you’re blaming this on your woman.”
