Sizzling Hot Apple Cider

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  “Maddie.”

  “Koen.” I smiled innocently. He was getting so flustered, and it was absolutely adorable. I leaned closer. “Aw, are you worried he’s going to take the twins’ away from you. I promise, you’ll remain their favorite lawyer.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m the only lawyer they know.”

  I nodded. “All the same, they’ll probably like you more than a man digging around in their teeth.”

  “Probably?”

  I shrugged. “I only have so much influence on the twins. They are their own munchkins after all. I refuse to dictate how they are to feel.”

  “And you? Will you still like me more?”

  That question totally took me by surprise. I actually didn’t think he’d be brave enough to ask. It felt like we went from joking around to something more serious with the potential of wonderful, beautiful things.

  That was dangerous territory. I couldn’t let that happen. Not right now. Not after being kissed by Dayton and Bryce, his two best friends. I was not a hussy.

  “Oh, I despise dentists. It’s a low bar to surpass.” I patted his arm. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

  His expression fell into something more neutral, the softness in his face disappearing. “Right.” He nodded. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “You realize it’s like ten feet from the building?”

  “All the same, I’ll walk you. I need some fresh air anyway.” He grabbed his coat that was hanging on a coatrack by the door and led me out. “What are your plans this weekend?”

  “World domination.”

  “Oh, and after that?”

  I rubbed my jaw. “I haven’t made the twins watch a Disney movie in a good three days. I think it’s time.”

  Koen grinned. “The male population is capable of enjoying a good Disney princess movie.”

  “Oh? Does that mean you have a favorite?”

  “My mom was a huge fan, so I learned to appreciate them. It’s nice seeing Disney take a dark fairytale and twist them into something that motivates people and makes it easier to believe in magic and love.”

  “Magic and love. Yes, the ever elusive unicorns of reality.”

  “You don’t believe in either?”

  “I’m surprised you’re willing to believe in magic.”

  He shrugged. “In a way, isn’t that what God is? Isn’t that what miracles are about? Or how people are able to discover a technique or solution capable of saving hundreds if not thousands of lives? Everything has to align perfectly for those things to happen, and I think that’s pretty magical.”

  “Or science. Science and hard work.”

  “That too, but I like to think that science and magic go hand-in-hand.”

  “Oh, that’s deep,” I teased.

  “I can be deep when I want to.” He went to my door and waited for me to hit the unlock button on my fob before opening it for me. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you completely ignoring the concept of love.”

  “Disney makes love seem like it’s something unconditional. I can appreciate that, and I want to believe in it. I do love love. The concept of it. But I haven’t really seen it in my life yet.”

  “What about your mom? She loved you.”

  “A mother’s love.” I nodded. “I can get behind that. But I also know parental love isn’t something automatic.”

  “Your father.” Koen saw right through what I wasn’t saying. “Have you ever sat down and talked with him about everything.”

  I snorted at his silly idea. “Have you ever sat down and talked with God?”

  “I’ve sent my fair share of prayers to him.”

  “Has he responded?”

  Koen didn’t respond.

  “Exactly. Neither has my father. I’m a reminder of his infidelity. To him, it’d be so much easier to pretend I don’t exist. Then he can pretend he’s happy with his wife.”

  “God doesn’t answer in the way we expect. I think your father is the same.”

  “That’s a pretty line.”

  “You once mentioned he paid your mother’s medical bills. And after she died, he took you in.”

  I gritted my teeth and yanked the door out of his hand. “So I should be thankful? I should be kissing the ground he walks on for providing the bare minimum of what a person expects from a father?”

  “That isn’t what I’m saying.”

  “Koen. You aren’t a therapist. I suggest you don’t try to be.” I climbed into the car and slammed my door shut. Not looking at him, I turned it on.

  “I’m sorry, Maddie,” Koen said, his voice muffled through the window.

  I gave a short shake of my head, needing him to shut up. Not giving him a glance, I pulled away from the curb and away from him.

  Koen needed to keep his day job. He’d never make a good therapist.

  Chapter Ten

  Dayton was ready to jump me when I got to the classroom. Grinning from ear to ear with an extra twinkle in his eyes as he walked toward me, there was no way he couldn’t blame me when I turned and walked back out the door.

  “Maddie!” he called out, the laughter in his voice only making me more determined to get out of the building. He could keep the twins for now. I’d find a way later to get them away from him. “Stop walking away.”

  I turned and slowly walked backward so I could see him. He still had that darn silly smile. “No. Nope. Not happening.”

  “You’re going to get hurt. Or hurt someone else.”

  “I’m confident in my ability to walk backward.”

  “Watch out for that girl,” he snapped out.

  I whirled around, expecting to see a child—in imminent danger of being mowed down by me. No one stood there.

  Dayton’s laughter haunted me. I turned and glared at him. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”

  “But it got you to stop walking. Come back to the classroom.”

  “Only if you stop smiling like that. It’s creepy.”

  “Creepy?” Dayton tried to look saddened, but he refused to stop smiling. That made it impossible. “This is my ‘I’m super happy’ smile.”

  “You’re up to no good.”

  “You don’t know that until you come back here.”

  “No thanks.”

  “The twins are ready to go.”

  “Send them out to me.”

  “I’m not doing that.” Dayton shook his head.

  “So you’re holding them hostage?” I asked, eyeing him.

  “No, of course not. Come back here. I want to talk to you.”

  “And that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

  He sighed, his smile finally slipping away. “I think you’ll be interested in what I have to say if it involves hot apple cider donuts.”

  I froze, trying to remember what that had to do with anything. Then I remembered, Dayton’s family owned an apple orchard. He had said the donuts were their specialty. My mouth watered at the thought of sugary-sweet, fried goodness. Hot chocolate will always and forever be my number one, but hot apple cider was a good second choice. Not a favorite favorite, but still a favorite.

  “Okay,” I said slowly, trying to figure out the trap. “I’m listening.”

  “Come listen closer,” he said, a little too amused.

  “Nuh uh. I read that nursery rhyme.”

  “Maddie. Seriously, get over here. I’ve never put an adult into time out before, but you’re tempting me.”

  My eyes widened. He wouldn’t dare. “Fine.” I huffed and stomped toward him. After a couple of stomps, I walked normally until I was at the door. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. “What do you have to say?”

  Dayton laughed. “It really isn’t bad at all. In fact, I think you’ll really like it.”

  “And what is it?” My arms dropped to my side as my interest peaked.

  “There’s a fun cider festival at my family’s orchard this weekend. Koen mentioned you didn’t have any plans. Want to c
ome? It’s our biggest event and draws people from all over the surrounding states to them.”

  “I had plans,” I said. “It was world domination and Disney movies.”

  Dayton raised an eyebrow, not bothering to entertain my plans.

  “Apple orchard, huh?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “So, the donuts?”

  “And a lot of apple cider drinks. My mom has a really good recipe for hot cider.”

  “And this festival, what else does it entail?”

  The teacher was good. He wasn’t fazed by my million and one questions. “Apple picking. There will also be vendors set up, arts and crafts, inflatable playhouses, there’s carriage rides, a pie contest, a cute barrel ride for the kids.” He shrugged. “There’s a lot to do. And you can still watch Disney movies and plan your world domination if you wish.”

  “This is last minute for me,” I admitted. “A weekend trip? And I bet you’re leaving today?”

  Dayton sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know. Trust me, I know. I didn’t even know I was going to be helping until last night. Koen and Bryce are going to help too. Apparently, a chunk of the volunteers all managed to catch the flu this week, so it’s all hands on deck. If it helps to know, the orchard is up in Ipswich. Maybe an hour’s drive, so not too far if for some reason you need to come back. But there is the kick-off event this evening, so the guys and I have to leave as soon as we’re all done. I was hoping you’d like to make a weekend out of it. The hotels will be full, but there’ll be space at my parents’, and it’s right on the orchard. You won’t have to go back and forth with the boys.”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Isn’t it weird?”

  “Weird how?” Stupid Dayton and his silly fake innocence.

  “Really? You’re going to make me say it out loud?” I asked. “Your family. I’m going to be meeting your family.”

  Dayton’s expression became less stupid as it softened. “Is that what you’re worried about? I promise, this doesn’t mean anything other than you having a fun weekend full of too much apples and ciders. Trust me, by the end, you’ll never want to taste cinnamon again or see another apple.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  He chuckled. “We’ll see. But you need to come to find out. It’ll be fun, not just for you, but for the twins too. And I think you guys deserve all the fun you can have, considering everything that’s going on.”

  “Darn.” I glanced past him and to Lawson and Lee. They were talking animatedly with another child. It involved a lot of flailing arms and enthusiastic nodding. “You promise that’s all this weekend is about, having some fun?”

  “Yes, there are no hidden intentions.”

  “Okay. We’ll go. I better get them home so we can pack.”

  Dayton was back to smiling like a crazy man and he swooped in, pulling me into a huge hug that had my feet leaving the floor. His arms were tight bands around my waist as he held me to his hard chest. “Great. This is great. I promise you guys will have so much fun.”

  He must have realized what he was doing because the next moment, I was back on my feet and he managed to put a safe distance between us. His cheeks were stained pink with embarrassment. His smile wavered between excited and contrite, it was an odd combination.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  I giggled. “No worries. I get like that when I’m excited too. We better get going so we can meet you there.”

  “I can pick you guys up instead? My truck has plenty of space. And it’ll be easier than you trying to use directions. Don’t want you to get lost.”

  “You just want to make sure we don’t run away.”

  He shrugged. “Koen and Bryce will be bringing their own cars. So if you want to leave early, I’ll let you take my truck.”

  “You’d do that?”

  He nodded. “I would. Besides, your car is so small, I’m worried it’ll get stuck in the mud.”

  “That’s fine then. I’d appreciate the ride.”

  “Awesome, I’ll let the other two know you are coming. You better head out and get the boys packed. I already have my stuff in my truck so I’ll head over there once I can leave.”

  “Thanks,” I said, bubbling excitement now filling me. A cider festival. I’d never been to one of those before. I let the excitement of a sugar-filled weekend keep me going as I rounded up the twins and headed back to the apartment.

  They were just as excited as I was about apple cider donuts, and they commenced packing. For the two of them, that meant tossing whatever clothes they could into their bag. I made them wait in the living room while I fixed their weekend bags. If they had their way, Lawson wouldn’t have had any pants, and Lee would have been without underwear.

  The buzzer went off as I finished. I buzzed Dayton through the front entrance and unlocked my apartment door so he could come in when he came up. I was shoving my clothes into a bag when the door banged close and he called out, “Who’s ready for an adventure?”

  Lawson and Lee both replied, “Me!”

  “Almost.” I glared at my tulle skirts. Packing them were always a pain. They were too fluffy, taking up a lot of space in my luggage.

  “What’s the hold up?” Dayton stood in my doorway, seeing my predicament. I had three skirts laid out on the bed. They were not going to fit in a weekend bag.

  I bit my lip. Was it girly to go with more than one bag for a weekend? I didn’t want to be that woman with more luggage than I needed.

  Then I thought about the three bags I had for the twins. They were small, and yet I managed to pack that much for them. Their change of clothes had changes of clothes to go with it for when they most definitely began playing in the mud.

  I was not going to feel guilty about bringing two bags. With the decision made, I dug into the closet, pulling out a carry-on luggage. With the extra space, I was able to get it all to fit perfectly.

  “Is that everything?” Dayton asked, eyeing my two bags and my small bathroom kit. That did not count as an extra bag. It held all my important toiletries and makeup.

  “Yes?” Asking me that only made me feel like there was something I was forgetting.

  “Should we do a checklist?”

  I pursed my lips before shaking my head. “No. I have everything.”

  “All right, team. Time to go,” Dayton said, all cheerful and full of energy. His excitement rubbed off on me.

  Grinning, I grabbed coats for everyone. It was warm enough now for jackets. But the weather had a way of changing its mind, so I wanted to be prepared.

  “Apple orchard. Apple orchard.” I sang the words over and over again as Dayton helped carry the bags while I led Lawson and Lee out.

  All three of them picked up the song too, and we turned it into a fun chorus of all four of us singing together.

  “Apple Orchard. Apple Orchard.”

  Chapter Eleven

  We managed to get Dayton’s truck loaded without issue. I even made him put the booster seats in. It was hilarious watching him do it. He made it so much more complicated than it needed to be as he tried wrapping the seatbelt around the booster seat. Lee felt pity for him and ended up helping.

  Dayton was just schooled by a six-year-old.

  “Yeah, laugh it up,” he muttered. “I’ll get you back for that.”

  “I’m sure you won’t.”

  He gave me a funny side-eyed glare, and I giggled.

  “Sissy, how long until we’re there?” Lawson asked.

  I groaned before turning around so I could see the two of them. They both had a tablet in their laps. They were cheap tablets meant for children, with tons of learning games and kid appropriate videos. I only let them play with it when we were traveling because it was a lot better for all our sanity. Otherwise, it became a long game of ‘Are we there yet?’.

  “Okay, Honey Bunches and Oats. Listen carefully because I will not say it again. The drive will take about an hour, let’s say an hour and a
half because of rush hour traffic. When we are close, I will let you know. Until then, you aren’t allowed to ask.” I smirked. “And for each time that you ask, you’ll lose thirty minutes and have to go to bed sooner.”

  “We’ll behave,” Lee said.

  Lawson furiously nodded his agreement.

  I smiled at the two of them. “Great. Settle in and relax. We’ll be there before you know it.”

  A choking noise came from Dayton as he failed to suppress his laughter.

  “What?” I challenged.

  Shaking his head, he said, “Nothing. Smart move.”

  “I’ve had practice.” The radio grabbed my attention.

  He saw the movement. “Go ahead. You can control the music.”

  “Excellent. You are my new favorite road trip companion.” I didn’t waste time in taking over, hooking my phone up to the system.

  “Who was before me?”

  “Koen,” I said and then thought about it. “Better yet, he still is. Sorry. He stopped at Dunkin and got me hot chocolate. There’s no beating that.”

  “I never knew you could be bought. And there’s a drive through Dunkin on the outskirts of the city. I was already planning to stop there.”

  “In that case, as soon as the hot chocolate is in my hands, you’ll gain the title of my favorite. And only because you entertained me so much trying to get the booster seats in the truck.”

  Dayton smirked, happy with that answer.

  The stop at Dunkin was fast, though it quickly turned into a battle as the twins fought for donuts and I fought against them. Dayton settled it with a small pack of munchkins for them to share.

  I eyed him. If I wasn’t careful, he’d end up spoiling them.

  “So what am I getting into?” I asked after getting through my favorite must-listen-to songs and was tired of singing.

  “Nothing, my family is normal.”

  I turned my head and stared at him. His lip twitched as he fought against a smile.

  “I’ll ask again because I know you totally just fudged the truth. What am I getting into?”

  He finally chuckled. “Parents are nice. Careful though. I think they’re in grandparent mode. Three older sisters and still none of them managed to have a child yet. I think my mom is losing hope in them.”