Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I set down the boxes I’m carrying. “You want these?” I ask her, pulling the rest of the lists from my pocket.
“Have been waiting for Iris to get them. Not like her to be late.”
It doesn’t take long to load up the Maxwell truck. The operation runs efficiently and no one panics. The driver with the red cap seems happy and starts back up the road he came from.
“Who’s next?” I ask Marnie, as we watch the Maxwell truck disappear.
“Now we keep packing and we get ready for Loopin. They usually pull up second.”
“Can I help?” I ask again.
“Honestly, you’re more of a hindrance than a help until the trucks arrive. These guys have been weighing and boxing fruit for years. They do it quicker than you ever could.”
I nod in response. I appreciate the honesty. “How long have you worked here?” I ask.
She laughs. “Too long. Since before Bray had finished high school.”
“You must like it,” I say.
“I complain, but of course I enjoy it. Surrounded by hard workers and the Star Falls air. What’s not to like?”
“Is everything I can see Wilde’s Farm?” I ask.
“Everything. The west barn, where Iris’s office is, isn’t in use at the moment, but at peak times, we open that barn up.”
There’s a stretch of land behind the barns, the other side of the tractor trail, that looks like it might have had a building on it at one point. “What was that over there?” I ask.
“Oh, the old red barn. Or at least it used to be. It was a wreck. Got pulled down when they built this one. This one isn’t quite as pretty, but it’s watertight. And that counts for a lot.”
I can’t help but think that land is crying out for another barn. Another barn that could be the start of a shift in the direction of Wilde’s Farm. But I’m not going to tell Marnie that. I’m not even going to tell Iris. I’m going to crunch some numbers. Get some of the people back in the Alden family office to crunch some numbers. One of them has an intern. They can do some desktop research for me.
I have an idea for Wilde’s Farm. It could make the family a lot of money. But it would also bring change, and although I feel like I’ve known Iris my entire life, I don’t know her brother and her father well at all. I have no idea if they would embrace the kind of change I’m thinking about. They’ve been operating successfully for years now without my help.
Just as another truck approaches Marnie and me, I see Iris come flying out of the house, holding one sneaker, with the laces undone on the one on her foot.
“I’m so sorry,” she yells. “Marnie, I’m going to get you the haulage lists right now.”
Marnie laughs. “No need,” she yells back. “Jack’s got it covered.”
I can’t help but laugh at the expression on Iris’s face. She looks half shocked, half horrified. “Jack?” she asks, like I’m the last person she could fathom that would be able to help. She hobbles toward us, pausing for a second to pull on her missing sneaker.
“Did I see the Maxwell truck pull off?” she asks, looking between Marnie and me.
“Yup,” Marnie says. “And Loopin’s just arriving. We’re all over this. You sleep all you need.”
“I didn’t finish my application until five this morning. I thought a couple of hours’ sleep would be a good idea. But I slept through my alarm.”
“Why don’t you go and get a few more hours?” I ask. “Everything will wait.”
“Are you my knight in shining armor, Jack?” She tips her head back and squints from the sun.
I lift my sunglasses, so I can see her clearly, with no filter. Then I drop a kiss on her lips. “Hashtag life goals. You look beautiful.”
“Jack, I haven’t even brushed my hair.” She rolls her eyes. “I bet the women in New York roll out of bed wearing lace and silk and go straight to Pilates.”
“I’m not thinking about any woman other than you when you’re in a fifty-mile radius.”
Her expression falls a little. “New York is a lot farther than fifty miles away,” she says.
“I’m right here, looking at you.” I’m trying to be reassuring, but I get it. It’s not like I’m moving to Star Falls. Maybe if Wilde’s Farm makes the changes I suggest, there’ll come a point where they don’t need Iris here and she can come back to New York. “And anyway, once you’ve finished that course you’re applying for, who knows where you’ll end up.”
She laughs. “Like I’m going anywhere. My family needs me. So Star Falls is where I’ll stay.”
I try not to let the disappointment I feel show on my face. I wonder if she’ll always feel like Star Falls is the place she’ll stay.