by Aurora Rey
“I don’t think I’ve ever picked stuff before. How weird is that?”
“Not weird at all. We’re city folk.” Drew sighed. “It’s kind of nice.”
Baker raised a brow.
“Not, like, as something I want to do with my life, but having the option is cool. There’s something to be said for eating food you harvested yourself.” Grown by a beautiful farmer she couldn’t seem to get enough of.
“That totally makes sense.” Baker nodded. “Speaking of food, do I get to come to the restaurant with you tonight?”
“Absolutely. I thought we’d go in early. You can see the kitchen, then hang at the bar for a bit. I’ll feed you, then you can take my car to come back here. I’ll get a ride home from Poppy.” She’d planned it all out so they could maximize their time together even though she didn’t have a ton of time off.
“Are you sure that’s cool? I brought some work with me, so I’d love some time tonight to plow through it.”
“It’ll work great. Then we’ll hit the farm tomorrow and have a fun lunch somewhere before I have to go in.”
Baker nodded, seemingly happy with the plan. “And Sunday I’ll putter around on my own.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t take more time off.”
Baker bumped her shoulder. “No worries, dude. You’re a big shot now.”
“When I’m really a big shot, I’ll have a bigger staff who’ll do my bidding when I want to take a night off.”
Baker’s arm came around her shoulders now, gave her a squeeze. “You’ll get there, my friend. You’ll get there.”
She would. She was closer now than she’d ever been before. They got into Drew’s car, complete with Baker’s fancy laptop bag, and headed into town. They had a few minutes, so Drew pointed out a few places she thought Baker might like.
Baker nodded, soaking it all in. “It’s a little Boerum Hill, isn’t it?”
Drew laughed. The Brooklyn vibe hadn’t been her imagination. “A little. But this is all of it. Five minutes in any direction and you’re in cornfields, forest, or the lake.”
Baker offered a shrug. “There are worse things, I suppose.”
“True story.” More so than she’d believed when she arrived only a couple of months ago.
When they got to the restaurant, Drew introduced her around and showed her the kitchen. Baker grinned, clearly impressed. “This is nice, dude. Way nicer than most of the kitchens you’ve worked in.”
“Yeah, and about twice the size.” It would be hard to go back to the cramped spaces of city kitchens. Well, not hard, just an adjustment.
“I know I made fun of you, but I’m happy for you.”
Drew dropped her head to the side. As much as she craved accolades from critics and customers, getting praise from someone who was like family made her weirdly uncomfortable. “Let’s get you set up at the bar.”
She introduced Baker to Carlton, garnered a promise that he’d look out for her, then retreated to the kitchen. She’d come in later than usual and wanted to make sure everything was prepped for dinner service. It was. Clearly, her tirade the week before about the importance of it had left a lasting impression. She gathered the staff to run through the menu, then did a preparation of each of the specials. It probably wasn’t necessary at this point, but she liked knowing there could be no misunderstanding her vision. And letting the waitstaff sample them made it much more likely they’d promote them to customers.
By the time she finished, the first customers of the night were settled in the dining room. The kitchen sprang into action and Drew found her groove. She knew enough about what Baker liked that she didn’t bother offering a menu. She created small plate versions of things between orders and walked them out herself. She also made a few turns around the dining room. Drew didn’t need to be the literal face of the restaurant, but she’d discovered the attention made customers feel special and, as a result, more likely to return.
Baker took off a little before eight and the rest of the night passed uneventfully. Almost as much as her family, Baker’s approval meant a lot to her. She hoped she’d be able to say the same after the visit to the farm the next day, and after introducing Baker to Hannah.
* * *
Hannah was happy to get an invite to join Drew and her best friend for dinner. She wasn’t expecting them to visit the farm on top of it. But as she saw Drew headed her way, accompanied by someone she didn’t recognize, she realized she’d get to meet Baker sooner rather than later.
She used their approach to study the two of them. They weren’t siblings, but they could have been. Baker had the same complexion as Drew, the same confident stride. It was fascinating to watch and made her wonder what Drew’s life in the city had looked like, what she’d been like as a child.
Drew caught her staring and offered a wave. Hannah returned it and went to meet them at the corner of the pepper patch. “Welcome to Three Willows Farm.” She pulled off a work glove and stuck out her hand. “I’m Hannah.”
“Baker.” The woman took her hand, offered her a smile. “This place is spectacular.”
Hannah beamed, unable to resist the compliment. “Thank you.” She glanced at Drew. “I’m sorry I wasn’t expecting you or I wouldn’t have made you come out to the farthest field.”
Drew waved a hand in dismissal. “We didn’t want to interrupt your work, especially since you’re coming for dinner Monday. But Baker’s never been to a real farm before.”
“Ever?” It shouldn’t surprise her at this point, but she couldn’t help it.
“I’m even more of a city rat than this one.” Baker angled her head toward Drew.
Drew chuckled. “I may have told her she could pick some stuff.”
Hannah smiled at Baker’s enthusiastic nod. “All right. What’s your pleasure?”
“Anything you’ll let me get my hands on.”
Hannah glanced at Drew, who shrugged. “I’ve already boxed up what I need for the restaurant.”
“Do you cook? Do you want things you can take home with you?”
Baker’s eyes lit up. “My girlfriend loves to cook.”
“Perfect.” She leaned down and picked up a basket. “Sweet and hot peppers will transport well. And as long as you pick some just shy of ripe, tomatoes will, too.”
Since Hannah was harvesting as well, she stayed with them, asking questions about how long they’d been friends, what they did for fun in the city. Baker proved utterly charming. A bit smoother than Drew, but still sincere. Hannah liked her, and liked seeing Drew interact with someone she so clearly felt comfortable with.
When Baker had filled her basket to the brim, Hannah tipped her head toward the orchard. “How do you feel about peaches?”
Drew lifted both arms and looked at Hannah like she’d been betrayed. “Peaches are ready? I thought you promised me first dibs.”
“Ooh, farm drama,” Baker said, dropping her voice low.
Hannah folded her arms, enjoying the back and forth. “This is first dibs. I checked them this morning and the first wave is ready.”
She had the pleasure of watching Drew’s expression change. “Okay, I take it back. I humbly offer my eternal gratitude.”
“As you should. The second Clare posts a crop alert, we’ll be cleaned out.” Hannah pointed to the far hill, then began leading the way to the orchard.
“Peaches grow on trees, right?” Baker asked.
Hannah laughed and Drew let out an exasperated, “Dude.”
Baker lifted both hands in defense. “Kidding, kidding.” She shrugged. “Mostly.”
They walked along the side of the cornfield and up past the first few rows of apples. Drew pointed at them. “When will those be ready?”
“Not until early October.” Drew frowned, so Hannah added, “But we have a couple of varieties that we’ll be picking by mid-September.”
Drew curled a lip. “Are they any good?”
Baker elbowed Drew in the ribs. “Don’t imply she grows anythi
ng that isn’t good.” She glanced at Hannah and rolled her eyes. “Jeez.”
“I didn’t bring you here so you two could gang up on me,” Drew said with mock annoyance.
Baker shrugged. “It’s not my fault you make it so easy.”
Hannah snickered. She liked Baker on her own but had a special appreciation for her dynamic with Drew. The unbridled ribbing reminded her of Jenn and told her a lot about Drew as a person. They got to the row of peaches Hannah had scoped out that morning. She went up to the first tree, felt a few of the peaches whose color had turned, and finally settled on one. She gave it a twist, then repeated the process with a second. She handed one to each of them. “As long as you don’t mind the fuzz, have a taste.”
Both Drew and Baker took a bite, but Hannah’s gaze was on Drew. The way her eyes closed with pleasure. The way a drop of juice ran down her chin. The whole thing was way more sensual than it should be. Had Baker not been standing right there, she would have been tempted to catch the drip with her tongue, kiss Drew right there in the middle of the orchard.
“Okay, that’s officially the best peach I’ve ever had in my life.” Baker’s voice snapped Hannah from her fantasy.
“Agreed.” Drew nodded. “When do I get some for the restaurant?”
“My plan was next week, but only because I didn’t have hands to pick any for you for today’s order.”
“So, we could pick some now and take them with us?” Drew angled her head at Baker. “She’ll work for free.”
Baker shrugged. “I will. For her, at least. Not in general.”
Hannah chuckled. She grabbed three bushel baskets, handing one to each of them. “You want to make sure you’re picking ripe ones. Give it the gentlest squeeze. It needs to give just a little. If it’s hard, it’ll take a week to ripen and still won’t be quite as good.”
Drew and Baker nodded like attentive students. “One of these will be enough for me, but I know Mariama would be ecstatic if I brought her some, too.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
They worked their way down a row, working each side of it. Hannah used a ladder for her picking, since most of the u-pickers would keep to the ground. It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes or so to fill the baskets.
“I can’t believe how much fun this is,” Baker said.
Before Hannah could say anything, Drew chimed in. “Well, it’s not all fun and games. You should be here on weeding day. Or when the things needing to be picked are on the ground.”
The adamant tone made Hannah laugh. “I knew I worked you too hard.”
“Oh, no. You’re not going to take it back now. I kept up.”
“You did. You definitely did.”
Baker seemed to find the whole exchange beyond humorous. “I think I like this version of you,” she said to Drew.
For some reason, the comment sent a flutter through Hannah’s chest. She’d told herself it didn’t matter if Drew remained a city person at heart. She’d done it convincingly, even. The last thing she needed to think about right now was Drew’s heart.
They carried the peaches down to the barn. Both Drew and Baker worked in a comment about how freaking heavy they were. Hannah didn’t, but only because she’d known they would be.
Drew popped the back hatch of her car. They loaded the peaches, then the rest of Drew’s produce for the weekend. Hannah wished them a good day and was about to head back to the field when Drew snagged her hand. “Thanks for giving me first dibs on peaches.”
It felt like she might be talking about more than peaches. Hannah swallowed the flutter that hadn’t really gone away. “Of course. I’m sure you’ll make something delicious.”
“You should stop by for dinner. You can keep Baker company.”
“I—”
“No pressure,” Baker offered her a charming smile, “but I’d love company.”
“Let me see what I can get done here in the next few hours. Can I text you one way or the other?”
“If you can’t swing it, you can always sneak in the back door again.” Drew offered a playful smirk that was way sexier than it had any right to be.
“No, no.” Had it been just the two of them, Hannah might have ventured a racy comeback. But with Baker right there, she had a hard enough time not blushing. “If I can make it, I’ll take a quick shower and put on clean clothes.”
“I hope to see you,” Baker said. “But if you’re beat, don’t worry about it.”
Hannah nodded. “Thanks.”
She realized Drew was still holding her hand. Such a casually intimate gesture. It reminded her of that night on her deck when they shared beers and BLTs, before they’d even kissed. It hadn’t been that long ago, but so much had changed.
She was prevented from getting too lost in her thoughts when Drew gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll hope to see you, too.”
Drew leaned in and kissed her. Nothing intense or lingering, but it sent little shivers of pleasure up and down her spine. She tried to keep her face casual, not give away just how much Drew affected her. “You two have a great day.”
Another squeeze, then Drew let her hand go. “You too. Don’t work too hard.”
They got into Drew’s car and left. Hannah headed into the barn to do a quick check of things, then back out to her peppers. She did the math of when she’d need to call it a day if she wanted to get home and change and make it to the restaurant at a decent hour. It was unlike her to blow off hours of daylight, but the invitation, she admitted to herself, was one she didn’t want to pass up.
Chapter Nineteen
Hannah found Baker at the bar, nursing a beer and chatting with Carlton. Baker smiled and stood when Hannah caught her eye. “Hey. I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”
“I’m technically shirking, but my boss will understand.”
Baker narrowed her eyes. “Aren’t you the boss?”
“Indeed I am.”
Baker pulled out the stool next to hers. “Well, in that case, let me get the boss something to drink. Beer? Wine?”
Hannah sat and glanced at Carlton. “The dry Riesling, please.”
“You got it.” Carlton poured a glass and set it in front of her. Hannah thanked him, then turned her attention to Baker.
Baker took her seat again but angled herself toward Hannah. “That’s a really impressive operation you have.”
Hannah smiled. “Thanks. It’s small, but I’m proud of it.”
“The fact that it’s small but that you grow as much as you do is what makes it so impressive.”
She tapped her finger on the bar. “You know just the right thing to say to a girl.”
“I do.” Baker winked. “But in your case, it’s the truth.”
Hannah had a flash of Drew and Baker out together, trying to chat up women. Was that Drew’s usual modus operandi? “So, how long have you and Drew been friends?”
Baker looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, man, since fifth grade. So, like, twenty years. That makes me feel so old.”
Hannah chuckled. She knew the feeling. “My friend Jenn and I are the same. Which makes me wonder if you two had an ill-fated attempt to date or hook up like she and I did.”
Baker choked on her beer and coughed. The cough morphed into laughter, the kind that had her bent over, with tears running down her face. “We didn’t, thank God. We went right to being bros.”
Hannah chuckled. Drew had probably been the cutest baby dyke ever. “It must be easier in a big school in the city. I think we were the only queer people we knew. Well, except for a really sweet drama club kid named Tyler, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Baker wiped her eyes and her expression grew serious. “Was it hard for you to come out?”
“More awkward than hard. My family is religious, but not in the extreme. I never worried about being disowned or anything. It was more the weirdness of talking to my parents about anything that had to do with sex.” She shuddered at the memory.
“Two older brothers, actually. Between that and growing up on a dairy farm, you’d think I would have gotten over any shyness about sex at an early age.” Talking with her mother hadn’t been all that bad. She’d just never been close with her father. Even before she decided to go off on her own and grow vegetables, he’d never seemed to know what to do with her. And vice versa.
Baker smiled. “It’s always harder when it’s about you. I had three older sisters, one of whom was married with a baby by the time I started high school. I think it took the pressure off me.”
She’d never thought of it that way. “You’re so right. My brothers gave my mother grandbabies and my father the promise of taking over the farm and the family name. Saved me from being the big disappointment.”
“Are you close to them now?”
Hannah ran a finger up and down the stem of her wineglass. “Yes and no. They’re only fifteen minutes or so up the road, so I spend a good amount of time with them. I’m close to my mom and my little sister. My dad and I don’t see eye to eye on most things.”
“Politics?”
If only it was that simple. “Yes, but also business. He thinks running a farm the way I do is impractical and self-indulgent.”
Baker took a swig of beer and raised a brow. “Self-indulgent?”
“Yeah.” Hannah searched for the right words, words that would explain the rift without vilifying him. “Like, it’s a nice idea for a perfect world, but it’s no way to earn a living.”
“Ah. He’s a quantity over quality kind of guy.”
“He wouldn’t appreciate any digs on the quality of the milk he produces, but yeah. He grows his own corn, but he keeps the cows cooped up in the barn and feeds them corn instead of letting them pasture graze. That kind of thing.” God, the number of arguments they’d had over pesticides.
“That sounds really hard. I’m sorry.” Baker gave her a look of such understanding, Hannah couldn’t help but wonder if she had a similar experience with her own parents.