This was a bad idea.
All of this was a bad idea. Unfortunately I had no other place to go so there wasn’t much I could do.
I’d just have to make sure to keep my longing for Dare under control, no matter how out of hand it was getting being surrounded by him.
NINE
DARE
Iglanced at the greaseproof paper bag and licked my lips. The image of Zach seeing me off with a blueberry lemon curd muffin and a bright smile was too much this early in the morning. It was too familiar when he’d only been in my house for two days. I could get used to this. I knew I could. And therein laid the problem. Because Zach wasn’t mine and he couldn’t ever be mine.
I sighed and looked straight into the road, out the windshield for a moment before I turned the wipers on.
The sky ahead looked gray and ominous and I was heading right into the abyss.
I made a quick pit-stop at Duke’s to hand him his order, then went into town and parked in front of Nimit’s Essentials by the waterfront.
“Good morning, Dare,” Nim said as soon as I walked in. He quickly stood up from behind the register and led me to the store room in the back.
“Two cases today, right?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Let’s see how long these last this time,” he said.
“Really?” I grimaced.
“Are you kidding?” Nim blew raspberries. “Your jam is flying off the shelf. I just hope you can keep up with the demand.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
If anyone would have told me five years ago I’d be a jam maker, a pie baker, a small town farmer that was part of a loving community, I would have laughed in their face.
Even though buying the blueberry farm was a conscious decision, I hadn’t planned on doing more than caring for the land and selling my crops to local stores.
I also thought I’d have Wyatt by my side to help me, but that hadn’t panned out, had it? At least he’d never even set foot in the farm when I was going through the purchase. That way he hadn’t sullied my home with his lies and broken promises. There was a silver lining to everything I guess.
We walked back out front and Nim opened the register and counted some bills before passing them to me and I handed him his invoice.
“How are things here?” I looked out the window, where Zach’s truck used to be. A black patch still visible where it once stood.
Nim shrugged.
“Same as always, I guess. Everyone’s still shocked with what happened to Zach’s truck. Some people are saying it was an insurance scam but?—”
“It wasn’t! Zach would never do that. He loves his job.” My voice came out all growly and tense, making the large man standing opposite me flinch.
“I know, Dare. I’ve told them, but you know how the rumor mill goes. They might be all sweet and courteous to your face, but they won’t waste an opportunity to stab you in the back,” he said.
I nodded.
“Trust me. I’d know.”
I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head to the side, the question surely obvious in my face, but in case it wasn’t I added, “What happened with you?”
He let out a deep breath and sat down on the chair behind the counter.
“Nothing. Don’t worry.”
