Page 23 of Glass & Groundwork
Jasper’s eyes gleamed and he gave a mischievous smirk. “I decided to go for a farmer chic look, which seemed appropriate for Heartcraft, but I think I pulled it off. What do you think?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and blinked hard, trying not to gawk at him any longer. “Yes, you definitely pulled it off.”
His smirk stretched into a smile, making him even more beautiful.Jasper is your friend, asshole, I lectured myself. He was my friend who I was about to marry. I didn’t really know where the lines were with that scenario, but I certainly didn’t need to ogle him like a creep.
“Should we get going?” Jasper asked.
Going. Leaving. Getting out of the house and into fresh air. All good ideas. “Yes, we should. Did you want to ride with me or follow in your Jeep so you’re not stuck all day?”
Jasper’s brows furrowed for a moment. “I think I’ll come with you. We have a lot of details to work out.”
I bobbed my head, that was true. I didn’t even know where or how to start. “All right, I made you a bagel, and there’s a thermos with more coffee in it. I took a guess on how you like it, so if it’s wrong, I won’t be offended if you need to fix it. There’s an extra water bottle ready for you as well.”
Jasper wore an awed expression. “You’re so prepared.” He took a sip of the coffee I handed him and smiled. “I usually go a touch sweeter, but this is great, thanks.”
With that, we got into my truck and began the drive into town for Heartcraft. Being on the outskirts of Grove Hills, it took us about twenty minutes to get there. Twenty minutes of silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jasper open his mouth and close it a few times, as if he was trying to think of what to say. There was much to discuss, but suddenly, neither of us seemed to have a clue of what it was.
The words would come with time, as they often did. Until then, I could share his quiet. I put my hand on his leg and gave it a light squeeze in an attempt to reassure him that I was with him. Jasper covered my hand with his and exhaled heavily.
Once we were at Heartcraft, Jasper and I got to work, unloading the boxes and setting up my booth. We worked in silence, with only instructions passing between us. At least with an extra hand, we were able to get everything ready faster than if I had done it on my own. We set the tables in an L-shape, with one along the back of the booth, and another along the side, leaving the rest of it open and inviting for folks to come in and browse.
Standing in front of my booth, and seeing theMcNeely Honeylogo on the canopy always made something settle inside me. I had contracts with several local grocers for our honey, but it was satisfying in a completely different way to see the booth with the branded material and bee cut-outs. Seeing the products my kids had helped bring to life made a surge of parental pride rise up in me. This booth was more than just a business. It was a connection to my kids and to Papa Tom. That personal connection by selling in a setting like Heartcraft had been a really important aspect to Tom.
It was easy to forget your why behind doing something when you were disconnected from your customers. The farm was never just a farm, and the honey was never just honey. It was always about people. Whether it was the people who came to the farm for work or for refuge like me, or the people who took our products home. A tablespoon of honey for a cough. A family recipe that reached into the past. A person finally getting relief from seasonal allergies. I loved the bees, yes, but it was always so much bigger than the small insects.
Jasper came up beside me. “It looks great.”
I slid a glance over to him, his hair now pulled back with the elastic band after getting in the way while we set up. “Thanks for your help.”
“Of course.”
With a little time before the market would open, we sat in the chairs we brought for the booth and ate our breakfasts in continued silence. I studied Jasper, who was clearly working through some things. I’d spent enough time lost in thought, or with the kids when they were, to read the nonverbal cues. There were times a person needed to be allowed to process, and other times, they needed to be pulled out of their intrusive thoughts.
As for Jasper, I knew the current situation, but I couldn’t quite get a read on where he was at with it. He’d offered me an out this morning, which I appreciated, but I didn’t want an out. I wanted in, all the way in. I shouldn’t. It was weird. I kept telling myself it was for Jasper, to help him. What was a little paperwork to help him get his dream? Except… there was a tiny, smidgen of a part of it that was for me. A part I wasn’t ready to acknowledge yet.
I tapped Jasper’s dress shoe with my own scuffed boot. His shoes were the only thing that remained from the suit he wore the day before, except for the tie I removed from him last night in my pocket. I didn’t know what made me grab it when I got dressed, taking it out of the pants I wore yesterday, and putting them in the pocket of the jeans I wore today. The tie wasn’t something he typically wore, but itwashis. “Do you want to talk it out together?”
Jasper blew out a breath and looked up at me. “Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about my parents.”
“Do you think they’ll fight you on it?”
“Probably. With the kind of money there is at stake, and with their unwillingness to let anything go, I wouldn’t put it past them to hire an investigator. If we do this, it’s going to have to look real. We’ll need to live together.”
Live together. I thought of waking up with him octopussing me to the bed and had to hold back the smile that wanted to break free at the idea. It wasn’t a bad thought, but this was aboutlogistics, not fantasies. “Ah. Right. Well, I can’t leave the farm. I have the kids, and there’s too much to do around there.”
“No, of course not, I wouldn’t expect you to,” Jasper replied quickly.
I tried not to sound too eager when I said, “You could move in with me… with us.”
Jasper wrinkled his nose. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to get in the way of things with Nicky and Noah and everyone.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, though I appreciated the concern. “I’m a package deal. My family will always be a part of who I am. If I’m married, it would be the same. There is no way we could look legitimate if I kept you and my kids separate. As for them, they like you, they’ll adjust.”
“What if you get sick of me?”
“It’s a big farm,” I repeated what I said to him about the barn.
“Ha!” Jasper barked out. “It is. I guess I could go sleep in the barn if you need to get rid of me.”
