Page 32 of Homesick

I know I’m technically on a date, but something about Adam’s touch feels off. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that he ordered my drink for me or the way he completely disregarded me being upset about the farm, but I’m two seconds away from faking an emergency.

The only thing keeping me from enacting my escape plan is the man currently babysitting my favorite calf. It should make me want to be home more than ever but seeing him snuggle up to Mocha will just make our work acquaintance agreement harder.

“So, what do you do for work?” I ask before awkwardly adjusting my body so he’ll move his hand. He doesn’t get the hint.

“I work at my uncle’s landscaping company. It’s kind of boring, but I get to run my own crew so that’s nice,” Adam replies before tipping the cold beer to his lips.

“Nice. Do you do mainly residential?” I say, pulling my questions out of thin air.

“Yeah, mostly,” he answers quickly. “You know what, this is kind of lame. I thought there’d be more people here tonight. Do you want to go back to my place instead?”

My first thought is, who would want to come here on a Saturday night, but then I realize Adam is that person and I cringe. My second thought is, yes, finally an out.

“You know, I’m not feeling very well. I think I might call it a night.”

“Seriously?”

Cracks form in my patience and I have to grip the side of the stool to maintain my composure. “Yeah? Is that a problem?”

“Come on. I know we’re not hitting it off, but there’s no reason we can’t still have some fun tonight,” he says with a sly smirk.

God, I hate men, I think when I plaster my biggest fake smile on my face. “Adam, I think I’d rather have fun with myself than with you any night of the week. Something tells me you’re the kind of guy who only cares that he’s had fun anyways.”

I quickly hoist my body off the bar stool, not waiting around for Adam’s reaction. Before I make it out of the entrance, all I hear is the group of wannabe bikers howling laughing at the dumb look on his face as I walk away.

It’s safe to say that my first experience dating in Honey Grove did not go well. I’m sure Adam will tell all his little friends what a bitch I am, but I couldn’t care less. I have a hot date with one of the cutest calves at Campbell Farm.

* * *

Before heading home, I stop at the liquor store and grab a bottle of wine for Blake as a thank you for watching over Mocha. It hasn’t been long, but I figure he has much better things to do tonight than babysitting a calf. I also can’t remember if he even likes wine, aside from the time we stole a bottle from Mom’s stash and had the worst hangovers of our lives.

I make it back home in no time. When I see Blake’s truck still sitting in the driveway, I feel a shifting feeling near my heart. I dismiss it for heartburn from the shitty beer and trek over to the calf barn.

As soon as I make it to the spot where Blake’s blanket was set-up before I left, I realize it’s gone. Soon enough, I see he’s only moved a few feet closer to Mocha. My stomach drops and a warm, tingly sensation floods my senses.

He looks up from the textbook laying on his lap and as soon as he sees me, he smiles. His smile is soon replaced with a frown when he says, “Campbell, I told you I could watch Mocha. What are you doing here?”

I walk over to Mocha and stare at the adorable calf curled up next to Blake. I almost forget Blake’s disappointed tone with all the cuteness unfolding before me. “I know, I know. The guilt just kept getting to me and I was distracted the entire time,” I lie. “I told Adam about what happened, and we decided to go out another time.”

I’m not sure why I lied. All I know is I don’t want that asshole to take up anymore of my headspace. It also doesn’t hurt to see Blake’s reaction.

If I didn’t know him as well as I did, I wouldn’t have caught the brief wave of emotions on his face. Blake is good at concealing his feelings when he wants to, but I’m even better at seeing right through him. “Oh, and for being such a nice human, I come bearing gifts.”

I hand the bottle to Blake, and he gently takes it. “Thank you, but really, I don’t mind.”

“Oh, come on, Blake. It’s Saturday night. You can’t really expect me to believe you didn’t have any plans tonight? You’re an eligible bachelor in Honey Grove. You’re a hot commodity.”

“Well, thank you for the compliment. If I’m being honest, I’m usually so exhausted from the week that I rarely make plans on the weekends. Remember when you saw me at the Rustic Inn? That was a rare occurrence.”

After standing for less than five minutes, I decide to plop down next to Blake. I make sure we’re an appropriate distance away before I kick off my shoes and lean against the wooden fence.

“Well, if some girl puked down the side of my truck, I probably wouldn’t go out a ton either,” I joke to lighten the mood. “But no, I completely get that. I forgot how much work the farm is. I don’t know how Chris does this every day.”

“Yeah, he’s the hardest working guy I know. I wish I was half the man he was sometimes.” After Blake finishes his sentence, he takes out his pocketknife and swiftly uncorks the wine bottle. He learned that move when we stole my mom’s wine without a wine opener. It took us longer to get the bottle open than it did to drink it.

He takes a long swig before passing it to me. I stare at the bottle for a minute, thinking about how intimate drinking out of the same bottle is. Feeling a pair of heated eyes on me, I say fuck it and take a swig.

“Is this okay?” Blake asks before taking the bottle back.

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