“You’re right,” Fritz said, nodding. “Her other grandson, the model TV star with the chiseled features—”
“That’s Caleb,” she said in a low voice.
“Yes, Caleb. He worked with his wife, Sophia, at Yukon Cider, right?”
Caleb had worked as an executive and then starred in a major cider campaign while Sophia had been brought on as a photographer.
“Yes, they did and there were no issues. I don’t expect there to be any with us either. And in case you’re wondering,this is all very new and casual.” A slight feeling of guilt tugged at her as the words slid out of her mouth. Fritz was a close friend. She trusted him, but she couldn’t run the risk of telling him about her and Landon’s ruse. Fritz wouldn’t mean to blab, but every instinct told her that he would. And, in the end, this was all about making Hattie happy in her final days.
“Am I sworn to secrecy?” he asked, making a lock-turning motion on his lips.
“It’s not a secret. Hattie knows and so do his brothers,” she told him. It was best to lay the groundwork so that folks wouldn’t be shocked to see them out and about together.
Fritz continued to press her for answers. “What about your family?”
Bailey’s heart sank. She hadn’t said a word yet due to her sister’s broken engagement. Hearing about her and Landon might be like rubbing salt in the wound. “I haven’t said anything yet. Things have been rough for Lynn lately, so I’m trying to be sensitive. Kai pretty much ended things with her,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“No big surprise there,” he said. “Kai was always one foot in and one foot out.”
Fritz wasn’t wrong. Her sister had devoted her life to someone who had always seemed iffy about their relationship. He had taken things way too far by proposing to Lynn and planning a future with her. Obviously, she didn’t think he should have gone forward with the marriage if he couldn’t make it work, but she would die on the hill that he never should have proposed in the first place.
“I’m going to tell them. I just haven’t figured out a way to break it to Lynn. As it is, there’s been a lot of tension betweenus lately,” she admitted. Maybe there always had been, if she was being honest with herself. They were so different. Bailey had always been an opinionated rule breaker, while Lynn had been way more obedient and reserved. Bailey really wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between them.
“That’s really sweet of you, but in a small town like Moose Falls word is bound to get out quickly. Especially when we’re talking about one of Hattie’s grandsons.” Fritz playfully fanned his face. “There’s going to be a lot of disappointment when folks hear that he’s taken.” Fritz made a growling sound and pretended as if he was about to claw her. Bailey laughed and shooed Fritz back to his workstation.
For a moment Bailey battled feelings of discomfort. Landon wasn’t actually taken and certainly not by her. Things were quickly spiraling out of control. She hadn’t really thought about the ripples. For the first time it crossed her mind that they were wading into complicated waters. What would happen if he did meet someone in town that he was interested in? Their little arrangement would hold him back, and she would never want to see that happen. Maybe it was best that she made it clear that neither one of them should feel bound to their agreement if love came calling. There was a little hitch in her heart at the idea of Landon falling for someone other than her. Even though she was trying to play it cool, she had feelings for him. And they weren’t going away anytime soon.
A few moments later, Landon came over, holding some paperwork in his hand. He held it up and said, “I think I figured out where the problem came from—Duggan Orchards in Washington State.”
“That’s great,” Bailey said. “Joann will want to reach outto them and report the problem. In the meantime, we’ll have to figure out what to do for the shortfall. Apple is such a popular cider flavor.”
“I was actually preparing a batch of pear-flavored cider earlier with Fritz. He was showing me the ropes. He also pointed out how important the integrity of the fruit is to this whole process.”
“We’re nothing without the fruit. As Fritz probably explained, fruit provides the sugars that are needed for fermentation. It’s also pretty important for the flavor profile.”
“I’m learning a lot about each step of the process. Fermentation has always been intriguing to me, as well as learning about the flavor profiles.”
Bailey smiled at him. “Sounds like you’re a natural.”
“My grandmother knows me well.”
“Apparently,” Bailey said. She twiddled her fingers for a moment, expending some nervous energy. She then leaned toward him and spoke in a low voice. “I think we need to talk so we can get a few things straight. If we’re going to pull this off, we need to be on the same page.”
“Absolutely,” Landon said, nodding. “A few things have come up that I need to tell you about.”
“Same here,” she said. “By the way, I just told Fritz that we’re, umm… together. I figured that it might be kind of strange if he found out later on and then wondered why neither one of us had said anything.”
“No, that makes sense.” He drew in a deep breath. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you? I won’t be upset if you’ve decided to back out.” He made a face. “I know it’s a lot. There are a lot of moving pieces. Especially since we work together.”
“Not at all,” she said. “I owe Hattie, and this is my chance to pay her back.” If she had a dozen lifetimes, she didn’t think she would ever be able to repay Hattie for saving her family.
Landon seemed puzzled by her comment. “What do you owe her for?”
“It’s a long story, one that I’ll happily tell you at a later time, but not right now.” In order to tell Landon, she would have to talk about her father’s death, and that usually took more strength than she had at the moment. “Suffice it to say that your grandmother is one of the best people I’ve ever known. And I’m proud to call her my friend.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me about that,” he said. “How about we grab dinner later at Northern Exposure? I’m a big fan of the food. The chef, Laurie Ito, is phenomenal.”
“Sounds good. I’m a big fan of hers,” Bailey said. “How about six o’clock? I can swing by after work.”
“See you then,” Landon said. He tapped his paperwork. “I need to get back to these charts.” She watched as he headed over to his workstation. He really was yummy, she thought. All six-foot-whatever inches of warm brown skin and the deepest, most soulful brown eyes she’d ever seen. It was truly a miracle that she could get any work done with Landon in the vicinity.
Stop thinking about him. Stop. Cease and desist.
And, of course, because she’d told herself to stop thinking about Landon, he was all she could think about now. She needed to be working at her desk instead of daydreaming. She prided herself on being hardworking and disciplined, yet now she was all googly-eyed over a man who she was working with.
This type of magnetic attraction didn’t happen to her. Not ever! She had to admit it was a blessing and a curse atthe same time. It was exciting to feel so many emotions all at once crashing over her. This rush of feeling had been absent in her life for quite some time. She couldn’t even adequately put it into words. On the downside, it was a little overwhelming to feel like this when she had no idea whether Landon felt anything remotely similar.
Being in his presence and pretending to be his girlfriend would entail lots of moments where they were acting like a couple. Holding hands. Flirting. Romantic tension. The whole objective was to make their faux relationship believable. If she knew Moose Falls like she thought she did, all eyes would be on them tonight at Northern Exposure.
Now she was asking herself some really hard questions. Could she handle this? Would everyone believe their act? And, most importantly, how in the world was she going to pull this off without Landon noticing that she had eyes only for him?
