“Will you be my girlfriend?” Walker’s words take me by surprise. The boyish innocence of them.
“Really?”
A laugh looses from his chest. “Yeah, Wildflower, really. Will you date me?In public.”
I bite my lip, but before I get a chance to respond, Walker presses on.
“I know you’re still leaving. I’m not trying to keep you. I just—”
I press my finger to his lips to silence him. “How about we don’t talk about the future? How about we just live in the now, together?”
He nods with a goofy grin. “I’d like that.”
A huge smile blooms on my lips. His mouth twitches into one, too, before we both lean in to savor a long, languid kiss.
“Are you two ever coming back?” Penny calls.
Walker and I turn to see Rosie and Penny standing at the top of the hill, both beaming as they watch us.
“Yeah, what are you guys doing out here? The party’s back there!” Rosie shouts.
The corners of my mouth twitch up as I settle against Walker’s chest and holler back. “We’re dating!”
CHAPTER 44
Tally
ROCHELLE:Tally, I wanted to go over the recipes you’ve been testing. Do you have time tonight?
ROCHELLE:Hi Tally, could you give me a call?
ROCHELLE:Are you still interested in joining me this summer?
My boot-covered foot taps wildly against the ground as I wait for Walker, trying like hell to avoid looking at my phone and the many messages that call for a response. My future boss in Nantucket, Rochelle, has texted me three times since last week, but due to the wedding cake debacle, I’ve been distracted. And now, well, now I actually don’t know if I can answer her question because last night Walker asked me to be his girlfriend as we danced in the wildflower field. Can we really have a future if I leave? But can I really stay because of a boy? Or, in Walker’s case, a beautiful, wonderful, excellent-in-bed, swoony, makes-my-toes-curl man?
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I stare out at the farm. The Halls and their guests are still here, staying in the cottages until tomorrow. It’s clear as day that this is the future of the farm. A mini-resort on the prettiest piece of land, with weddings in the spring, and I’m sure Walker already has aslew of ideas for the other seasons. Everything will continue to grow, bigger, better, and more beautiful, and I can’t imagine missing it all.
But how do I stay? Walker wants Billie to move here. The cottage is supposed to be her and Quinn’s new home. It’s the right thing for them and for Walker. And for my mother. Having them around all the time lights her up. I’ve come to realize that they aren’t replacements for us. But they do bring her joy in their own way, and all I want is to see my mother happy.
And I have to admit that as much as I love this farm, it’s not what makes my heart tick like it does for her and Walker, or like it did for my dad. So I should go to Nantucket. I should save up the money I make there for school and maybe one day I can come back here. Maybe take up Rayna on that offer for Mabel’s. But that day is not today.
I’m still having these thoughts half an hour later as I set up my table at the farmers market when Quinn comes bolting down the brewery steps. His head whips back and forth like he’s searching for something. I round my table and head his way.
“Hey, Quinn.”
The moment he spots me, his lips tip up into a grin, exposing a missing front tooth. “Hi, Tally! Have you seen my Uncle Jesse?”
“Did you lose something this morning?” I ask him with a laugh.
His face falls and he looks around confused. “I don’t think so? Why? Did you find something at your house that I left?”
I snort. “No. Your tooth.” I point at my own front tooth.
“Oh yeah!” He reaches into his pocket and produces a five-dollar bill. “And look what the tooth fairy gave me!”
“Wow, five whole dollars. What are you going to do with that?”
He leans in close. “Can you keep a secret?”
