Page 20 of Harvest Heat

Rhys nodded. His cheeks were adorably pink. Was he nervous that he’d said so much? Caleb didn’t want Rhys to be nervous around him, but he wasn’t sure how to change that. “So you’ve been friends with Tessa ever since?”

“Yes, and Finn too. They’d been in the same class in kindergarten and first grade. The school thought it might be better to separate them, but they said they wouldn’t go to school if they weren’t both in the same class.”

Caleb laughed. “Was Tessa talking for Finn?”

“Yes, but they’re not like that anymore. Now, Finn is quite opinionated and tells her off all the time, but they’re really close. I love that they run the bakery together.”

“And they make incredible pastries. I can’t even imagine having a twin.”

Rhys shook his head. “Me either.”

“I guess we should order.” Caleb knew he’d be pushing it to suggest they get a table and have dinner together. It would feel a little bit too much like a date, though maybe he could convince Rhys to sit at the bar and have a drink while they waited on their food.

“Yes. I should get something to go because I’ve got a lot of work to do on… things.”

“It’s okay to talk about the festival. I want to know all about what you’re making.”

“You do?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“Yes. Although I guess you shouldn’t tell me since I’m the competition, but truly, I’m just curious. I know our drinks will be very different.”

“It’s really all about what the judges prefer.” Rhys looked away as he spoke. “They’re probably not going to prefer mine. They haven’t in the past.”

“But you are still going to enter.” Caleb didn’t want Rhys to think he wanted to push him out of the competition.

“Of course I am. Everyone would be really disappointed if I didn’t.”

Did he only see the festival as an obligation? If so, then maybe he shouldn’t make a drink. Whatever he was feeling, it wasn’t Caleb’s place to comment now. “Come on, let’s order. We can get a drink while we wait on our food.”

“I probably shouldn’t. I really need to concentrate on my entry tonight.”

“You could get a soda.”

Rhys looked surprised for a moment. “Oh. Right. I can do that.”

They managed to find two seats at the end of the bar. The place was packed. Tessa had warned Caleb that half the town was there on Friday and Saturday nights.

Rhys picked up a menu that was sitting at the end of the bar and passed it to him. “I don’t need this. I always get the same thing, and even if I wanted something different, I’ve got it memorized.”

Caleb smiled. “Has this place been here your whole life?”

Rhys nodded. “It sure has. I used to come in here as a kid with my mom. I would sit and color while she had dinner, drink a few beers, and then we’d walk back home.”

“It sounds nice.”

Rhys sighed. “It was.”

“Is your mom still in town?”

Rhys shook his head. “She got tired of the winters. She retired early and moved to Florida with her girlfriend.”

“That’s great,” Caleb said. “I mean, it sounds nice for her, but I bet you miss her.”

“I do, but I’ve got a lot of great friends here. I’m really lucky.”

“Yeah, it seems like you are.”

Rhys frowned. “But you’re doing great here, aren’t you? I mean, it seems like everyone already loves you, and your shop is doing great.”