They went in her car, which would be easier to park in a crowded lot, but they lucked out. The crowds from the city hadn’t arrived yet, and they found a spot. And the look of glee on Kerry’s face when the very first stall was selling artisanal honey made Owen genuinely happy.
“It’s single source,” she whispered.
Owen doubted the bees stuck to one kind of flower, but he kept that to himself. It probably meant something else. Instead he focused on how much fun it would be to lick a drop of the honey off Kerry’s finger. Or her—
“Ooh, these are cute!” She picked up some beeswax food wraps and did a little happy dance.
He could definitely enjoy the farmer’s market if Kerry kept making sounds like that.
After she made her purchases from that first stall, she slid her fingers through his and they wandered down the main aisle. He bought some fresh herbs for his turkey and stuffing, Kerry bought locally-grown apples, and then they went into the barn, where stalls that needed refrigeration were located.
There was a good-sized line at the counter for Great Lake Fisheries’s smoked trout, so they headed the other way. Kerry stopped at every cheese counter, and Owen filed that away for a date night idea. Just the two of them and a big-ass cheese board.
And then, in the corner, was a familiar face. “Hey, man!” Owen held out his hand for his turkey guy to shake. “I didn’t know you came here.” He gestured to Kerry. “Kerry, this is Duncan. He was going to drop a fresh turkey round to my place later today, but maybe I can pick it up now?”
“Absolutely,” the farmer said. He went over to the tablet that was attached to the debit machine. “I don’t have one here that’s exactly the same size as what you ordered, but I can size you up and that should be the difference for the delivery fee you paid, does that work?”
“Sounds good.” Owen slung his arm low around Kerry’s waist as they waited.
“Artisanal turkey,” she whispered to him. “All the rage, I hear.”
He shook with laughter. “Yep.”
It was genuinely better tasting, though. That was his defence, and he was sticking to it.
* * *
The next day,after prepping his artisanal turkey to be dry-brined in the fridge while he was out, Owen headed over to Will’s place. Josh arrived next, with Seth in tow, and Adam showed up last. Because he was the last to arrive, they told him he drew the short straw for seating in the truck on the day of epic brother adventures.
They piled in Owen’s truck, Adam squished in the middle of the backseat between Will and Josh, while Seth rode shotgun. They stopped at Mac’s on the way out of town to pick up sandwiches and cold drinks, packed up to go, then headed north to the rental store on the edge of the provincial park.
After a day spent on the trails, Adam directed them even further north, to a craft brewery in Tobermory for dinner and drinks.
“Pretty good day,” Owen said as their plates were being cleared.
“It’s not over yet.” Adam glanced at his wrist. “Another surprise coming our way in about ten minutes.”
Will leaned back in his chair. “Ten minutes sounds like just enough time for you to tell us why you’ve organized such a big day.”
Adam flashed his best charming grin. “Ah. That.”
Owen was genuinely caught off guard. It wasn’t out of character for Adam to want to make a big deal out of brother bonding time. “What’s going on?”
“I got some news a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to tell you all together. Remember, we’re in a public place, and we have nine minutes, so if now’s not a good time—”
“Spit it out,” Seth said. “I’ll hold Owen back if need be.”
Owen protested that with a sputter.
Adam took a deep breath. “I’ve been accepted to a firefighting program, starting in January. I’ll be back at the end of the summer if all goes well.”
January.
Shock roared in Owen’s ears. Adam had warned him this was coming, in every way he could, and yet he still felt blindsided. Denial was a hell of a drug. But as his mouth flapped open, as he watched Will shake hands with their baby brother, as Josh pumped his fist in the air and Seth looked sideways at Owen in concern, the tingling subsided and he was left with a warm, unexpected feeling.
Pride.
“Shit,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d actually do it, and then you went and did it like a boss anyway.”
