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“Six minutes.”

Nate laughed into his coffee, and Joel gave him a tired look. “I know. But somebody put it on the feedback form, so now six minutes is a problem.” He broke off one of the cinnamon bear’s ears and ate it. “Since when did apples get this complicated?”

Apples were something Wes could help with. He knew what his own orchard could spare, and he could ask Alan and Janice what they wanted to contribute from theirs. Deciding which varieties would work for cider, tasting or baking was considerably easier than leaving Joel to figure it out from scratch. “Send me the apple side.”

Joel looked at him. “Wes, I can’t put that on you when you’ve just found your mate.”

Wes reached for his coffee. “Finding my mate doesn’t mean I’ve stopped knowing about apples.”

Although I would like it noted that we have recently found better uses for some of our time, his bear added. Wes ignored him.

Joel was still hesitating. “You’ve got harvest too.”

“I can handle it. You’ve got enough of the rest of the festival to worry about.”

Some of the tension left Joel’s face. “You’re sure?”

“I offered, didn’t I?”

Joel unlocked his phone. “All right. But if anyone invents another use for an apple between now and the festival, I’m sending them straight to you.”

“That seems fair.”

His bear disagreed immediately. It does not. Wes drank his coffee and said nothing.

His bear sighed inside him. You have found a remarkably efficient way to make your morning worse.

Wes took another bite of his cinnamon bear. You complain when I work and complain when I don’t.

I am adaptable. That nearly made Wes laugh aloud.

Around them, the bakery had started to fill. The front door opened and closed as people stopped on their way to work, bringing cool morning air in with them. Gabe disappeared behind the counter twice to serve customers, then returned whenever there was a gap.

Joel finished forwarding the last of the messages and stood. “I owe you for this.”

“No, you don’t. You’d do the same for me.”

“You know it.” Joel pulled on his jacket and headed for the door.

The others began leaving soon afterward. Isaac had work waiting at the farm, Evan had an appointment, and Nate had already checked the time often enough to make it obvious he should have left several minutes ago.

Wes finished his coffee and got to his feet while Gabe gathered the empty mugs.

“So,” Gabe said. “A mate.”

Wes smiled. “It’s something, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Gabe’s answering smile was warm. “I’m happy for you, Wes.”

“Thanks. I hope the others get to feel it too.”

“So do I.”

Wes lifted his jacket from the back of the chair. “I’d better get back.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“You will.”