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)
By the time I returned from the markets I was determined that Derek would be nothing but a distant memory, maybe eventually a memory I’ll look upon fondly.
Until then, I was determined to hate him.
Chapter 28
Derek
“Holy shit man, do people really just leave vegetables on your doorstep?” Brody clutched his midsection as laughter overtook him. “I take it back, this isn’t Podunk, it’s Mayberry.”
“Funny,” I snorted and rolled my eyes at him, doubled over in the front hall. I pushed open the screen door, more than a little curious about the basket of goodies on my doorstep. I know, well I hoped it was from a certain dark-haired beauty I couldn’t get off my mind. Bella. She’d landed a heart stopping kiss before she jumped from my car earlier today and I hadn’t seen her or heard from her since.
Until now.
“I’m hilarious,” Brody insisted with another laugh. “Are those tomatoes organic?”
I stared at him. “Did you really just ask me that?”
My agent nodded. “Hell yeah. I give a damn what goes into my body and those tomatoes look like the ones at the farmer’s market.”
I smiled and bent down to pick up one of the tomatoes before I tossed it to Brody. “Where do you think this will end up? Nina over at Dark Horse buys them but soon other high end restaurants will too.”
“From your girlfriend?”
I nodded proudly. “Damn straight.”
Brody’s eyes widened. “So she’s like a real farmer, not one of those chicks who grows a few tomatoes and basil plants on the weekends?”
I nodded towards the property next door. “York Farm. Has been running for decades. It’s a staple in the area.” I picked up another tomato and found a note lodged between a bunch of arugula and some other purplish leafy greens. I picked up the sheet of paper and flipped it open. “Enjoy your freedom,” it said and my heart sank. Bella had heard my earlier conversation with Brody, parts of it anyway and she’d gotten the wrong end of the stick because of course she did.
“Think I can stop by to get her to sell me some?”
I shook my head, eyes still glued to the straight to the point note in Bella’s flowery handwriting. “Probably not now,” I told him and held up the note. “She heard your bullshit and now she’s pissed.” Bella was probably hurt too, which would manifest itself as anger as far as I was concerned. “Dammit Brody.”
“Oh no, don’t try to pin this on me playboy.” My agent shook his head and wagged his finger. “I did my job as your agent. Anything else is up to you.”
I sighed and let my shoulders fall forward knowing that Brody was right. “I told you there’s nothing to break free of.”
He nodded. “And I told you that was fine with me. She’s beautiful and normal and that’s good for our bottom line. You want her, go fix it. I’m headed back to the real world,” he said and scooped another tomato before he jogged down the porch and jumped into his sleek yellow sports car, practically burning rubber on his way down the long drive.
As soon as Brody was gone, I jumped off the porch and ran full speed over to York Farm, eager to correct this misunderstanding as soon as possible. I rapped on the door as hard and as fast as I could, my heart pounded knowing this wasn’t going to be an easy fix.
The door opened to reveal Everest. “Yeah?”
“Your aunt home?”
He shook his head slowly, his eyes angry and suspicious.
“Well where is she?”
“Can’t say,” he growled. “She ran from your place with tears in her eyes so even if I knew I probably wouldn’t tell you.”
“That’s fair,” I nodded and held up a hand to stop the kid from closing the door in my face. “But she overheard something and took it out of context. Okay maybe not out of context but my asshole agent was just being well, exactly who he is.” I sighed and wondered if this was what my life had come to, explaining myself to a thirteen year old kid. “Look I told Brody to go to tell, not that it’s any of your business kid. But I told him I was in love with her and don’t say that shit again.”
I wanted to smile in satisfaction at the way Everest’s mouth snapped shut and shocked filled his eyes, instead I waited for the kid to break. “She’s not here.”
“Seriously?”
Everest nodded. “Came inside hiding her tears, packed up the truck and said she needed to get an early jump on the bigger farmer’s markets.”
That didn’t make sense. “Without you?”
Everest nodded again. “Said she needed to get used to doing it without me when school starts. But that wasn’t the truth.”
“How can you be sure?”
“She wouldn’t look me in the eyes and she could barely hold back her tears. Or her anger. How do you plan to fix this?”