Page 65 of Late Bloomer
She continues to stare at me, that blank look causing mortification to pierce through me. Awesome. Amazing. Love that I’ve spent the past twenty hours thinking about nothing but our mind-blowing hookup and she’s already forgotten it.
I point an accusatory finger in the general direction of the cabin’s second floor, and she follows the gesture.
“Us having sex?” she says, turning back to me. “What’s there to talk about? We set up our rules and the first trial was a success. Are we not on the same page about that?”
Right. Of course. Pepper hasn’t been thinking about it because she’s not tied up into knots fist-fighting feelings like me. Because we agreed not to have any.
“No, yeah. Of course we’re on the same page,” I mumble, digging the toe of my sandal into the rough floor.
“I’m talking about the competition. I sent in our application to participate today. And the second I did, I realized what an absolute shit show it’s going to be.”
“And why’s that again?” I ask, unable to bite back my smile. I didn’t know pessimism could be so endearing.
“Oh, let’s see. As far as I know, neither of us have done something like this before, my yield won’t be nearly big enough to put it all together, and I have absolutely no idea what we’d make even if wedidhave enough resources to pull it off. I’m stretched thin enough as it is, I shouldn’t be adding more to my plate.”
“I can help you pick the flowers,” I offer meekly.
“It’s not just about picking them,” she says, raking her hands through her long hair. “It’s about having enough bloom at the right time to keep them fresh for the day of the event while still fulfilling orders. My plots are staggered to try and cut back waste.” She hangs her head, sucking in a deep breath. “What it boils down to is I’m not prepared to take on something like this. I’m not sure I’m even prepared to be running this damn farm.”
Her lips twist with anxiety as she continues to fidget, and my heart cracks in half at how hopeless she looks. I’d give anything to snap my fingers and take that worry away.
“Do you want to hang out with me?” I ask, the words crawling out before I can think better of them.
My question stops her in her tracks, head whipping to me. “What do you mean?”
I tug on my hair. A few strands break off. Love my life so much.
“I don’t know. Like… go somewhere? Into town, maybe? Or just… anything? My brain is getting itchy and I need a change of scenery.”
“Itchy?”
I wave away the question. “Do you want to come or not?”
“Opal, I’m slowly suffocating under an avalanche of a to-do list and problems to figure out. Were you even listening?”
I slide off my stool and pad toward her. Her eyes grow wide as an owl’s as I pop into her personal space. She makes a move like she wants to step back, but I grab her before she can.
And wrap her in a big hug.
“Of course I was listening to you,” I say, arms cinched around her waist, my cheek landing in the center of her sternum. “And what I heard is you need to get out and clear your head. So let’s go. We can brainstorm ideas for the piece if it will help.”
Pepper’s breathing is short and sharp for a moment. I hug her tighter. Nestle closer.
She sighs and every muscle melts as the tension eases.Slowly, she wraps her arms around my shoulders. Hugging me back.
“Okay,” she whispers, chin resting on the top of my head.
My smile presses into the front of her overalls. “Great. I’ll drive.”
Chapter 22PEPPER
It’s a bit of a shame I let Opal drive, since this trip into town is apparently how I’m going to die.
This woman is either an adrenaline junkie or has no concept of how fast she’s hurtling us down a mountain in the tin can she calls a car. She’s so close to the guardrails I’d be surprised if her speed isn’t whipping off the reflectors. She takes a hairpin turn on the parkway and my stomach is left behind, free-falling into the valley below.
I’d say something—yell at her to slow down—but my skull is plastered to the headrest from the sheer g-force she’s generating, and opening my mouth isn’t particularly feasible at this point.
I’m not even sure why I agreed to this.
