Minka cheeks turned rosy, and Cali watched her straighten her back against the driver’s seat. “Oh, well, Grady Winslow and I, we … well, I don’t know what you’d call it, Cals.”
“You dated?”
“More like hooked up. Off and on. Like every summer during college. I don’t know why but something about coming home and seeing him, it just … he’s the one who got away.”
“That’s so sweet, Minka. Maybe you’re his one who got away, too.”
“Meh,” she shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be.”
“Will he be there today?” Cali asked.
Minka scoffed. “No. Ever since Candlewick expanded into ciders, he’s traveled to food expos and regional fairs. He even went out of state for a while to study sustainable farming after I was done with my business degree. I know he’s still part of the family business, but not, like, the face of it.”
“I see.”
Minka’s shoulders relaxed as they followed the handmade signs along the road to a gravel lot packed with vehicles. A kid ran past their parked car with a caramel apple on a stick. The delightful smells of wood smoke and apple cider drifted through Minka’s open sunroof as they bundled up. Laughter echoed in the distance.
Once they walked through the ivy-covered entrance gates, they were met with an irresistible fall setting: rows of apple trees heavy with red, green, and gold fruit, rustic wooden signs pointing toward “Cider Barn,” “Donuts,” “Hayrides,” and “Petting Zoo.” Wagons creaked and horses snorted as they pulled groups of apple pickers toward the fields. Boots crunched on gravel as goats and cows bleated for more feed. The sweet,heady scent of ripe apples and cider hit her nose first, and she insisted they eat before apple picking. They sat on glossy red benches, each with a cold, fizzy hard cider and warm, glazed apple cider donuts that left them with sticky fingers as they people-watched. Then they wandered over to the animal farm and bought some feed. The nudge of a goat’s nose and the feel of its raspy tongue as it ate from Cali’s hand reminded her of autumns with her grandmother, visiting together.
Finally, they bought their baskets and made their way out to the orchard to pick them full. The orchard smelled like cider and damp leaves, the kind of sweetness that could trick a person into thinking the world was uncomplicated. Cali trailed behind Minka, pretending to study the rows of apple trees.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Minka noted, twisting an apple off its stem. “And don’t say it’s because you’re concentrating. This isn’t the library.” The sound of fiddles tuning drifted from the barn. “Give it to me, Cals.”
Cali shifted her basket, scanning for excuses. “Okay. It’s Ethan. But before you say anything—”
Minka’s brow rose. “Oh, I’mdefinitelygoing to say something if it’s about Ethan.”
Cali sighed, pressing her thumb into the skin of an apple until it dimpled. “We haven’t actually been seeing each other. At least not regularly, and certainly not like the rest of Autumn Ridge seems to think.”
“But the kiss and the cat sharing and the hand holding at Nine Lives?” Cali winced at the reminder. “I thought things were going great. No wonder you haven’t been spilling the details.”
“I just don’t want to get attached, okay? He’s going to leave when City Hall’s done, and things will get messy. I’d rather rip the bandage off now than wait until later, when it’ll just hurt worse.”
Minka leaned her hip against a tree trunk, watching her. “You really think you can schedule heartbreak?”
Cali frowned. “That’s not what I’m—”
“It’s exactly what you’re trying to do.” Minka’s voice softened. “End things before they can end on their own, like that’ll make it easier. Right? Well, take it from me. It doesn’t work. You’ll just end up hating yourself.”
The orchard wind rustled between them, shaking loose a few red leaves.
Cali’s throat tightened. “I just—if he does leave, it’ll mean I misread everything.”
“Or,” Minka said gently, “you’re a kick-ass librarian who isn’t prone to misreading. What you’re prone to, instead, is making up stories in your head. You’re not scared of him leaving, Cali. You’re scared of what it says about you if he does. But I’m here to tell you, if he leaves, it likely has nothing to do with you. Do you see the way that guy looks at you? Hell, even the way he looks at your cat!”
Cali glanced down at the trail and swallowed hard. “I gave him Max,” she confessed.
“Youwhat?” Minka almost dropped her basket. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“After Max ran away, he showed up at Ethan’s place. I saw how happy he was with Catsby and I just—I just, I don’t know. I let go. I told Ethan I wasn’t taking Max back, and we got into an argument about it.”
Minka blinked at her, stunned. “Okay, wow. That’s … a lot of feelings wrapped up in one cat.”
Cali’s voice wavered. “I thought it was the right thing. Max seemed happier there—and safe. He probably won’t run away again. But now I don’t even know if it was about Max or if it was about trying to prove something to Ethan.”
“It sounds an awful lot like you were doing what was safest foryou.”
Cali frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
