Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“Stop,” I growled at myself. Derek Gregory wasn’t worth another second of my thoughts. The farm and Everest were my priorities. Yeah, the farm. I woke up early and worked all day before falling into an exhausted sleep, probably just a few hours after Derek woke up. Our paths would never cross. I wouldn’t have to see him. Nope, not ever. I had crops to sell and a business to build.
Instead of dwelling on my stupid handsome neighbor, I decided to check on my crops. I jumped in my truck and headed towards the vertical farm buildings. Each building was only three stories tall, but the great thing about vertical farming was that it created conditions that were close to ideal, this provided each crop with its maximum growth potential. I focused my attention on the lettuce, chard, kale, basil, chives, mint and oregano, the sprouts and the peppers. Each of the crops were flourishing, and my daily check ins were becoming the bright spot of my day.
I snapped a few photos to show Everest, and checked the temperature of each building before I made my way back outside into the sun. My phone rang with Everest’s designated ring tone and I smiled as I answered.
“Calling to tell me you’re surprising me with lunch?”
He chuckled and I could already tell he was probably rolling his eyes at me. “Oh yeah, I made some gourmet salami sandwiches with fancy stinky cheese and alfalfa sprouts. But also, there’s a fancy woman here to see you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” a feminine voice with a thick southern twang called from a distance.
That voice was somewhat familiar, but since leaving Carson Creek I’d lived in several places and met plenty of people. “I’m on my way,” I told Ev and ended the call. Who would be here to see me? No one knew I was here other than the mayor, Chase, and I made sure to go into town during the least busy periods. It could be anyone, but for what purpose I had no clue.
Inside the mudroom I kicked off my dirty boots and slid into a pair of fuzzy slippers before I went inside, and stopped dead in my tracks at the sight before me. Dressed in a blush pink dress with cap sleeves, nipped in at the waist and flaring out around her calves, was a beauty queen.
“Carlotta Montgomery. You’ve hardly aged a day in all these years.” She’d come from a rich and influential family and dressed like it, but she’d been nothing but nice to me, which was more than I could say of many of my former classmates. “What brings you by?”
She closed the distance between us and wrapped me in a tight hug as if we were long lost friends. “It’s so good to see you again, Annabella. You’re as pretty as ever. Okay that’s a lie, you’re much prettier now,” she laughed and shook her head as she took in my appearance. I knew she meant well, but suddenly I felt self-conscious. “I came to welcome you back home, of course.” To prove her point, Carlotta picked up a giant dark brown basket from the hall table. “And also because I heard that beautiful meadow with the perfect view of the setting sun belongs to you.”
I nodded at her, because suddenly it all made sense. She probably had a husband into real estate development or something like that. I smiled brightly. “It’s not for sale,” I said simply.
“Well that’s good, because I’m not in the market to buy your land. I just want to rent it,” she said with a gentle smile. “I’m an event planner these days. We all kind of work together at The Olde Country House, which is Margot Blanchard-Devereaux owns, to do photos and the like for weddings and all kinds of other big events.” She explained much more than was necessary, and I listened politely because she’d always done me the same courtesy. “Long story longer, it’s a great place for photos. I’m sure Valona and her fiancé Trey would probably want to rent it from time to time as well.”
“I don’t know, Carlotta.” It just seemed like it would be one more thing on my plate that I wouldn’t be able to manage properly, and I didn’t need that right now. I needed to narrow my focus and succeed at just a few things.
“Multiple streams of income,” she replied in a sing-song voice, ending it with a wide smile that said she knew she’d hit a weak spot.
My shoulders fell, because dammit, she had hit a weak spot. Extra money would be good. More than good with Everest growing like a weed and eating everything in sight. Combine all that with my quickly depleting savings, and Carlotta’s proposition was a good idea, temporarily. Wasn’t it?