She smiled at me. “Is it working?”
“Almost.”
“Well, you have to do what you have to do, but real love doesn’t come around too often in this world. My advice, guilt-free, is don’t be so quick to pass up on a good thing.”
I pursed my lips and nodded. “It’s good advice, but there’s no way Shelby and I can make this work.”
“That’s a shame, then.” She dried her hands on a towel and came over to me with her arms open. “Come on now, Carter. Give me a hug before you hit the road. You were a good guest.”
I gave the woman a big hug. “And you were a good hostess.”
“Leave me five stars online,” she added, laughing and pulling out of the hug. “And be sure to say goodbye to Jake. He’s going to be as sad as Shelby that you’re leaving.”
“The feed store is my next stop.”
She walked me out and watched me drive off, waving. I was going to miss her. She was sweet, like an aunt I’d never had. So many people in Ferris had opened their arms to me like family. Maybe it was something in the water out here, or maybe they had all learned to band together after Whitaker Farms shut down. Those who’ve been through hard times know how much a helping hand can tip the scales to a positive outcome.
I stopped in at the feed store. Jake stood behind the counter, scrolling on his phone. I walked up to him with my hand outstretched. “I’m heading out, man.”
Jake looked genuinely crestfallen as he shook my hand. “What? But tomorrow’s Easter. You have to try the taco fries, dude. I wait all year for those.”
“That sounds awesome, but it’s probably not a great choice before driving across the country.” I let go of his hand and leaned on the counter. “You guys have insane food here.”
“Yeah, that’s why people come here from all over the state for the Easter events. Never underestimate the lure of crazy fair food.”
I got serious. “Hey, man, for real. Thank you for treating me like a person, and not just a monster from Allory.”
Jake shrugged. “Once Shelby vouched for you, I figured I’d give you a chance. You’re all right, Allory.”
I grinned. “Thanks, Jake. You’re all right, too.”
“So, have you said goodbye to Shelby?”
I nodded. “Yesterday. We talked about everything. She knows I’m leaving.”
“Well, alright,” he said. “I’ll let Lila know to be ready with some ice cream and a punching bag.”
“Thank you, Jake. I feel better knowing she has such good friends here.” I sighed. “I wish I had friends back in LA half as good as you guys.”
“You’re always welcome to stay,” he said, chuckling.
“I’ve been hearing that a lot,” I replied with a laugh. “It’s surprisingly tempting.”
“Right? It’s not all bad here.”
“Definitely not.”
“Well, Allory, have a safe trip back,” he said. “Send us a postcard every once in a while, huh?”
“Will do.”
I left and got driving. Without thinking about it, I took the road leading to the turnoff to Granny’s Acre Farm, and I sat at the intersection for close to ten minutes, debating driving down that road and seeing Shelby one more time.
If I saw her again, I might never leave, and as tempting as it was, I had a whole life waiting for me back in Los Angeles. I had a whole company that depended on me, and I had been away for too long.
I wasn’t looking forward to the piles of missed messages and the endless meetings with department heads, trying to prove they had earned their salaries in my absence. The board was definitely going to want to talk, to hear what I had accomplished in Kentucky. I felt comfortable with what the social media team had gotten, even if we ended up scrapping the whole idea. I was still on the fence about that.
If we were going to rehabilitate our image, I wanted to do it with actions instead of words. There was a better way to fix ourimage, and I just had to get the rest of the company on board with it.
