Page 76 of Pick Your Spot

In school, she hadn’t had big groups of close friends, although she’d gotten along with most people. Still, this kind of banter was new. And fun.

The Worminator had been delivered two days earlier, and they were nearly finished building it. If it hadn’t been for Ford, they wouldn’t be even a quarter of the way. He was smart and saw angles and problems neither she nor Knox would have considered.

Now, the plumbing and electrical lines were buried in a pipe that would protect them from the elements, along with any animals who decided to dig. They’d built the walls and added the platform that would house the kettle. They still needed to hook up all the plumbing that was required.

Building the raised beds for the vermicompost had been easier, but they still needed to get those inside the structure. The kettle would have to be installed first. It was heavy and would require more than the three of them to lift.

A crew of people from Phail was coming out to help after they’d finished their jobs for the day, and they were bringing something called a zoom boom to lift it into place.

She, Ford, and Knox were in the farmhouse kitchen, filling a couple of coolers with food and drinks for the crew. They’d made a ton of sandwiches and salads and had grabbed some of the apples from the cold room.

Knox turned to his friend. “Didn’t Mara teach you anything? You can’t even bake up some pies for everyone?”

Ford laughed. “Not a thing. She always kicked me out when she was baking and said I was more trouble than I was worth.”

“No shit.”

Ford grinned. “I didn’t want to hear all the musicals. I swear I can tell you the lyrics from everything fromPhantom Of The OperatoLion KingtoRent. The girl loves them all.”

Thea didn’t know much about music, but she’d bet Ford’s sister was a lot of fun.

A deep horn sounded outside the farmhouse, and she almost bounced in place.

Knox laughed and passed her the smallest cooler. “Let’s go get your Worminator working.”

She didn’t know how much they’d have to do after getting the kettle installed, but it didn’t matter. The rest they could do on their own, and it wouldn’t be long. Soon they’d be making compost and the farm would be one giant step closer to being productive. One step closer to convincing Knox’s entire family that it was a viable proposition.

Outside, Sean Falcone drove a huge truck with a machine on the back, and Branna sat with him in the cab. Three other vehicles followed, filled with the people from Phail. Marcus and Elina. Troy and Piper. Garrett and Kimi. Levi and Isla. Heath, Addison, and their daughter Nina.

Thea’s heart fluttered. So many people. All coming to help them. Knox had made a hell of an impression on these people, first by rescuing Elina overseas, but also by being such a good man. In some ways, he reminded her of Troy Phail. Outgoing. Friendly. Taking care of everyone around him.

Knox was the best man she knew. No wonder she was head over work boots for him.

They placed the coolers on the back of Sean’s truck and hitched a ride. Sean backed the truck down the twisty orchard roads and parked as close as he could to the Worminator.

Once there, everyone piled out. Thea was hugged and greeted by them all as if they’d been friends forever. Her eyes misted, but she blinked away the emotion. Of course, Knox sensed something. He appeared at her side and ran his fingers along her jaw and into her hair. “Hey. What’s up? You okay?”

She nodded, feeling silly. “I’m good. Happy. I just realized that these people aren’t justactingfriendly. Theyarefriendly. With me.” She swallowed hard. “I have friends.”

Grinning, Knox hugged her hard. “You do. A lot of them.”

She laughed. “It’s a first for me, and I got a little overwhelmed. Sorry.”

He pulled back to smile at her. “Don’t you dare apologize. You’re allowed to revel in friendship. You’re allowed to be overwhelmed with happy.”

She rose up to kiss him lightly. “And it’s all thanks to you.”

“Not a chance. They’re all your friends because of you. You’re an incredible woman, Thea. It’s time you believed that.”

She smiled but didn’t know how to respond to that. Instead, she hugged Knox again. “Let’s go play with our friends.”

Ford and Sean huddled together with the plans and their phones. The rest of the group milled around, chatting. Elina waved her over to where she stood with Addy and Nina. “This place is beautiful.”

Thea agreed. “I fell in love with it when I first arrived with Jay that day. It’s a beautiful property, and it’s only going to get better with Knox’s plans.”

Elina laughed. “Plans that he wouldn’t have a clue how to make without your input.”

She blushed but shrugged. “He would have figured it out.”

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