“It’s good, I think,” she said, taking another small nibble of the fruit.
“Just pop the whole thing in your mouth, seeds and all, and then you spit them out and it grows more trees.” He demonstrated, popping a whole persimmon in his mouth.
“Is your goal to have an entire persimmon forest one day?” she teased before popping a whole fruit in her mouth.
“You bet.” He watched as she worked the fruit with her tongue, separating the seeds from the flesh before spitting the seeds out.
“That’s not too bad.” She took another one from his hand.
“I told you,” he said with a grin. “Now, if you get a perfect-looking one, don’t eat it. They’re terribly astringent and will make your entire mouth pucker.”
“Really?” she asked, frowning at him. That seemed far-fetched.
“Absolutely,” he said. “If you don’t trust me, you could try one.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, thank you. I trust you.”
The words spilled out and her breath caught in her throat at how easy it was.
He offered his arm, and she took it as they continued walking toward the manor. The touch and closeness made her warm all over, and it didn’t hurt that holding his arm offered a reminder to slow down with his long legs.
“Can I ask you a favor?” he asked.
She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.
“Can we have a tea party with Mollie?” he asked.
Sophia laughed. “I was not expecting that.”
Caspian grinned. “Liliana is having a tea party this afternoon,” he explained, “and I thought it would be fun to surprise her with a baby goat.”
“You’ve spent time with the goats before, right?” Sophia asked. “You remember how certain baby goats feel about people sitting on the ground together?”
His dark eyes burned into hers at the reminder of their almost kiss and he stopped walking. “I do,” he said, his voice suddenly husky. But then he glanced ahead of them, where the walls of the manor were in sight, and he straightened. “I remember,” he added. “But it would make Liliana happy.”
Sophia let out a chuckle. “Well, since keeping Liliana happy is a large part of my job description, how can I say no?”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, looking back down at her, the teasing light back in his eyes. “I’ll talk to Cook.”
“May I suggest mugs that won’t break easily,” Sophia said.
“I think that’s probably a good idea,” he said with a grin.
Sophia’s heart kicked into overdrive as they finished their walk and he deposited her in front of the barn. He winked before turning away and Sophia took a deep breath.
She was falling, and she was falling hard.
As long as he was there to help break her fall…surely it couldn’t be that bad.
Chapter twelve
Caspian
Caspianmadehiswayinto the kitchen to speak to Cook about the tea party.
“Sophia has been pulled to help with Liliana’s tea party,” he informed her. “Will you have things prepared for that soon? I have to get a blanket for the courtyard.”
“Why are you having tea in the courtyard?” Cook asked, frowning at him.
