Page 24 of Apple of My Eye

Daisy sighed, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. “Because it could be nothing. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“That’s not your call,” Sage snapped, her voice tight with something deeper than irritation. “If it involves Dad, it involves all of us.”

“Sage—”

“I know you like to think you always know what’s best for us,” she cut in. “But sometimes you don’t, Daisy.”

With that, she turned and disappeared into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind her harder than it needed to.

Harper followed a second later, muttering something about needing more creamer, leaving the front of the shop unattended.

Daisy stayed there, shoulders tight, the heavy weight she carried settling right back into place.

I stepped closer, keeping my voice low enough that it stayed between us. “You’re not wrong, you know, wanting to keep your sisters from worrying.”

She released a heavy sigh. “Doesn’t seem to matter. They worry anyway.”

“That’s kind of how family works. She’ll probably be speaking to you again later tonight, and you two can have a more normal conversation about it.”

She glanced up at me then, blue eyes round, her fingers tightening slightly around her cup. “Thanks.”

“No problem. But now, we’ve got a trip to plan,” I added, nudging things somewhere lighter before she disappeared completely into her own head. “That truck full of apples won’t drive itself to Billings.”

That earned me a grin, the kind that didn’t quite reach her eyes but showed up anyway. “I am excited about selling off the lot. That part’s going to be an immense relief.”

I nodded, eyeing her carefully. “And the rest of it?”

“What rest of it?” She stared down into her cup.

“The hockey game,” I reminded her.

“We’ll see.” Her guard back up, she was right back to holding the line, keeping just enough distance to remind me where I stood.

I knew how to wait for what I wanted. But waiting only worked if there was something on the other side of it for me. Could I really wait forever for her to come around?

Chapter Eight

Daisy

I stareddown at the check, the crisp paper in my hand, the number printed on it almost surreal. The grocery store deal had worked out in our favor.

This is for you, Dad. Fulfilling a dream you once had.

It wasn’t only about the money. This represented months of work. Early mornings and late nights in the orchard. Pruning the trees. Painstakingly caring for them according to Dad’s meticulous notes. Worry stacked on top of responsibility until I could barely breathe under it some days.

Now the black ink printed on this check proved that we’d made it through another harvest, a good one. For once, we were ahead.

Knox leaned back in the driver’s seat of his father’s truck he’d borrowed once we dropped the delivery truck off at the grocery distribution center. We’d just delivered the apples, and he had one arm draped casually along the seat.

“How’s it feel to be rich?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I let out a long breath, shaking my head as I folded thecheck carefully between my fingers. “This isn’t exactly get-rich money, although you were right. The produce manager gave an extremely favorable deal I never would have imagined for selling wholesale. He said they enjoyed doing what they could for the regional economy by supporting local growers. He insists I call him next year again. And it means that my sisters and I don’t have to hustle our asses off this fall and winter selling apples in our spare time.”

“Feels good, right?”

“Temporarily. Every dime of this is already spoken for. Property taxes, bill catch-up, paying Henry and Carl, supplies for next season, a few things my sisters need… the list goes on.” A smile tugged at my lips despite myself. “But yeah. It feels good. I just wish Ash would let me pay you guys for helping with the harvest.”

“Nah. We didn’t do it for the money. We did it for you.”