Her face lights up. “I have to show you something!” Suddenly pulling my hand, she drags me out of the bakery.
“Where are we going?” I ask, but she doesn’t answer.
She’s holding my hand tightly and pulling us toward the houses. I assume she’s bringing me to her house for some reason, but I honestly can’t begin to guess what it is. She unlocks her front door and finally lets go of my hand.
“Wait right here.” She tells me before running upstairs.
“What?” I search for a clue of what’s going on, but she’s already gone. A few minutes later, she returns with an envelopewith my name on it. The handwriting is familiar, but I just can’t place it.
“I found this a little while back, and I’m sorry for not giving it to you earlier. I needed to figure this place out before you knew the truth about the orchard being in debt. But this is from Aunt Blake.” Bells hands me the envelope, and my heart drops.
“She left you this in the will?” I ask, my eyes brimming with tears.
“No, they were among her things. There’s one for Hattie and Lina too. I didn’t know why she didn’t just give them to you, so I did read them. And I can understand if you’re upset with me for keeping them. But it was always my intention to give them to you once you knew about the orchard.”
I take the envelope from her, tracing my fingers over the black ink of my name. Carefully sliding the piece of paper out, I begin to read her note.
Dear Tilly,
I regret having to write this, and I hope things may change before I give you this. I know I’ve promised you the orchard. I think you would do amazing things with it, and you would keep my vision alive for years and years to come. You’d make this a safe haven for all those who need it, just like I did for you. But at this point in time, I know I cannot leave it to you. We’re not making a profit, and I’m afraid things are going downhill. With my diagnosis, I fear things will only get worse instead of better. You are destined for such amazing things, and I don’t want you tied to my failure. This is why I’ve decided to leave the orchard to my niece, Arabella. She has done amazing things working for non-profits and volunteering for underprivileged and queer youth. She will know how to get us out of this hole. And if not, she will sell the place to someone who can. I know this is not what you want to hear. And I’m sorry if you’re angry about it—I completely understand. But please know this is for your bestinterest. I do not want you tied to such a huge loss so early on in your career.
You have made this orchard less of a job and more of a home. I never intended to take you in, let alone Hattie and Ollie, and Lina too, but I’m so glad I did. You four became my family in ways only you understand. My own family has always had their own challenges, and I’ve never connected with them the way we did. I will treasure our time together, and I hope you come to understand my reasoning. Thank you for being true to yourself and authentic in all the ways I was never brave enough to be.
Love,
Benny
By the end, I’m crying, and Bells is offering me a tissue from the box. All this time, I thought Benny didn’t believe in me or thought I wasn’t good enough to run this place. But it turns out she was just trying to protect me. She didn’t want me to have more stress about getting the orchard out of debt and it effecting the rest of my life. I can’t begin to explain the amount of relief I feel just knowing this is the truth. Sure, I wish I knew a little earlier, but even knowing now makes things better.
TWENTY-FOUR
Bells
It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Tilly cry, and I don’t entirely know what to do. So besides offering her a tissue, I extend my arms in case she wants a hug. I won’t be offended if she doesn’t. Everyone has different needs when they’re upset. But Tilly accepts my hug and leans into my chest to cry. I rub small circles on her back and wonder if it was the best idea now to give her the letter. Maybe she would’ve been happier not knowing?
“I’m sorry if you think I shouldn’t have given you the letter. I thought you’d want it, but I should’ve asked.” I sigh.
“No! I’m not crying about the letter. Well, I am. But not in the way you think.” I give her a chance to blow her nose and then she continues. “I really thought she left you this place because she thought I couldn’t handle it. And that’s part of why I hated you so much. She barely knew you, but she thought you’d do a better job than I could. It didn’t make any sense. I spent my life working for this. But now knowing it wasn’t about me at all, and she was just trying to protect me. It makes me feel a lot of things.”
“I didn’t know you thought that. I thought you were just mad she left it to me.”
“Well yeah, but it was mostly because of my feelings attached to it. Like I thought she suddenly thought less of me or something. But clearly, she was right in her choice. You turned this place around and saved it. In a lot of ways I never thought were possible.” She smiles.
“I guess Aunt Blake kept up on me. She had all these notes about me and why I’d be the best for the job. It was jarring but I’m hoping I made her proud,” I admit.
“You definitely did.”
“I do want to ask you something. Now that this place is in the green again, would you be interested in being my co-owner? I don’t want to give this place up, but I’d be willing to share it with you.” I smile. It’s something I’d been thinking about for the last few weeks.
“Really?” Her face lights up.
“Yeah, I can’t guarantee whatever this is will work out with us. I hope it does, don’t get me wrong. But either way, I hope you’ll be my business partner and keep my aunt’s legacy alive.”
“I would love that.” She nods. “But I’d also like you to be my romantic partner too.”
“I think we might be able to arrange that,” I tease with a wink.
Tilly leans in to kiss me, her lips soft and tender. Her cheeks are dry from any tears, so I hold them in my hands as I kiss her. She tugs gently on my bottom lip with her teeth, and I moan. Her tongue slips in, and she pulls my body into hers. Tilly takes her time kissing me. Nothing about this is rushed despite the fact that I can feel the need growing between us. I palm her breasts through her T-shirt, and she tugs at the bottom of my shirt. I want to yell at her to take it off and fuck me, but I restrain myself. I want this moment to last between us. Plus, I usually liked to be the one making her beg, not doing the begging.
