Page 18 of There's Pumpkin About You
“Can we move on? I’m currently… seventeen minutes behind schedule here.”
They both roll their eyes at me.
“Okay, so when can you get your brother down here to help out?” Bash asks Wren.
“I can ask him to stop by tomorrow afternoon. He lives in Renford so not far to travel.”
Renford is the town next to Beckford. It’s the biggest of the five towns that surround the lake we all share. It’s more of a commercial town, complete with everything from factories to four-story shopping malls. I’ve never been able to imagine living in such chaos.
“And how much does he plan to ask for?”
“That’s the best part,” Wren smiles. “He owes me a million and one favors, all of which just so happens to equal the rebuild of a brand-new barn.”
“What did you do for him? Give him a kidney?”
“I’m joking, Gus. I’m going to split the money I make on this party with him,” she says with a playful eyeroll. She stands and holds a small, delicate hand out towards me. “So, what do you say, Finch?”
I glare at her hand despite the way my fingers itch to reach for it. “Fine,” I grumble, my eyes flicking to two light brown gems that sparkle with mischief. I take a deep breath and finalize the deal with six words that I’m sure I will regret further down the line. “Let’s see what you got, Southwick.”
ChapterEight
WREN
Even though August’s attitude infuriates me in a way that no one ever has before, I still find myself purchasing his coffee from Jamie this morning—making sure I’ve got plenty of time to deliver it before the hour that he deems as “late”. When I collect the goods from my new favorite barista, he sends me a knowing smile and a wink, along with a whispered, “You seem to be spending a lot of time over there.”
I smile politely, but my cheeks still blossom with heat as I tuck my chin into my scarf. Scurrying away from the Sweet Cinnamon Café seems to be my permanent exit strategy now. It’s funny how, to a small town like this one, every change is analyzed, especially when that change is an outsider.
As I drive over to the farm, one of the guests for the party on speaker phone, Gus pops into my head for what feels like the millionth time since I met him. The more I think about it, the more I understand that yes, August Finch annoys me, but I think it’s because he challenges me. He pushes me, makes me look at myself and wonder where the line is between kind and naive. He makes me see what I want and fight for it instead of just lying down and letting others trample all over me, and I don’t even think that he’s doing it on purpose. I think he’s just naturally an ass who seems to bring out the fighter in me.
As I step out of the car, the autumn wind nips at my curls, sending them flying across my face and into the open air behind me. The clouds above are tinted gray, but not enough to threaten any rain. Over the four days I’ve come here, it’s become even colder, the somewhat warm chill has become a brisk cold that tells of the oncoming storm mentioned in the weather report this morning.
My attention shifts to the barn when I hear the laughter that floats from the open door. It’s a low, almost melodic laugh that warms my chest and fights off the autumn chill. I’ve heard Bash’s laugh before and it’s not his. Sebastian laughs as if it’s the last time he will ever do so—it’s loud and booming and infectious. This laugh is almost shy, reserved, as if the owner feels he shouldn’t be allowed to be so happy.
I stop to listen, reveling in the knowledge that as far as I’m aware there is only one other person who the calming sound could belong to.
When I reach the barn and silently slip in through the door, lo and behold, there he is—August Finch with a heart-stopping smile and a body-warming chuckle that lifts his chest as it leaves him. He runs a hand through thick brown waves as he stares at the floor. I can still see the smile on his face—lopsided and innocent. It softens the harsh cut of his jawline and adds some color to his cheeks. He looks just as shy as his laugh sounds.
I move to see who is making him laugh so easily, only to find my brother—of all people—jabbering away whilst he watches Gus, whose dark brown eyes are glowing.
Finn Southwick is many things, but funny has never really been one of them. He’s a very reserved, very anti-social being, hence why he chose to work in construction. It means that he only needs to communicate with others in a professional capacity, leaving him to spend time with his own thoughts as he hammers nails and levels concrete. That’s not to say that Finn isn’t a very kind, very lovable person. He’s always been the big brother I need exactly when I need him, he’s just never been one for conversations that require laughter and jokes.
I clear my throat quietly, hoping to not interrupt this lighthearted moment, but alas it’s enough for the sound to travel around the vacant space, bouncing off of the loose floorboards and broken beams.
Gus’s laughter halts in its tracks as he spins to watch me with wide eyes. Any hint of his smile disappears, any trace of contentment washes away with the sound of his laughter, leaving only the sour-faced, closed-off Gus that I’ve been meeting the past few days.
Finn looks up in surprise, but Gus’s expression reflects what I assume is annoyance at the mere presence of me. I try my best not to be offended, but it’s hard not to feel the sting against my skin. It’s difficult to pretend that the warmth I felt due to the sound of his laughter hasn’t just dissipated and left behind the September chill.
With a subtle shake of my head, I try my best to ignore the tension in my chest and skate over to them, floorboards creaking under me. I hold Gus’s coffee out to him and try to smile casually. “Good morning.”
He skeptically eyes the cup before slowly taking it from me, his finger softly brushing against mine, sending a soft buzz up my arm.
“Morning,” he replies, suspicious.
I turn to my brother. “Morning, bro.”
Finn’s eyes flick between Gus and me. “Morning, Wrennie. No coffee for me I take it?”
“Sorry, I didn’t know you would end up coming over this early, but here, have mine.”
