Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 57897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“That would explain a lot,” Jason said. “However, these detailed plans… they’re impressive. It’s got instructions on when to plant new trees, how to care for them, how to space them, everything. Everything you would ever need to know is in here, including business stuff like how to price the trees versus lumber and inflation costs. Your aunts were incredible.”
“Sounds like it,” I sighed.
“Come on.” Jason stood up and took my hand. “Let’s take this downstairs, do some reading while I check the kitchen appliances, and we can start making a plan.”
I smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“I like when you say we,” I said.
“So do I,” he said, then smacked my ass playfully. “Come on.”
I went with him downstairs, and we started forming a plan based on what the documents laid out. Over the next few days, we started implementing them and found ourselves in a place where the business was actually not that far off from being able to reopen. Some of the trees that had grown for years were too tall or old to be functional Christmas trees, but they had spread out, and new generations of trees had sprung up. It might not be small, neat rows, but a more natural-looking tree farm was entirely possible for the upcoming Christmas season.
My business license came in the mail a couple of weeks after filing for it, and I registered the name immediately. Turner Farms was officially a business just in time for the beginning of the fall, and the house was getting closer and closer to being done. And the more time I spent with Jason, the more I was starting to feel like there was only one logical conclusion.
I just didn’t want to get my hopes up too high.
26
JASON
Working for my cousin was everything I had hoped it would be.
The freedom of the job was something I never realized was even possible. Just show up on time and do your work, and otherwise no one bothered you unless they needed help. Being outside in the fresh air, even during the heat, was liberating. The fact that my first field job was helping Beth Ann for a few weeks only made the transition into working there that much easier.
Occasionally, Carter would send me out with Deacon or Everett with either Gerard or Wendy to do acquisition calls. Those were a blast, too, since I got to see a different aspect of the business. Gerard and Wendy were terrific as surveyors, and Deacon and Everett were both very adept at explaining cost and making offers that were usually accepted.
Distributors that bought our lumber and the truckers who shipped it were also part of my training, and Carter made sure I came with him to meet some of the heavy hitters. It felt like he was grooming me for a position that maybe didn’t exist yet, some kind of jack-of-all-trades spot, and frankly, I loved it. Having that kind of variety in my work meant that I was never bored, never felt like I was just spinning my wheels, and I was able to expand my skill set.
My days were fruitful and adventurous even when the work itself was back-breaking at times, and I got off of work sweaty, starving and exhausted. Sometimes I would barely even be functional enough to eat before wanting to just get clean and go to bed. On those days, I knew I couldn’t be much fun, but Beth Ann never made me feel bad about it.
In fact, Beth Ann never made me feel bad about anything. On more than one occasion, she even inferred that she found my scar sexy. Considering Charlotte’s disgust, I found it hard to believe, but she was adamant and enjoyed it when I wore t-shirts or tank tops that didn’t cover any of the scar. Often, I would wake up from dozing on the couch, and she would be curled in my arms, her hand over my scar and sometimes her thumb tracing it.
Most of my nights were spent with her now. Occasionally, she would come over to my place, but most often, I would be at hers. Ostensibly, I was staying at the big house when that happened, but the reality was that I was going to stay wherever she was. Usually that was the trailer, but occasionally it meant throwing ourselves into a still-unfinished bedroom and sleeping on sleeping bags since the old beds had to go.
Things were getting serious, and I knew at some point I was going to have to address it since Carter only knew that we were seeing each other, but I had never actually talked about our relationship. Since he was my only family, it would make sense if he knew what was going on first, but at the same time, I kind of wanted to just put it out there and get it all over with in one shot.