“I don’t know, Chloe,” I answer honestly. “But I’ll help you figure this out. I promise.”
My phone dings with a notification in my pocket, and I cringe.
This is the last place I should be when we’re trying to get ready for Opening Day next week. But something tells me it’s alsoexactlywhere I should be.
Owen
where are you
Me
With Chloe.
Owen
We’ve got a problem with some shipments.
Handle it. I’m busy.
Evelyn
I deal with marketing. Not shipments. Just like you deal with shipments, not Chloe.
I rub my forehead, focusing on my temples, where the tension seems to be concentrated. The all too familiar pull of obligation has me taking a step toward the door, but one glance at Chloe reminds me of what I lost thanks to that pull.
It’s all overwhelming. I don’t have time for this. I’m barely surviving everything I have to do to reopen with the bare minimum. The farm won’t be as magical as people remember — not while I’m just going through the motions, keeping it alive instead of letting it live.
If I bring Chloe into the fold, and her daughter—especiallyknowing nothing about kids—I might as well start digging a hole in the back field to bury myself in.
I swore I wouldn’t follow through with Dad’s crazy idea.
But I also swore I wouldn’t do it because I wouldn’t marry for money—this is so much bigger than that. What if love and survival are tangled up in the same choice this time?
Me
I need you two to figure this out until I get back.
Evelyn
Aiden Wheeler, you get back here to this farm. We need this stuff for Opening Day.
Chloe can wait.
Not in the mood for you today. Chloe’s studio flooded.
Owen
she ok
Evelyn
She’s a big girl and can clean up her own mess.
We’ll talk about this later. I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Owen
need help
