My blood is running hot, and fighting with him won’t do any good.
I’ll wait until I’ve calmed down. Until I’m confident I can look him in the eye while he tells me all of the ways he’s plotting to ruin this land.
Because that’s what he must be doing, right? I didn’t want to grant him an easement so he’s taking the path that he doesn’t need me for.
And all that crap about wanting to involve me in his life was just that: crap.
I shut myself in my house, tortured by the fact that I’m so, so angry with him but he’s still all I want in this moment.
He’s giving me the impossible choice I thought I didn’t have to make: him, or the farm. A person who feels like home or the place that’s alwaysbeenhome. Someone who could probably give me an easy, enjoyable life, versus the one that I’ve poured my blood, sweat, and tears into already.
I head into the kitchen to make a mug of tea, and as I pass the refrigerator, I notice the word magnets have been rearranged to spell out something new.
I blink as I read them, certain before I can even process them that it’s a message from Ryder.
MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT
Izzy’s facedrops as soon as she clocksthe expression on mine.
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” she asks, opening the door to her apartment wider so I can step inside.
Her space is small but cheery, filled with sunlight and plants. Large windows overlook Main Street, the hustle and bustle of a weekend in Sunflower Hill creating a comforting background hum as she shuts the door behind me and I plop down on her gray couch. Off to one corner of her living room, an easel stands on top of a tarp, one of her half-finished paintings waiting patiently for her return.
She sits down next to me, her eyes scanning my face carefully. “What did he do?”
I bite my lip, my chest tight. “I’m not sure.”
Her eyes narrow. “If you’re not sure, why is your upset face so strong right now?”
I purse my lips, sitting up straight in the hopes that I can actually articulate what has me so upset at the moment. “Ryder bought the cabins at the top of the hill.”
Izzy nods. “Your pipe dream cabins.”
I let out a long breath. “I know, realistically, that this is not something I’m allowed to be upset about.”
Izzy shrugs, leaning back into the couch. “You’re allowed to be upset over whatever you want to be upset about. In fact, I’d encourage you to be upset about it. Try on the emotion, see how it feels. Something tells me your apprehension is what’s torturing you right now, not whatever Ryder is doing with those cabins.”
I shake my head. “How are you so certain?”
She smiles, raising one eyebrow. “Evie, it’s like you’ve forgotten how long we’ve known each other. You’re fiercely defensive of your farm and tend to shoot first and ask questions later when you think something might threaten it. Ryder is presenting you with the ultimate challenge: he’sdoing something that will undoubtedly affect the farm and you’re struggling to delicately retain control of something that is ultimately out of your hands because you want to trust him, but life has taught you to be wary.”
I narrow my eyes. “Do you know what he’s doing?”
Her brow furrows. “How would I know what he’s doing?”
“I don’t know. You just seem confident in what you’re saying.”
She shrugs. “It’s a lot easier to see things objectively when you’re not in the thick of it all. That man has shown up for you time and time again. Chopping flowers, taking care of you when you were sick. Whatever he’s doing with those cabins—I have no doubt—is going to benefit you in the end.”
I shake my head. “I simultaneously love and hate how sure you are about that.”
Izzy shrugs. “It’s because you know I’m right, but that anxious side of you doesn’t want to let a good thing happen.”
I sink down into the couch, letting her words settle for a moment before speaking. “I think I might be terrified right down to my bones.”
Izzy snorts in laughter. “Well, hey, at least you can admit it.”
I let out a long breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something like I want this. This past weekend in New York. The time he’s been in Sunflower Hill. Even when I hated him, I think there was a part of me that liked the possibility he’d show up on the farm one day.”
