DARCY
Jake leans into my ear.“Everybody’s getting along,” he mumbles.
I gasp and scold him. “Don’t jinx it. Just let it happen.”
He kisses my temple, pulls me close by the waist, and we survey our surroundings. The sun’s setting over my family’s Fourth of July barbecue, and we’ve got an extra-big crowd this year. Jake’s sisters, his brother-in-law, and his mom and stepdad are all out at the farm for Fourth of July. By some modern miracle, my family is behaving and hasn’t said anything inappropriate yet.
Brianna’s here, Caleb, Becca and her brother, and Stone. I’m overwhelmed by how lucky I am to have so many people I love in one place. I’d tell Jake I don’t deserve it, but that’ll get me pulled into some secretive place and fucked.
And while that’s fun, Jake and I can do that anytime. All my people are in one place, and that’s something to celebrate.
“Well, maybe not everybody,” Jake says. He tilts his head to where Stone looks furious and smokes a cigarette, watching Becca and Brianna talk and laugh.
“See? Jinxed it,” I say. “That really doesn’t look good. But I have to slip into the house. Want anything while I’m in there?”
Jake lifts a shoulder. “Whatever you’re having, make it two. I’ll go split up this soon-to-be skirmish.”
I lift on my toes and kiss his cheek. “You’re the best.”
This Fourth of July is different than the last because Jake’s picker is doing the hard work in the orchard. In fact, it freed up so much time on the farm that I was able to construct a business model to be able to travel to other towns and deliver boxes of peaches. We’ve planted new trees to prepare for the business to grow over the next several years.
I sneak into the house to use the bathroom and cool off for a minute. While I’m pouring two cups of sweet tea, I reflect on how much has changed in a year. Jake finished school in December, and, by some miracle, he found a robotics job about a half hour from the farm. He’s still working on patenting the picker, but in the meantime, has used his earnings to make a second one for the peach farm.
Rather than getting a separate apartment, we moved out to the cabin. This summer we didn’t need seasonal workers, so we’ve had it all to ourselves. That will likely change as Bill and Maggie retire. We’ve still got plenty of time for that, but I’m a planner, so plan I shall.
Along with planning farm life, I’m submitting my book to agents—and getting tons of rejections. Good thing I have that farm day job.
And yes, I chose this life. I chose the farm. It was strange turning down a perfectly good offer in Raleigh, but it didn’t feel right to take it either. If I wanted to see the fall through with Jake, I needed to stay in Paint. So I did.
Because Raleigh isn’t home anymore. My home is in Paint, on this farm, with that guy who’s talking to my best friend outside.
After Jake graduated, I took him to Raleigh so he could meet my friends, and we went to a game. I thought it would be weirder to just visit, but it was actually nice to be a tourist. We treated it as a little post-grad-school vacation for him and had a great time.
“It was supposed to be one weekend, Becca. Onenight.” Stone’s voice cuts in from the side porch.
“She’s a friend,” Becca objects. “I’m not just going to use her and lose her.”
“But you like her,” Stone shoots back.
“As a friend, yes! It was just that one weekend.”
“What am I supposed to do, stand here and watch you cuckold me in front of all these people? We’ve been over this, Becca. I’m not comfortable with you talking to her, at all. Friend or not. If you want me, lose her.”
“I am not being rude to her just so you can feel secure. Grow up. If you couldn’t handle a three way, you shouldn’t have started this,” Becca barks.
I grimace, hoping most of my family can’t hear them as their voices grow louder.
“I’m out of here,” Stone says. “Have your girlfriend give you a ride home.”
Silence follows, the only sound the chatter of my family from the other side of the house. I step out onto the side porch. Becca has a cigarette in her hand where she sits on the top step. She sniffs and drags a finger under her eye as I sit next to her.
“You okay?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll be fine. Thank god the house is almost ready at the farm.”
“You can stay here as long as you need to. We’ve got my old room in this house and Caleb’s old room in the cabin.”
She smiles wryly. “Thanks, boss. Might take you up on that.”
