“Impossible.” Zoe shook her head. “I’ll always be a city girl. I’m no country mouse.”
“No,” Nathan agreed. “You’re a city rat.”
“What?” Zoe began to laugh again. “Did you just call me a rat?”
“Yeah.” Nathan looked confused. “There are country mice and city rats.”
“I don’t know where you heard that,” Zoe said, shaking her head as her giggling subsided, “but they’re all mice. City mice and country mice. And youreallyshouldn’t call people rats.”
Nathan started to look concerned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I really thought that was the saying.”
“I’m hard to offend.” Zoe reached for a grape. “I’m tough. I’m a city rat.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
They both started to laugh again. It had been a long time since Zoe had laughed this hard, like she had no cares in the world. It felt good. It felt strange.
After lunch, Nathan took her to Wonder Number Six, a water tower at the edge of the town.
“Is this even legal?” Zoe asked, looking up at the tall tower as Nathan grabbed the bottom of the ladder and started climbing. “Is it safe?”
“It’s legal and safe,” Nathan assured her. “There’s a platform up at the top for people to sit on.”
“And I thoughtNew Yorkwas dangerous,” Zoe muttered. “And I really shouldn’t have worn a skirt today.” Still, she wasn’t about to back down, so when Nathan reached the top, she climbed up after him. Sure enough, there was a platform at the top. People had written their names on the edge of the tower in pencil and marker — this was clearly a place where the whole town liked to gather. Zoe gripped the railing and tried not to look down. The tower wasn’t that high, but it was high enough. In front of her, rolling hills, forest, fields and scattered houses stretched as far as she could see. A pair of birds flew by at eye level, which was very concerning.
“Look,” Nathan said. Zoe glanced at him and saw that he had bent down on the other side of the platform. She went to him, and he pointed to his own name. “Everyone in the town writes their names here,” he explained. “Now, it’s your turn.” He produced a marker from his pocket and held it out to her. “Ready?”
For some reason, it felt like a serious moment, so Zoe took the marker with great solemnity and wrote her name beside his.
“Perfect.” Nathan took the pen back and slipped it into his pocket. “Now, we can enjoy the view.”
So, they did. It seemed to Zoe that every spot in Islingburn was a viewpoint. The scenery here was just so picturesque, it was hard to believe — but she held on tightly to the railing the whole time they were up there, just to be safe.
That night, they ate dinner at the diner again before Nathan dropped Zoe off at her B&B. As he walked her back in the twilight, their steps slow and measured, Zoe felt a little like a teenager being walked home from a first date. She was nervous and excited all at once — even though this wasn’t a date. Right? She’d made it clear that she didn’t date her clients. She couldn’t. But if Nathan kissed her, she would forget her rule in an instant.
He didn’t kiss her. He just wished her a good evening, every bit the gentleman, before walking off in the direction of the truck he’d parked by the diner. Zoe couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. Once again, she regretted not just kissing him in that moment back at the viewpoint, though she reminded herself sternly that it was better to keep a professional distance.
The next day, Sunday, Nathan returned to pick Zoe up in the morning. They ate breakfast at the coffee shop, where Claire gave them a three-for-two muffin deal with a huge smile, then they headed off to see the promised cow at a farm. There, Zoe admired a few cows, pigs, and horses before Nathan took her out into one of the fields.
“What grows here?” Zoe asked as they strolled along one of the rows of plants.
“You don’t know?”
“City rat, remember?” Zoe winked. “I don’t know.”
Nathan bent down and reached between the green leaves of the low-growing plants. He pulled out something round and red — a small strawberry — and held it out to Zoe. “Try it.”
“Don’t we need to, you know, wash it?” Zoe asked skeptically.
“No.” Nathan grinned. “Come on, try it.”
Zoe took the small strawberry from him, trying to ignore the shiver that went through her as their fingers brushed, and popped it into her mouth.
“Oh, wow.”
“Yep.” Nathan beamed.
The strawberry was juicy, sweet, and so flavorful it almost tasted like candy. Zoe immediately bent down to pick another one.
“Okay, more than the cows, this right here is Wonder Number Seven,” she said, holding up the second strawberry. “This is so good. I could eat a million of them.”
