Page 34 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
I pulled my friend into another hug. ‘I really am so grateful for this.’
‘How was your weekend away?’ she asked softly as she hugged me back.
‘It was, um, eventful…’
Sabrina leaned back, her eyes searching mine. ‘Willow,’ she scolded.
I pulled away from her. ‘What?’ I asked, trying to look innocent, ducking my head to avoid her suddenly piercing gaze.
‘I’ll get the toolbox then see you inside for breakfast,’ Dylan said, making us both jump as he passed by, heading towards our barn behind the farmhouse. Maple followed him eagerly and I heard him chatting to her as they walked away.
‘Did something happen between you two?’ she hissed as soon as he was safely out of earshot.
‘Aren’t you going to be late for work?’
‘Willow Connor!’
‘Fine,’ I grumbled, knowing I had always been useless at keeping anything from Sabrina – not since we were too young to have any secrets anyway. ‘Something did happen… We kissed and a little bit more…’
‘How much more?’ she demanded.
‘Jeez, Sabrina. Fine, we slept together.’
She gasped then clapped her hands. ‘I knew there was chemistry between you both! The way he was staring at you when he first came into the café and when we all met up before you went away, he hung on your every word.’
‘That’s an exaggeration,’ I said, but inside, I couldn’t help but hope she was right. ‘It has to just be a one-night thing, though. All I care about is saving the farm, and he wants the opposite to happen.’
Sabrina sighed. ‘It is complicated,’ she admitted. ‘But I mean, how did you feel when you were with him?’
‘It was a pretty amazing night,’ I had to say. I looked at Dylan and Maple heading into the barn. ‘I told him though that it can’t happen again. And I was right to say that. I need to focus. There isn’t much time until October.’
‘Follow your heart; you’ve always been good at that,’ Sabrina said as she walked back around her car towards the driver’s seat. ‘I need to go but we will have to talk about this more over a drink soon.’
I smiled. ‘Okay. Thank you again for the sign, I think it’s perfect.’
I stood back as she got into the car and waved as she left the farm. There was no time to think about what she’d said about Dylan. I went inside and after breakfast with Dad and Dylan, we set about our work.
We put Sabrina’s sign up by the gate and then we brought the crates out of the polytunnels and put them in rows on either side of what would be the entrance to the pumpkin patch. The polytunnels I’d hired arrived so we now had five to cover the autumn and Halloween trail. They stood ready and waiting to be filled.
Then I went into the barn where Dad had put the wood I’d ordered along with whatever we already had spare around the farm to start to build wooden planter tables. I asked Dylan to contact the farm we’d visited to arrange an order of pumpkins that we’d sell on his behalf then to order the more unusual pumpkins from the large farm I’d gone to by myself. He was much better at laptop work than me, and even though I had been pissed off at the time, his idea to cut a deal with the pumpkin farm had been a good one. I asked if we could ensure all the pumpkins arrived before 1 October and Dylan said he would also organise hiring Portaloos for the same time.
Dad got the tractor and the trailer we could attach to it out of our other barn to service and clean them both so we could offer rides around the farm.
The afternoon sped by and it was intensive work but I ploughed on, knowing how good the planters would look when I was finished. I wanted to build five to place throughout the tunnels. I needed to saw and nail the wood into tables then sand them down and polish them so it would be a couple of days’ work. I took off my jumper as I’d got hot and threw it onto my toolbox, carrying on in a strappy vest top. Maple lay down in the doorway to the barn, enjoying the sunshine on her back. I played music from my phone, whistling along, and I only noticed Dylan coming in when he finally cleared his throat to get my attention.
‘Oh.’ I straightened up from where I had been crouched down. I pushed back a stray hair that was over my face. ‘Sorry, I was in the zone.’
‘I can see that,’ he replied with a smile. ‘Your dad thought you could do with a drink; he’s made us all a fancy-looking coffee,’ he said, looking down at the mugs curiously. ‘Can you take a quick break?’
‘For that, I can,’ I said, taking one of the mugs he held out eagerly. I leaned against the doorway to the barn and Dylan did the same. I looked down at the mug. ‘Whipped cream, he’s gone fancy.’ I dipped my finger in to taste the cream topped with chocolate sprinkles. I caught Dylan watching, then he quickly looked away. I wondered if he was remembering our dessert at the pub on Saturday night. I hid my smile by taking a sip, tasting the vanilla syrup. ‘Mmm, sweet coffee, just what I needed.’
‘I’ve never had so many fancy coffees as I have had here,’ Dylan said after he also tried it. ‘I’ll be on a sugar and caffeine high,’ he added but he took another sip anyway. ‘How’s it going?’ He nodded towards the pile of wood behind me.
I couldn’t hide my smile then. ‘You’re covered,’ I teased, leaning forward and touching the cream that was at the corner of his mouth. I felt his whole body tense at my touch. I wiped the cream away then pulled back, blushing at what I’d done. It had felt instinctive, though. ‘Sorry,’ I said quickly, trying to avoid his scrutiny.
‘The thoughts you give me about whipped cream…’ Dylan said gruffly.
‘Huh?’ I looked at him and we were quiet, watching each other. My mind started to race. What was he was thinking about? I longed to know but I also knew it was a bad idea to ask. I moved away from him. ‘Yeah, it’s going okay,’ I said, looking at the two tables I had made so far to try to change the subject from the very dangerous and suggestive one we had suddenly got ourselves on.
