Amy:I was going to go to Manhattan.
I let out a frustrated sigh. So had all her flirting been just that?
Sebastian:I’ll drive you back after.
Sebastian:I have to be in the city for a meeting at my satellite office anyway. I was going to drive in in the morning, but I can go tonight.
Amy:What about Alfie?
Sebastian:He can stay with the Svenssons. He practically lives there anyway.
Sebastian:I’ll pick you up at the farm at six.
Amy:You really are a wholesome country boy. Eating dinner early!
Sebastian:If you want the calamari at the Hook and Tackle seafood restaurant, you have to be there early.
Amy:Truth.
I felt both elated and guilty after texting with Amy.
I was going to see her again, but that meant I wasn’t spending time with Alfie.
However, he didn’t seem all that put out later when I picked him up from school.
“You’re going on a date!” He whooped, bouncing up and down in the back seat of the car.
“If you don’t want me to, I can cancel, and we can hang out,” I assured him.
“No way, and it’s with Amy. So cool.”
“You okay staying at the Svenssons?” I asked in concern.
“Yeah, we’ve been growing mushrooms in the bunker, and I think mine are ready to harvest. We’re going to sell them to restaurants in Harrogate!”
* * *
The hourfor the date had fast approached.
After dropping Alfie off at the Svenssons, I drove over to Ernest’s farm to pick up Amy.
The sun was low on the horizon and cast a warm glow over the rolling fields as I parked in the lot near the rambling farmhouse.
Ernest was waiting on the porch in a rocking chair as I walked up. He was holding a large pitchfork.
Shit.
He was probably angry I had put Amy in a compromising position. He rarely made an appearance in town, but the few times I had met him, he’d seemed like a traditional sort.
“Good evening, sir,” I said, stopping just shy of the front steps. “I’m here for Amy.”
Ernest narrowed his eyes at me and inclined his head slightly.
I shifted on my feet. The silence was making me nervous. Not to mention that Ernest was peering at me with a slightly murderous look in his eye and twisting the pitchfork around.
I cleared my throat. “I just want to apologize for my behavior the other day,” I said in a rush, feeling more nervous than I had since I was a teenager. I was a big, bad CEO, goddamn it. So what if Amy’s grandfather didn’t like me?
But if he didn’t like me, then our marriage wouldn’t work.
