Emerson blinked toward the white van he’d been headed toward.
“That’s all right,” he said. “Just loading up the CSA deliveries.”
Luca was already heading toward cold storage. He grabbed another tray of CSA boxes, clearly organized near the door. They hadn’t been there yesterday when Luca and Jansel had finished up their day, which meant Emerson must have put them together at some point after Luca had already gone to bed, or this morning before the sun rose.
Emerson frowned when Luca met him at the back of the van.
“You don’t have to—it’s the weekend. Your day off.”
Luca waved him off. The new renters who’dtake over his cabin for the weekend wouldn’t be in until the afternoon. He had time. His brain had re-set somehow, the moment he’d walked into cold storage, the second he’d hefted the heavy tray in his hands. Maybe he really wouldn’t check his writing inbox today.
“Hey, I’m here, right? Might as well use me.”
Well—fuck. Maybe his head hadn’t totally cleared after all. He spun on his heel and marched back to the storage building before Emerson could respond.
Might as well use me.
How he wished Emerson would.
When he turned, holding another tray of carefully packaged broccoli and carrots and golden raspberries and rainbow arrays of chard, Emerson was right in front of him, blocking his way in the threshold. Lifting the cap of his hat, scratching at his hairline before placing it back over his skull.
“I’m serious. You should be able to, you know. Go out on the weekends. Go…on dates, or whatever you need to do. I know farming doesn’t always make things like that easy.”
“I don’t need?—”
Luca stopped himself. He should probably just keep his mouth shut. The sexual tension of being around this man without being able to touch him already felt like too much. Swiping right on an app sometime soon might be necessary, just to calm his body down.
But they didn’t have to broach the topicout loud.
Of course, his mouth opened again anyway.
“That’s good to know,” he said. “For the future. There’s no…active dating happening, though, at the moment. Just…so you know.”
Jesus Christ. He’d meantjust so you know, as my employer. So Emerson knew he wouldn’t be cutting out on the farm for any reason. That he was pathetically free of attachments. The ideal employee.
But it had sounded likejust so you know, as a man I am clearly attracted to.
Luca was staring at Emerson’s shoulder. The flannel he wore today, brown and navy, looked particularly soft. The collar shifted against his neck as he placed his fists against his hips.
“I—”
A wail jumped suddenly into the air between them, emanating from Emerson’s pocket.
Luca’s gaze finally shifted to Emerson’s face, watching his frown deepen, the way it made a little divot form in his chin as he brought the baby monitor out of his pocket. He looked freshly shaven. He always looked freshly shaven. Luca’s own cheeks suddenly felt brazenly unkempt.
“She’s normally not up this early.” Emerson turned. “I’ll be right back.”
“Want me to keep loading these up?”
“You don’t?—”
“The ones here, right?” The tray Luca had been holding weighed heavy in his arms, but he still managed to lift a shoulder back toward the shelf closest to the door. “The ones markedPortland, with today’s date?” He felt his lips tilt as he asked it. Wanting to tease this man who pretended not to be in control.
Emerson lifted his ball cap, scratched his head again. Still half turned away, not making eye contact.
“Yeah. If you really don’t mind.”
“I don’t.” And even though he could hear Daisy’s cries, knew Emerson had to go, he kept talking. “You know, I have to say I’ve been disappointed so far.” Emerson turned his head at that. Made direct eye contact. Held it. Luca savored the victory, like one of Leah Yaeger’s chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, melting in his mouth.
