Page 32 of Where You Left Me

“Her in-laws own the farm,” Jones says.

What the hell? Jones messed around with a married woman?

I have to hold back from giving Jones an accusing look. Instead, I push through this awkward moment. “It’s amazing,” I say, glancing around. “I haven’t been here for a while.”

“Well, y’all should have a look around the orchard and enjoy some ice cream too. Jones typically grabs his peaches and hauls ass out of here. Though I can’t say I blame him, doubtful my husband, Vince wants to bump into him either.”

Now I do turn and look at Jones. He rubs at the end of his nose and glances over his shoulders. “I ain’t scared.”

“Yeah, okay.” Ronnie chuckles. “Go show her the orchard, dipshit.”

“It was nice meeting you,” I say, smiling.

“Mia, finally meeting you has been the highlight of my day. Do me a favor and go easy on this one’s heart, will ya?”

I don’t know if she intended it as a jab or if she’s just honestly concerned about Jones’s heart. But either way, I give her a nod. “I’ll try my best.”

Jones and I exit the tent without speaking. He leads the way past a bright white barn where they’re selling coffee and ice cream. We step around a couple kids playing tag in the pathway. When we reach the orchard, there’s a sign about self-guided tours and I come up alongside of him.

“Ronnie seemed nice.”

“Ha,” he barks out, looking at me. “Nice?”

“Yeah. Pretty too.”

Dragging his focus to his feet trudging over the soil, he groans. “Don’t start, Mia. You didn’t want me to ask you about the guys back in Connecticut, don’t ask me about Ronnie.”

I clamp my jaw shut while emotions rattle through me. Being jealous isn’t right, but I can’t help if that’s the way I feel. Being thousands of miles away for all these years thinking he might bescrewing another woman was much easier than being here and getting a front-row seat to it.

“Jones,” I say too loudly, and grab his forearm to stop him. “There hasn’t been anyone else.” That’s a straight-up lie. So I elaborate, “At least not anyone else worth talking about.”

We stand in the orchard locking eyes and when I find peace in his gaze it shakes me to my core. All the memories of our time at the orchard come rushing back. It somehow forces away all the dark flashbacks that usually assault my brain.

Because this, right here and now, is a new memory we’re making. Something I never thought would be possible when I left him.

“C’mon, let’s go pick some peaches.” He nods and starts off again and I hurry to catch up.

CHAPTER 9

Jones

The peaches are showing off in the orchard. It’s almost as if they’re showing off just for Mia. They’re ripe and plump, and when I take a bite of one, it’s juicy as hell. It’s perfect. Though not as perfect as they will be in a few weeks when it’s peak peach season.

The peaches aren’t the only thing showing off. Mia’s ass is looking as plump as the peaches in the denim cut-offs she’s wearing. And if her tank top rides up and teases me with a view of her belly button ring one more time, I’m going to gauge my fucking eyeballs out.

Each time I see it, my imagination has me sliding my tongue through the ring while I dip my fingers into that sweet pussy of hers. But that’s never gonna happen. And the sooner I realize that the easier this summer will be.

“Think we got enough peaches yet?” she asks, pulling me out of my sex fantasy.

I clear my throat, my vision dragging up the length of her one last time, and say, “Yeah, this is plenty.”

We have more peaches than we need. But I’m the idiot who let her keep picking so I could continue eye-fucking her.

It might not be right, but when it comes to Mia, the line has always been a blur.

“Let’s pay and then we’ll load up.”

I whistle to a guy working in the orchard who has a wheel barrel. He hustles over and we set the full crates into the wheel barrel. We follow him to the pay station all the while, I keep glancing over my shoulders, and I spin my hat back around to hide my face. Ronnie wasn’t wrong about one thing. The last thing I want is to run into Vince.

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