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He catches my eye and pauses. “Do you have a problem with me helping?”

“Kind of, yes.”

“Why?”

I don’t want to make this a thing. But, then, why shouldn’t I be honest with him?

“Because I don’t get it,” I say, picking up another pumpkin of my own. “You said yourself it would be better if we don’t spend more time together, and now, it feels very much like you’re trying to spend time with me. You make zero sense.”

He places his large pumpkin in the car, his hand resting on the top of it as he turns to face me. Dirt is already smudged across his shirt, but he doesn’t seem to notice it, which goes to show what sort of man he is—a man capable of work, a man who isn’t afraid of a little dirt.

“I didn’t get to finish telling you how I feel,” he says, a small line forming between his brows. “I don’t want to hurt you, and I still think it’d be smarter if we never saw each other again. But...”

I try not to, but I’m hanging onto his every word. “But?” I ask with an impatient wave of my hand when he doesn’t continue.

“But,” he repeats, “we’re both adults. We should get to make our own decisions. And truth is, I wanna keep seeing you.” He draws a deep breath. “So, Juliet, will you go out with me tonight?”

I don’t breathe for a moment. I’m too busy relishing in the joy at hearing those words from Archer. They slip through my parted lips and quench my parched soul. I drink them in fully, reveling in the satisfaction they provide me after so many years of the drought I’ve been in, caused by his lack of attention. After all this time, finally, I’m satisfied.

I square my shoulders and face him directly. “Thanks. But no.”

Archer

Juliet walks away from me to retrieve another pumpkin, but I’m frozen to the spot. No? Did she just say no?

She returns with her pumpkin.

“Excuse me,” she states, motioning to the SUV, and I shuffle back to allow her room.

I don’t really know what to do right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been turned down for a date—especially not by a girl who clearly has an interest in me.

“You can go ahead and leave now,” she says, motioning to my truck, then she heads for another pumpkin.

I guess a lot of guys in my situation—rejected, slightly embarrassed, and absolutely confused—would leave. But I never have been one to give up on anything easily.

She’s back with another small pumpkin and watches me expectantly.

“I’m not going to take back my offer of help just because you don’t wanna go out with me,” I clarify, then I head for the mound myself. “Anyway, if I stick around, it’ll give me more time to figure out why you said no.”

“How about I give you the answer right now so you don’t have to stick around?”

I chuckle. I’m not going to be deterred. I know she’s attracted to me, and as much as she chooses to deny it, I’m going to hold fast to my belief that her crush on me is still thriving. “Go ahead. But I ain’t leaving until each and every last pumpkin is on Main.”

She releases an exaggerated sigh. “Fine.”

We walk back and forth, passing each other with our pumpkins. I glance at her each time, but she refuses to meet my gaze, though I feel her eyes on me whenever my back is turned.

When the SUV is full, I offer the bed of my truck. I expect her to refuse, but she silently goes along with my plan.

I’m done with the silence, though. “So, why is your answer no?”

“I already told you. My crush is gone.”

Lies. I can see it in her eyes and hear it in the slightly higher tone of her voice.

I remain at the bed of the truck while she retrieves another puny pumpkin, then I motion for her to toss it toward me. “We’ll save time this way. Like an assembly line.”

She hesitates, then tosses it. Her throw is short, so I have to lean forward to catch it, but I secure it in the back of my truck a second later.