“Thank you,” she said with a shy smile. “So do you.”
Ellory barely remembered to say goodbye to Tai as she floated to the car, Liam’s hand on her back. Yes, some normalcy to her school year was long overdue.
Tucker Farm was located forty-five minutes away from campus, passing through at least three towns along the way. The scenery alternated between quaint colonial houses hidden by long stretches of greenery, shopping centers with banks that looked more like manors, and so many trees stretching over the guardrails to reach the road that they swallowed the sound of passing cars. Liam admitted to being a fan of R & B, and after a brief moment of discomfort (“You didn’t ask me out because of some jungle fever bullshit, did you?” “Somewhat?”), he gave Ellory control of the aux cord so she could test him with the intros of some of her favorites. He’d just guessed Ashanti’s “Foolish” off nothing but six notes when they pulled into the farm’s half-empty parking lot.
Waking sunlight gilded the few cars they passed. Liam backed into a space near the entrance, then helped Ellory out of the passenger seat. A duo waited by the front gate, but Ellory’s gaze was first drawn by a single muscle car that stuck out among the sedans and SUVs. Her smile inverted. Only Liam’s hand in hers kept her from stopping in her tracks.
“Isn’t that—”
“Hey, guys,” said Liam, as the pair turned to reveal BooneandHudson. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“’Sup, Morgan,” said Boone, who wore a black hoodie beneath a black sherpa-lined trucker jacket. His ebony hair spilled from beneath the hood, bouncing when he nodded in greeting. “Thanks for letting me crash your date.”
Hudson’s lips thinned as he stared at their joined hands, but he didn’t comment.
“I thought you had plans today,” Liam said to him.
At this, Hudson finally looked up. Not to meet their gazes, because that would have been the polite thing to do, and he certainly wouldn’t be caught dead being polite in Ellory’s presence. Instead, he looked off into the parking lot, his black peacoat adorned by a light-gray wool scarf.
“He canceled,” Hudson said tightly. “I hope it’s okay if I come.”
Ellory, who minded a great deal, let Liam assure Hudson that they were happy to have him. She had been excited to get to know these people with the saintlike patience to not only know but alsolivewith someone like Hudson Graves. But Hudson himself being here, this man who acknowledged and discarded her at a whim despite all they’d been through… Her body was hot with embarrassment.
Liam’s arm circled her shoulders. She flinched as he tugged her against him, and the concern in his fawn-brown eyes made her feel like an ass for it. “Everything all right?”
Ellory briefly entertained the idea of being honest with him, making them watch as Hudson climbed back in his stupid Plymouth Barracuda and drove home alone, but smiled instead. Her arm slid around Liam’s waist. “Everything’s perfect.”
They ambled behind Boone and Hudson into the fields bisected by a dirt path that was still slick with yesterday’s rain. The undeniable smell of manure was tempered by the scent of fresh grass pearled with dew, butter-yellow dandelions, and baby-pink peachblossoms. A ginger cat stretched out in front of the barn, tail curling back and forth as it watched their approach. Inside, there was a shop that offered jams and cider, apples and pears, wreaths and pies. Fridges in the back carried milk, cheeses, cream, and alcohol. The entire space smelled like hot chocolate, freshly mixed and up for sale in stainless steel beverage dispensers.
“Professor?”
Ellory turned at Liam’s surprised greeting to find Preston Colt standing there with a basket full of Brie, Parmesan, and cheddar cheeses. He was wearing a powder-blue cable-knit sweater and beige slacks, and he looked larger divorced from his salon suits, Clark Kent glasses thrown off to reveal Superman underneath. His smile was still warm, the crinkles by his eyes deepening despite his confusion.
“Mister Blackwood, Miss Morgan, what brings you to Tucker Farm?” They were still pressed against each other like magnets. Colt’s smile widened. “Ah, perhaps that’s a stupid question.”
“What areyoudoing here?” Boone asked, though not unkindly. He fiddled with the ring on his middle finger, turning it over and over.
Colt lifted his basket. “I may be biased, but this is some of the best cheese in the state. I’ll accept nothing less on my sandwiches, Mister Priestley.”
Behind them all, Hudson remained silent. His desire to speak to a professor outside of class must have been limited to salon nights only. Colt didn’t even bother to look his way, as though used to this treatment, and that infuriated Ellory, because it was one thing to ignoreher, but it was an entirely different thing to ignore the man who held her future in his hands. Ellory wanted to shake Hudson, afraid his rudeness would reflect poorly on her, barring her fromany more gatherings. Instead, she remained a tense line at Liam’s side, hoping her polite smile would keep Colt from noticing Hudson at all.
“Well, don’t let me keep you,” said Colt, winding his way past them. “The weather’s supposed to be quite good today.”
Ellory dropped her arm from Liam’s waist and watched Colt leave, feeling like she should say something, anything, to capture his attention. What if she’d been too quiet? What if he thought her frivolous for going on a date when she could have been studying? What if he mistook her insecurity for Hudson’s insolence?
But he was gone before she could cobble a sentence together, disappearing into the too-bright morning with his brimming basket of cheese.
“He’s such a weird old fuck,” Boone commented. “But he’s got the right idea. We should clear out before the rest of that crowd comes lining up for fresh produce.”
“He’s notweird,” Ellory finally managed. “He’s brilliant.”
“Do you want to stop by the hospital on our way back? You might need emergency surgery to remove your lips from his ass.”
“Boone,” Liam sighed. “You promised you’d behave.”
“Thisisme behaving.”
“Well, behave over by the refreshments, would you? Ellory, I’ll be right back.”
