“There’s a reason why Leo and I don’t work together,” Roxie snorted as Leo looked at her in surprise. “What? It’s true. I don’t know exactly where Natalie’s going with this, but I have to agree with her assessment.” She then turned to me. “Where are you going with this?”
“You’ve got Leo Maxwell here, heir to the Maxwell banking fortune, who gives it all up to run upstate and raise organically produced eggplants—you don’t think there’s a great story there? Before you say anything, I’m not talking about exploiting anyone here—but think about it. It’s interesting, right? When the entire country is starting to really consider where their food is coming from, and who is growing it, it’s a perfect fit. Show New Yorkers how coming to the country and touring that gorgeous farm is a great way to not only do something good, but bring new eyeballs to this fantastic town.”
Leo was shaking his head, unsure.
Undaunted, I prattled on, working on the pitch out loud as I ran with it. “I’m not talking about a Men of Bailey Falls calendar—just a few key stories placed in exactly the right magazines, exactly the right social media platforms, all about getting back to nature and experiencing a quieter way of life. Brought to you by these hot fucking farmers. All very tasteful of course, no one would even have to take their shirt off. No beefcake. Just implied gorgeous. Accidental hotness. And this guy,” I said, pointing at Oscar. “I don’t know the story here yet, but I know there must be one. A hot dairy farmer? The copy writes itself.”
Everyone had stopped eating. Leo’s forkful of prawns was poised a few inches from his mouth, frozen there as he listened to me position this in the worst possible way. Oscar gave me a long, hard look, then shrugged and returned his attention to his plate. “There’s no story here.”
Hmmm. No one without a story has ever said there’s no story here. But this wasn’t the time to dig.
“You know what, let’s table this for now. Let me finish touring the town, get to know the DNA a bit more, before we start thinking about anything concrete.” I turned to Oscar. “So, I hear you’ve got a huge barn. Care to show it me sometime?”
Roxie started coughing, and Leo handed her a glass of water and patted her on the back. “You okay there, Sugar Snap?”
I just grinned at Oscar. Who actually grinned back. Now that I’d talked to him, and been kissed by him, my old confidence had returned. He’d be putty in my hands soon enough—they always were.
Oscar leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table. “My barn is enormous.”
My internal soundtrack immediately began to play Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop,” but it was hard to hear over Roxie’s coughing.
After lunch was over, Roxie and Leo left to clean up, leaving me alone with Oscar.
“So, all kidding aside, I did really hear about your barn. Roxie said it’s over two hundred years old?”
“Two hundred and seven, built out of local fieldstone.”
“And has the farm been in your family all that time?”
“Nope.”
“Let me guess: two hundred and six?”
“Nope.” He didn’t say much, but the corner of his mouth lifted.
I snorted. “You really do have a knack for scintillating conversation, as I’m sure you’ve been told.”
“Says the girl who, until today, only knew two words,” he said, lifting an eyebrow as well.
As a blush came into my cheeks, his warm hands closed around mine. “I say plenty.” His voice was low and soothing. “When the mood strikes.”
All the air left the room. And then thirty seconds later, so did he. When Roxie and Leo came back into the room, I was grinning like a schoolgirl. Or an idiot.
“How do you always manage to con me into doing dishes, Callahan?”
“You do the dishes because your cooking sucks, Grayson.”
I nodded at the suds in the sink. “Not to put too fine a point on it.”
“Hey, They Might Be Giants, you’re slacking.” Roxie set down a stack of plates she’d just cleared from the table. “Get your ass in gear or I’ll make you come down to the diner and prep potatoes.”
“This isn’t culinary school; you can’t pretend to boss me around anymore,” I said, taking the plates. “You boss Leo around like this?”
“Only when he wants me to.” She winked and went back to clearing the table. “Believe me, Leo is happy to do the dishes if he knows I’ll keep cooking for him.”
“Well look at you, little miss I’ll Never Fall in Love, cooking for her man and happy to do it. Not to mention his rug rat.”
“I’m getting soft in my old age, what can I say?” she said, wiping the table. “Is it terrible to admit that there are nights when I look across at the two of them, enjoying my fried chicken or meat loaf or stuffed peppers and I think, why the hell did I wait so long to give over to this?”