4
Ava
This is nuts. I can’t even believe that we’re listening to this woman, and if it weren’t for Trevor insisting that we hear Bridget’s offer, I would have driven us halfway home by now.
Yes, she does have a point about the fact that I would not have listened to her at the party, but honestly, I’m even less apt to listen to her now that she has pulled this whole stunt. It makes me wonder why Trevor seems to have a soft spot for wanting to hear her offer. And why would she want the two of us to help her with her farm? Surely, she has other friends in town that could do it for her.
“If you agree to run my farm for a few weeks, design and make some modifications that will make it easier for me to do alone, then I will repay you with averylarge salary, and even the chance to use my farmhouse to host any of your future business events. You can even use the farmhouse and any of the space on the farm for your spring wedding if you’d like—all free of charge.”
“Why are you offering this to us?” I ask, finally unable to hide my surprise at how odd this all sounds.
I look at Bridget when she answers me, and I am truly not sure whether to believe her or not.
“This farm means a lot to me,” she says. “Every animal, every plant and tree here—I brought them all here and built this myself. But it’s just grown bigger than I can handle without help. Trevor was the only decent guy that I have ever met, the kind of guy that you can trust not to screw you over even after you’ve broken up. And the business that the two of you started sounds like the perfect solution to my problem. I just need some reliable help to run the farm and get things in place to make it a little bit more self-sufficient so that I can take care of it. And it would be a nice bonus to have a couple of friends around every once in a while, to keep me from being lonely.”
I have no idea why she would consider me a friend.
The whole thing sounds kind of odd to me, but I can already tell that Trevor is buying into it.
“This seems like it might be the perfect opportunity for all of us,” he says as he looks at me with a disillusioned hope in his eyes.
I don’t have the heart to tell him that I think this is a really bad idea. I don’t trust Bridget at all, but before I can ask her any more questions, Trevor gives in to a knee-jerk reaction and accepts her offer. When he looks at me to make sure it’s okay with me, I don’t say anything to the contrary, but thatdoesn’tmean that I am at all comfortable with it. I can’t get over the way that Bridget went about things, no matter how badly she wanted to bring us here. The way that she ran right up and kissed Trevor on the mouth, and the fact that she literally drugged him to get him to her farm—that shit is crazy no matter how you slice it. The whole thing sounds as suspicious and cynical as most of the stuff Max did, and I would prefer just to decline the offer and go back to doing our own thing on our own little farm. But Trevor is so excited about the opportunity to achieve some of the things we want to do with the salary being offered, that I decide to go along with it—at leastfor now.
* * *
“You’re not too fond of this idea, are you?” Trevor asks me over a quiet evening sipping brandy back at our own house. The snow is falling outside, and the evening is peaceful.
“Honestly, no, I’m not. But I think we can agree to see how it goes and proceed carefully with Bridget.”
“Yes, definitely,” he agrees as we cuddle together. “I may be willing to give her a chance, but I’m not blind to the fact that it’s an unusual situation.”
Unusualis putting it mildly, but at least we’re on the same page with being cautious. And even though I don’t want to admit it out loud to Trevor; I am well aware of the fact that he and Bridget had dated before is a nagging worry for me.
5
Trevor
When I head to Bridget’s farm the next week, I am skeptically optimistic. Ava comes along too to start planning for the launch of a new set of projects, using the farmhouse as a sort of “headquarters” for the design launch. The house itself is the epitome of a rustic paradise, and the fam land has no shortage of picturesque spots that could be used for promotional marketing. It’s also a very inspiring place to come up with project ideas. I think that even Ava has to admit that the charm of the farmhouse is elegant and much bigger and more accommodating than the house her mother left her. I feel hopeful that this arrangement is going to be beneficial for all three of us. Bridget even offered to give us a few hens, rabbits, and some of her crop seedlings to start off at our own little farm.
For the first couple of days, things seem to be going well. There is no drama that I can pick up on, and all three of us are busily engaged in what we’re doing. Ava is still coming to the farm with me every day and mostly working inside the farmhouse while Bridget and I are working out in the barns and stables. Bridget was definitely right about needing help on the farm. She’s been keeping up with things well, but I can see the areas that are starting to need more of a focus on being tended to. It’s way too much for one person to handle on their own with the way that things are, but I am confident that I can rig a few things that will help make life easier and more efficient for her here. After a couple of weeks, I should be able to have this farm very close to running itself, with Bridget simply needing to oil the cogs to keep the whole machine running.
Bridget has been spending the days I’m there working alongside me much of the time. I thought that it would bother me, but since she seems to be talking mostly about the farm modification and asking me how to take care of things—I don’t really mind the casual, friendly conversation. It just feels like she is trying to learn how to best run her farm, which I am happy to help with. Getting this farm up to par will be no problem at all, and I’m looking forward to the big paycheck at the end of this project.
“I’d like to let you choose a few animals and crop seedlings from the farm here to keep when you’re finished,” Bridget offers.
“You sure?” I ask. “I mean, it’s very generous of you and I appreciate it greatly, but it’s not necessary. You’re paying me for the work that I’m doing here.”
“I’m sure,” she smiles. “It’s the least I can do for all of your efforts. Besides, I have way more than I need.”
“Well then, thank you, I gratefully accept,” I say. “That will make a big difference in starting our own little farm.”
“Good,” she smiles. “Maybe picking out a rabbit from one of the new baby litters will make Ava hate me a little less.”
“She doesn’t hate you; she just isn’t happy with the way you went about things.”
“Yeah, understandable,” Bridget shrugs. “What kind of theme is she planning for your wedding?”
“I’m not sure,” I answer. “I think she was hoping for something simple and beautiful. After being back from the city, I think she is appreciating the rustic magic a bit more.”
