Nash choked on the drink.He swallowed instead of spitting it out, but it was a near thing.“That’s disgusting.”
Charlie laughed with delight.“I wish I’d taken a picture of your face.”
Nash rolled his eyes and held out the glass.“I’ll get a photo of you trying it.Better yet, a video.”
Always game for an adventure, Charlie took the glass and waited for Nash to pull out his phone.Then he held up the glass for the camera.“Experiment Number Twenty-Two.Apple, pepper, jalapeño, and cumin.We’re trying for a spicy cider with this one.”
Charlie held up the glass and took a drink.His eyes widened and he spat the juice back into the glass.“That’s gross.Twenty-Two is a failure.”
Nash shut off the camera, laughing.“Told you.”
Charlie grinned.“Glad we only made a small batch with that one.But I still think we should have something with a Mexican flavor.You said we have to think outside the box and be different.”
Nash nodded.“But we don’t want to poison our customers.”
Charlie sighed.“I guess not.I’m going to research more Mexican flavor combinations.Maybe I’ll talk to Manuel at the No Fail Diner the next time we’re in town.He’ll know what combinations work in food and might have some good ideas.”
“Good thinking.”
Olivia exited the cabin’s small bedroom with Ella walking at her side.The little girl was determined to walk on her own.She continued to end up on her butt a lot, but her steps were steadier.Charlie had also been teaching her to climb stairs and come down them by sitting down and sliding one step at a time.
The two kids were bonding.They never bickered like Nash had heard about with siblings, but that could be for a few reasons.They weren’t siblings, being the most obvious.They also hadn’t known each other that long.The age difference was probably another factor along with the fact that both had easy-going natures.Neither was cranky nor temperamental.
If Olivia decided to move on from the farm, it would to devastate Charlie.
And Nash himself.
The attraction between him and Olivia grew every day.The chemistry was undeniable, but it was more than that.So much more.
He’d had a few heart-to-hearts with Charlotte over the past few weeks and had finally convinced himself it wasn’t disrespectful to be attracted to this woman.Well, maybe thinking about Charlotte’s gentle and generous nature helped.She wouldn’t want him alone forever.She’d also love her son to have a strong female role model.
He knew Charlie would approve if Nash and Olivia decided to make a go of a relationship.Probably Ella, too.She’d be sad if she didn’t see her best buddy anymore.
By keeping his distance, Nash knew he was letting his head rule.His heart had been tumbling toward Olivia from the first meeting.She was amazing.
He knew they had to be practical because it wasn’t just the two of them involved, but keeping his touches innocent was becoming increasingly difficult.He wanted to feel her curves, taste her everywhere.
Nash yanked his mind away from that direction.Not going there with the kids in the room.
Olivia wrinkled her nose.“Does it taste any better than it smells?”
Nash held out a glass.“Want to see for yourself?”
Charlie called out.“It’s a trap.Don’t try it.”
Olivia grinned.“I think I’ll take Charlie’s advice and leave it alone.We’ll have to scratch that one off the spreadsheet.”
They’d been tracking their experiments, and not only for the flavor combinations.They also figured out the most efficient methods for peeling the apples, the best timing for boiling down the cider, and what they might try when they were working with larger batches.
They didn’t want to make cider in a factory.The vision was to keep the business family sized.Keeping the batches to limited sizes meant the products would be exclusive.It also meant they could experiment to find which flavor combinations were the most popular.
Olivia drifted her fingers along the countertop as she watched Nash pour the rest of Experiment Twenty-two down the drain.
He imagined those fingers on him.Man, he had to get himself under control.At least smelling the disastrous flavor helped.
Olivia frowned.“So far, the best combinations we’ve tried are common.Everyone knows that apples and cinnamon taste great together.Same with most of the fruits we’ve tried.I’d love us to come up with something different.”
Nash rinsed out the pot.“That would help to stand out from the options already out there.”
