Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
I wished I hadn’t told her. Now, she’d worry herself all week right along with me, even if she said she wasn’t. And as for Finn, I hated keeping secrets. But I knew I was doing the right thing. He’d likely be up all night with a sick sheep. He didn’t need my issues too.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Finn
Despite my reading tastes, I’d never been much of a romantic. Anniversaries. Gifts. Mood music. Most of that was beyond me. But as I headed across Church Street to the bookstore, I had a little something extra in my step. I supposed this was romance, wanting to surprise my guy. When the restaurant where Harrison and I had gone on our first date needed an emergency egg order thanks to a sous chef accident, I’d been only too happy for the excuse to come to town.
It was midweek, and the farm had been blissfully slow all day. No misbehaving machinery. The sick sheep was on the mend. The interns had the crops under control, and Rachel was ahead on preparing this week’s farm-share boxes. It was a good day, and I couldn’t wait to spend some of it with Harrison.
He’d been stressed all week, almost distant, and I wasn’t entirely sure what the issue was. But I figured dinner and some mutual stress relief couldn’t hurt, and he was always more talky after sex. Maybe then he’d tell me what was wrong, let me help.
When I entered the store, I spotted Oz stocking magazines and Rainn at the front counter helping a young mother with a stack of books. No Harrison in sight. Finally, I found Audrey over in the children’s section, but still no sign of Harrison.
“Finn! What a lovely surprise.” Audrey looked up from straightening the low shelves, accepting my hand as she rose from kneeling. “Come see these new books that arrived the other day. There’s one starring a two-dad family and a vegetable garden. Perfect for the Farm Camp kids.”
Picture books weren’t on my agenda, but I still let her lead me to an end cap featuring books with smiling LGBTQ families of many stripes. She handed me the one about a family gardening, and I dutifully flipped it open. “That is super cute. Harrison around?”
“Oh.” Her eyes went wide, and she glanced around the store. “No, actually he…stepped out.”
“Back soon? I can wait.” Rolling my shoulders, I tried to not look too impatient. A few minutes weren’t going to kill me.
“Ah. No. It’s…an errand.” Audrey’s tone was uncharacteristically cagey, and she continued to not meet my gaze. “Might take all day.”
“I see,” I said, even though I didn’t.
Harrison hadn’t mentioned any big errand to me. Not that we were in constant contact, but our texting had slowly evolved to include little updates and things like good morning wishes. Now that I thought about it, it was rather unusual that Harrison hadn’t texted once all day. “Everything all right?”
“Yes, yes. Of course, dear.” She patted my arm, but I felt anything other than reassured.
“You sure?” I captured her slim hand, peering deeply into her eyes to try to ascertain whatever she was holding back. But her expression shifted to something even more guarded.
“Yes. Don’t worry.” Her smile lacked its usual warmth and brilliance. “I’ll tell him to call as soon as he’s back.”
Well, then. Feeling rather dismissed, I headed back through the store to the entrance the bookstore shared with the wine bar. The bar had taken shape over the course of the summer, and it was now an inviting space, full of wood tones and welcoming spots for conversations and a lengthy drinks menu with some inventive appetizers as well.
It was a sophisticated space, but I could see it appealing to the university crowd too, especially with some of the theme nights and music Harrison told me they were planning.
I glanced over at the piano. I kept teasing Harrison about it, trying to get him to play for me. Audrey had let slip that he’d had years and years of classical lessons, but so far, I hadn’t succeeded in getting him to play a note. Felt like a metaphor for my unfruitful day in general.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” Right as I was about to walk away, Tanner came striding over, a bar towel slung over one shoulder.
“Not bad.” I gave him a hearty handshake. I’d run into him at the bookstore a couple of times, but we hadn’t had any long conversations since he’d started. He looked tired and a little thinner than when I’d seen him last. “How is the job treating you?”
“Pretty well, actually.” Tanner didn’t smile, and he sounded slightly surprised by his answer. “Different. Not what I expected, but Harrison and his mother are good people. Audrey especially. She’s patient when I bumble wine names.”
“I’m sure you’ll get better. I believe in you.” I clapped him on the shoulder, same as I would one of the interns. I’d learned through supervising a staff that sometimes people simply need to hear someone is in their corner, and Tanner certainly seemed like he was in that sort of place.