She told me exactly how many cartons she needed and I tallied up the price. Mrs. Presley frowned at the amount I told her, and I worried she couldn’t afford it. Maybe I should tell her I made a mistake and charge her less.
“Shelby, you’re worth far more than you give yourself credit for. This isn’t nearly enough.”
Relief flooded me and I shrugged. “I’m not going to charge you more.”
“Well, listen,” she told me. “Honeyrose House will be participating in the city bake-off event taking place in a few days.”
I frowned. “I’ve been skipping that the last few years.”
“Yes, but you should come this year. The town is going all out for the spring festival this year. You don’t want to miss it.”
“I don’t know,” I said with a sigh. “I’m still not the most popular person in town. I try to avoid big community events like that.”
Mrs. Presley leaned in. “You’re far too young and pretty to live like a recluse, kiddo. The years tick by fast. Don’t waste them worrying about what other people think of you.”
The rumble of another engine interrupted our conversation. Tyler’s truck came bouncing down the road, and Mrs. Presley grinned at me.
“Is that Carter?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, not elaborating.
“Hmm,” she said, also not elaborating. “Well, then, I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Mrs. Presley, stop,” I said with an embarrassed smile. “He’s just helping me out around the farm.”
She nodded like she knew exactly what that meant. “Good. You need some company out here. I won’t say a peep to anyone.”
“Peep all you want,” I insisted. “There’s nothing going on.”
“Of course not.”
She waited just long enough for Carter to park and exit the truck. She shot him a knowing smirk as well and drove off.
“What’s her deal?” Carter asked.
“She’s just excited about the bake-off,” I said, not daring to tell him the truth.
Carter nodded, not questioning me. “Who doesn’t love dessert? So, what’s on the agenda today.”
I gave him a sweet smile. “Do you know anything about planting carrots? I’ve been thinking of adding a plot in one of the back fields.”
“The only thing I know about carrots is that they’re good for your eyesight,” he said, seeming proud of knowing that piece of trivia.
I couldn’t help myself. “Actually, that’s a myth about carrots. It’s not true.”
Carter sighed and his shoulders slumped. “Okay, then I don’t knowanythingabout carrots.”
I grinned. “And this is why you make a bad bunny.”
“I really don’t like when you call me that,” he said, eyes tight.
“I know. That’s why I keep calling you that.”
CHAPTER 10
CARTER
The carrot planting got delayed when a broken fence let out a bunch of clucking chickens. My job was to chase them all down while Shelby mended the chicken wire. I was not in my element. I left at the end of the day exhausted, covered in dirt, and ready to sleep for eighteen hours.
