Page 15 of Pick Your Spot

The Abenaki beliefs were closely attuned to the world around them. Her views on regenerative farming and bringing the soil back to prime health meshed beautifully with indigenous beliefs.

Something that always made Jay shake his head at.Who’d a thunk that young people weren’t all completely stupid?

Smiling at the memory, she ate some cereal out of a box and added a piece of cheese for some protein. Her job required a lot of energy, and she really needed to get to town for supplies. Hopefully Knox would let her borrow the truck.

At the last moment, she remembered to shove her phone in her pocket. She’d remembered to charge it but there were no missed calls or messages.

After Asshole Andy had trashed her reputation, she didn’t get many of those. Her connections hadn’t been strong enough to stand up to Andy’s lies.

The only one from back in Iowa who’d contacted her had been Andy himself. Offering her job back. Not a chance. Not even with the raise he’d offered. Even if this place didn’t work out, she’d look elsewhere.

She’d never been good at connections but she’d figure it out. Being tossed from one foster home to the next had taught her to fade into the background until she knew who to trust. Few people earned her trust these days.

Jay had been one.

Knox was another. Which was bizarre. She didn’t know him well enough to know it logically, but her heart and her body already trusted him.

At the compost center, she dragged over the undamaged hose and started spraying. After many—many—disasters, she’d learned to judge the wind and angle before turning the hose on the compost. Getting a face full of rotting soil wasn’t her idea of a good time.

Which reminded her she also needed to ask Knox if he’d allow her to use the laundry room in the farmhouse. She wasn’t sure if any of the nearby towns had a laundromat ,but she’d have to find out if he said no.

Which meant she’d need to buy a vehicle.

Her bank account wouldn’t like that.

Her last car had shut down not far from where she’d heard Jay and his buddies talking about farming practices. The repair bill for the vehicle had been more than she had. And far more than the car had been worth. The mechanic had bought it for scrap, so it had a least given her a few dollars for a bus ticket.

Instead, she’d joined in on a debate with three crotchety old men and landed herself a place to live.

And a friend.

Worth it.

As she was watering the compost whistling reached her ears, and made her smile. She imagined Knox whistled a lot, but she’d bet part of the reason was to let her know he was approaching.

This song she didn’t know but it was a happy tune again.

She turned to watch him approach. No ball cap this time and she could see his thick dark hair framing his face. Still gorgeous.

He waved when he spotted her, and she waved back, careful to keep the hose aiming in the right direction.

Her smile was impossible to hold in, so she didn’t. When was the last time she’d felt attracted to a man? Far too long, and her body seemed to be waking up with a vengeance. Even if nothing came of the attraction she felt, it was good to know she wasn’t permanently broken.

When he was close enough to speak, Knox grinned. “Do these compost piles take up all of your day?”

She smiled back. “Pretty much. Nature would do its thing for me but that would take years longer. Watering and stirring speeds everything up. The bacteria activate more quickly, so we get accelerated decay.”

Just look at her talking all sexy to this man. Could she be any more lame?

Knox’s smile didn’t dim. “I have spent exactly zero minutes thinking about compost before yesterday. I’m surprised to say I find it far more intriguing than I expected.”

The twinkle in his eyes said he was amused at himself, maybe at both of them.

“I’m happy to convert you to the dark side.”

He laughed. “A Star Wars fan? I’m glad to hear you’ve got interests outside of compost. Although it sounds more like you’re working with the force.”

Her heart warmed at his smile and his words. Asshole Andy had fooled her with his charm, but Knox was different. His expression was wide open and easy to read. His humor was gentle and didn’t make her a target.

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