I smile at Melinda as she takes her seat behind her desk again, and follow Scott down the hall.
He stops by an open door and gestures for me to head in. “It’s the only free office, but… it’s a good one.”
My brows lift as I step inside and let my eyes roam around the space. It’s a typical office with a desk, bookshelf, and chairs. But the view… it stops me right in my tracks.
I grew up with this view, seeing it from every angle, all the time. Whether I was here on the farm or in my bedroom, I saw farmland. And I’ve looked at this exact field countless times.
But… it’s different now.
The field outside the window stretches out into the distance, bathed in amber light as the sun slowly rises above it, and hues of pink and orange fade into the sky. The roof of the tractor garage at the edge of the field catches the light, reflecting it back in golden streaks that make my eyes burn… yet I can’t look away. The rays spill across the office floor, and I feel the warmth of it on my skin as I pull a deep breath in.
Growing up with this view every day, I think I took it for granted. But now… there’s nothing quite like it.
“So, you’re staying with your parents?” Scott asks behind me.
I nod as my eyes catch movement near the tractor garage, and I see a few people milling about. But I tear my gaze from them and turn back to Scott.
“Yeah, for now. I’ll start looking for a place soon.”
He leans against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. “Rentals have been scarce around here for a while.”
“Yeah,” I sigh as I set my bag down on the desk. My parents said the same thing. “Well, we’ll see what I find. Buying here is cheaper than renting anything in Toronto.” I chuckle.
Scott lets out a breath of laughter. “I bet.” He pauses with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he watches me for a moment. Then he shifts his gaze out the window and nods his chin towards it. “Al wants to meet with you today to start getting you caught up for planting, since that’s quickly coming up. I’ll take you over to him.”
I smile. “He didn’t develop any chill while I was gone, eh?”
Scott laughs, leading me back into the hallway so we can head out to Al’s office in the garage. “It’s actually quite a relief to not have to explain the quirks of these people to someone new.”
As we step outside, my eyes immediately land on the group gathered near the front of the garage. The bay doors are open, and two tractors are already pulled out onto the gravel. It’s the morning routine I know well, where everyone takes a coffee break after prep work, before the hard work begins.
My fingers twitch at my sides, and my eyes quickly move from face to face as we get closer. Most of them are familiar, with a few new people added to the crew… and one missing.
“Well, well!” Keith calls as we approach. “Big-time city boy back on the farm!”
I laugh, accepting his handshake. “Turns out the city is overrated.”
“Got that right,” Dacia smiles, bumping me with her shoulder in greeting.
Scott introduces me to the few new additions to the team, and I catch up with Rob, Peter, and the rest of the crew I used to know so well. But as they all share easy stories and jokes, I find myself smiling and nodding as my attention continues to drift. My eyes dart inside the garage whenever there’s the smallest sound, or across the lot when I think I see movement.
But no one else joins us.
“Well,” Rob says, finishing the last of his coffee. “Time to get to work.”
Murmurs of agreement move through the group as they scatter, heading into the garage, out towards the fields, and to the other buildings surrounding us, all of them falling into motion like a well-oiled machine.
“I need to head out for a bit,” Scott says to me. “But I’ll be back this afternoon. We’ll let you do your thing. I know you have a lot of data and information to go through. And Al will probably talk your ear off all morning.” He smirks at Al, who just nods.
“Yes, I will,” Al says seriously. “I have a phone call to make, then I’ll meet you in your office.”
I nod, stifling my smile. “Sounds good.”
Al heads into the garage, and I stay right where I am, letting my eyes drift across the lot one more time.
Scott steps a bit closer to me and lowers his voice. “I think he needs a bit more time.”
I nod slowly, bringing my attention back to him.
