by Ali Parker
I glanced at Ted. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” I said slowly. “After the barbecue, I’ll need to get back to work. No distractions, right?”
Ted frowned and tapped his pen against the desk, studiously avoiding eye contact. Suddenly, I wondered whether he and Lauralee had talked about Abi and I the previous evening, after I’d left. Whatever their conversation had been, it seemed to have worked. Ted finally shrugged. “There’s not much to do today anyway,” he said slowly. “I doubt there’ll be anything too pressing for her to distract you from.”
Staring at him for a minute, I grinned. “Okay, I’ll invite her, then.”
I stepped outside and dialed Abi’s number. She picked up on the first ring. “Hey Mason,” she said. “Did you want to talk more about your ideas for our farm? Because I’ve been thinking of some.”
Laughing at how excited she sounded, I interrupted her. “That’s not what I was calling for, no, but I wouldn’t mind chatting about your ideas,” I said, leaning against one of the stall doors. “Actually, I wanted to know if you wanted to come over here for lunch today. Mama usually does a big Saturday spread and the whole family gets together. No pressure, though. I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you to meet my whole family before I even take you out on a proper date.”
Abi giggled. “Are you planning to take me out on a proper date at some point?” she asked.
“Let’s just say, I’ve had a few ideas,” I told her. I wanted to do something really special, something romantic. I had a feeling Abi would appreciate a gesture like that. And the more I could get her to fall in love with me, the more likely it was that she would stick around. “But seriously, this lunch would just be a friendly, casual thing.”
“Okay,” Abi said, easily. “Sounds fun. What time should I be there?”
I glanced at my watch. “We’ll probably start setting the table in about an hour,” I said.
“Tell her to come over whenever and she can help me with the salad,” Lauralee said, coming out of the office behind me.
“Did you hear that?” I asked Abi, and she confirmed that she had.
“I’ll be over there in a bit,” she said.
“Okay, sounds good.” I glanced towards Lauralee, but she was already on her way up to the house. “It’ll be good to see you.”
“You just saw me last night, you goof,” Abi said fondly.
“All the same,” I told her.
She laughed, and I could picture her shaking her head. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon,” I agreed.
On my way out of the stables, I noticed Tango had rolled around in the dirt before coming in that morning. Giving him a good brush-down didn’t have to happen right away, but I figured I had a little time to kill before Abi arrived anyway, and I thought the brush-down could give me extra marks in Ted’s books, especially since it hadn’t been on my list of chores that morning.
I slowly fell into the rhythm of my strokes, working until Tango was a shiny chestnut all over again. Then, I headed up to the house, still whistling to myself.
When I got to the house, Abi was already there, and I felt bad for making her wait. At least until I realized that she had already gone ahead with the introductions on her own. I leaned in the doorway as I watched her. She grabbed a stack of placemats from Mama.
“And how are your brothers?” Mama asked, as they worked. “You were all so young the last time I saw you!”
“They’re not so young anymore,” Abi laughed. “You might see my younger brother Jeff around town, he’s out here helping with the farm, too. He’s taking a break from college at the moment and building his photography portfolio.”
“Good for him,” Mama said. “What about your older brothers?”
“Seth and Michael are both married, with kids,” Abi said.
“Doesn’t time fly?” Mama exclaimed, shaking her head. “You know, I haven’t seen your parents around here for a very long time. None of you children, either.”
Abi sighed. “Both of my parents just got to working too much, and it’s such a long drive from North Carolina," she said. She glanced out the big dining room window. “I’ve really missed this place, believe it or not.”
Mama glanced over at me in the doorway, arching an eyebrow at me as if to ask if I’d heard that. Abi had missed it here. That gave me hope that maybe I really could get her to stay, if we could just save her family’s farm.
I liked watching them together, Mama and Abi. They seemed to be getting along, too. Maybe inviting Abi over for lunch had been a better idea than I’d realized. I made a mental note to thank Lauralee at some point, then went up behind Abi, putting my arms around her. “Hey, you.”
Chapter 18
Abi
I had been surprised when Mason invited me over for lunch, but couldn’t stop thinking back to the previous night. I was still worried about starting a relationship with him, but I was trying to remember to trust him.
Midway through helping Mrs. Dawson set the table, Mason came in and put his arms around me, hugging me, and twirling me around so I was facing him. “You look particularly pretty today,” he told me, and I self-consciously touched the green bow in my hair. I’d dressed up a little in a neat blouse and skirt, knowing that if I was going to start dating him, I needed to make a good first impression on his family. I could tell that family was important to Mason, and if his family didn’t approve of me, things would be difficult.
I was trying not to stress about it.
But things seemed to be going well. Lauralee had asked me to help her in the kitchen with the salad and we had chatted a little while we chopped up carrots and tomatoes, and now things with Mrs. Dawson were going well too.
Mason squeezed my hands lightly, drawing me back to the present. “Come on, you sit down; I’ll finish setting the table,” he said, pulling out a seat and guiding me into it.
I laughed and watched as he made quick work of finishing the place settings. Then, he sat down next to me, his chair close enough that our shoulders bumped together. He glanced over at me, a grin on his face. “This table’s never been big enough for all of us, if you ask me, and especially not when we have guests, but Mama thinks it’s cozy.”
Giggling, I looked at Mrs. Dawson, who was smiling warmly as she sat in her own seat at one end of the table. It wasn’t long before Mason’s brothers and Lauralee joined us. Luke sat on my left, while Ted sat across the table from us, next to his fiancée. Mr. Dawson took his place at the far end of the table from his wife, and we started passing the food dishes around.
“Everything looks delicious, Mrs. Dawson,” I said shyly.
“Thank you, dear, but I didn’t do all of the work on this one,” she responded. “These days, Mr. Dawson does most of the barbecuing, and Lauralee does most of the side dishes.”
“But you still preside over the meal!” Ted pointed out.
“That’s true,” Mrs. Dawson said, smiling at all of us. “Let’s dig in.”
I took a couple bites of my food. It was delicious, especially since it was the first meal in a while that I hadn’t had to cook myself. I loved my grandparents and didn’t mind taking care of them, but every once in a while, it was nice to not have to cook for myself. But I couldn’t exactly bring in takeout pizza and expect them to eat it. And neither of them seemed mobile enough to go out to eat at a restaurant, especially since doing so would require driving over to the next town, a good thirty miles away.
“You said you had some ideas for the harvest festival?” Mason asked, as we continued eating.
I glanced towards his family, wondering what they thought about his helping me out. I wasn’t sure I wanted to have this conversation in front of them, but I couldn’t exactly ignore his question. “Yeah, I had a few thoughts,” I said. “Actually, my brother’s friend is going to come down to help us too, so that’ll make things easier on all of us.”
“Is he a photographer also?” Mason asked.
; “No, he’s actually a carpenter. So he’ll be able to haul things around, and that also means that we can do things like maybe build a stage and have some sort of shows? Or a dunk tank maybe. And I was thinking, we could all go bobbing for apples too, that was another idea.” I was rambling, I knew, but I couldn’t help being nervous. One quick look at Mr. Dawson showed him looking unimpressed. And Ted looked distinctively unhappy as well. I bit my lower lip.
“I can help with hauling things, too,” Mason said, grinning at me.
“When you’re not working over here,” Ted said, flatly.
Mason scowled at him. “Of course,” he said. “When I’m not working over here. But you’re not going to work me 24/7, are you?”
“Of course not,” Ted said, rolling his eyes. “But with the harvest, we’re going to be busy around here. There are a lot of things that need to happen this month. I was thinking the other day that the house could use a new coat of paint, on top of everything else, and we might as well do the barn too, while we’re at it. It’s not quite as hot anymore, so it’s a good time of year to do it. We’re going to be working some late days.”
“Sure,” Mason said. “But I don’t have to devote every hour of every day to this place, do I? Is it okay if I have a life sometimes, too?” The sarcasm was practically dripping from his words, and I could see that all it was doing was making Ted more pissed in response.
I felt terrible for having stirred all of this up. “Mason, we probably won’t have that much that you need to help with,” I said quickly. “Thanks for all of the ideas, but I think with Jeff’s friend coming up, we should be able to get everything all done on our own.”
Mason stared incredulously at me. Then, he turned a dirty look on his brother. “You’re being an ass,” he said succinctly. “I know you’re not cut out for this job and that you’ve been stressed ever since David left, but you don’t have to take it out on Abi. I offered to help her before she even asked.”
He reached over and squeezed my hand lightly, but that only made things worse. I felt guilty enough about upsetting the family balance, but hearing those words come out of Mason’s mouth, I knew we had only seen the tip of the iceberg so far. I didn’t want to be the reason he and his brother never spoke to one another again.
I stood up. “I think maybe I should leave,” I said faintly, giving a worried, apologetic look around the table.
Mason caught my arm and tugged me back into my seat, though. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he told me. He glared at his brother. “What the hell is your problem anyway? Making Abi feel like she doesn’t belong here. She has as much right as Lauralee does to be here!”
“Lauralee and I are engaged, not just fucking,” Ted sneered.
“Boys!” Mrs. Dawson interjected, her voice surprisingly loud. The boys turned meekly towards her, both falling silent. “I don’t even know where to begin with the two of you,” she continued, her tone laced with disappointment. “First of all, the language. I don’t need to reinstate the swearing jar, do I?”
Ted and Mason both muttered ‘no’ under their breath.
“Good,” she said. “Now, I won’t have that kind of bickering at my table. I know you’re under some stress lately with the farm, but you’re both acting like children. I didn’t raise you to act like that, and especially not in front of guests.”
She turned towards me, taking a deep breath. “Abi, we’d love to have you stay for lunch. I do apologize for the boys’ behavior, and I promise they’ll be on their best behavior for the rest of the meal, won’t you?” She gave a meaningful look at Ted and Mason, both of whom nodded and said quiet apologies to me.
None of it made me feel any better, though.
“Now, Ted. I think it’s time that you start recognizing that Mason is entitled to have a life, just like you are. He’s not chained to the farm all hours of every day. And what he chooses to do in his free time is none of your concern. I trust that he’ll keep up with his responsibilities and manage himself in an adult way.”
Ted started to protest, but she silenced him with a look.
“You’d rather he was helping Abi than off at Kinsey’s drinking himself under the table, wouldn’t you?” Lauralee asked her fiancé, grinning in an attempt to lighten the mood.
There was an awkward silence, and finally everyone seemed to take a bite at once, signaling the end of the argument. I still felt tears pricking the corners of my eyes. There hadn’t been any resolution. Mrs. Dawson might think she could just snap her fingers and make the boys quit fighting, but that wasn’t what I wanted. If Mason and I were going to have a relationship, I needed his family to like me, not just tolerate me.
They didn’t even seem to want me around, as it was. Mason could come over to my farm when he wasn’t busy here, but it sounded like they resented my presence in Oklahoma at all.
I swallowed hard and stood up. “I’m sorry, I really think I should go,” I said, into the silence. Without giving anyone a chance to respond, I turned and bolted from the table.
Mason caught up to me when I was halfway down the front walk. “Abi, wait,” he said, jogging alongside me. “How are we going to work together if you won’t talk to me?” he asked, when I didn’t respond.
Sighing, I turned towards him, running a hand back through my hair and trying to push aside my feelings in favor of logic. “I’m sorry, Mason, I didn’t mean to start something with your family,” I said. “I didn’t realize helping me out would get you into such trouble. But I’ll find some way to do the festival without you.”
“That’s not what I want,” Mason protested.
“Seems to be what your family wants, though,” I said. “And I’d hate to come between you and your family. Especially over my personal problems.”
“There’s been a lot brewing before you came along,” Mason said.
“Still, I don’t want to be the straw that broke the camel’s back,” I said, shaking my head. “Anyway, it seems like you probably don’t have time for a relationship either.”
“I want whatever we can have,” Mason insisted. “Even if it means I can’t see you during the days or only get to take you out every so often. We could still have fun together.”
“Sounds like just friends to me,” I remarked, cocking an eyebrow at him. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, a clear sign that I was done with this conversation, and headed towards my car.
“Abi, come on. Can’t we at least try it?” Mason pleaded, following after me.
“What’s the point?” I asked bitterly. I shook my head again and got in my truck, slamming the door shut. Mason pounded on the window, trying to continue talking to me, but I put the truck into drive and pulled away, my movements mechanical.
I hated watching him disappear in my rearview mirror, but I knew it had to happen. I didn’t know what I had done so wrong, but his family clearly didn’t want me around.
The tears that had been forming since the fight at the lunch table started to spill over, leaving warm, salty trails down my cheeks.
Chapter 19
Mason
I figured if I gave Abi some space, maybe she’d cool off and we could talk about what had happened at the disastrous lunch, and about everything that had happened after she stormed out. I’d been livid when I went back inside, and no amount of coaxing from Mama could keep me from chewing out Ted for driving her away.
Not that there was really much to say. I liked Abi, now she was gone, and it was all Ted’s fault she had left.
But the more I tried to give her space, the more I felt like I was wasting precious time. She was only sticking around for the harvest, she had said. I already had a limited amount of time to make her fall in love with me. To get her to start picturing a life there in Oklahoma instead of North Carolina. And there was everything with the Brock farm as well. I had yet to see any sort of development there or any advertising around town. I was starting to wonder if she’d abandoned the idea entirely, in which case it was wholly possible that there wou
ld be no way to save the farm and no place for Abi to stick around once the harvest was done.
For once, I could admit that Abi was distracting me from my work, too. Even I noticed how absentminded I’d been this week, and I knew it had to be driving Ted crazy. I just couldn’t stop thinking about Abi, though, hoping that she was feeling a little better than when I’d last seen her. She’d looked close to tears, and the only thing that had stopped me from pulling her into my arms and promising that everything would be okay was the fact that it seemed to be the opposite of what she wanted.
I sighed. Maybe I’d come on too strong. First and foremost, I wanted to help her. If that meant we were just friends, then so be it. Now she seemed to think that I couldn’t be trusted to be around her and still keep things as just friends. So since she didn’t want a relationship, she refused to have anything to do with me. That wasn’t what I wanted at all.
On Wednesday, I decided it was time to approach her again. I was finished with work early, and it would be the perfect time to start planning some of the activities, if she was still willing to work with me. She wasn’t working that day either, I knew, so I swung by her house, hoping I’d find her there.
She answered the door when I knocked, but she didn’t invite me in straightaway. “Hi,” she said, sounding tired. I imagined she was still upset about the luncheon. She looked tired, like she hadn’t been sleeping properly since, and subdued. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to say sorry for the other day, and to see if I could help plan the harvest festival,” I told her. “I got off work early today. All my chores are done.”
Abi sighed. “I’m sorry for the other day too,” she said, as though she had anything to feel sorry for. “I think your family is right, though. This isn’t your problem. I know you’re busy with everything with your own family farm. It was selfish to want you to pull double-shifts just because I could use your help around here.”