Sizzling Hot Apple Cider

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  “Is that your way of trying to bribe us to come back?” My smile took the edge out of my words. It’d be nice to come out here when the weather was nicer. This place was so peaceful and quiet. I couldn’t hear cars. It was a new kind of silence that could quickly become addicting. It felt like a buzz of activity had been lifted from my mind.

  True silence.

  Not something you could find in a city.

  We dumped our bags, used the bathroom, and then Lina showed us the way to the barbeque.

  We stopped in front of two carts and Lina passed me the key to one.

  “Can I really?” I glanced down at the golf carts, and then at the key in my hand.

  “Yes.” Lina smiled.

  “Really, really?”

  She laughed. “Come on, before we miss all the fun.”

  Oh my God. I didn’t think Lina realized she just completed one of my bucket list items. Though it’d only be more complete once I ran down my mortal enemy with it. To do that, I’d need Olivia around. I wouldn’t mind chasing her across the field with my cart. A paintball gun would be involved too.

  I giggled with that imagery in mind as the twins got in with me and we took off. I drove careful enough, not wanting them to fall out.

  They loved it almost as much as I did.

  “New rule,” I said.

  “Not another one,” Lawson dramatically whined.

  I giggled. “No golf cart riding without an adult around.”

  “We can do that,” Lee said. “You said around, not driving.”

  I smirked. “You are correct, little man. Around.”

  We drove up to the tourist shop area. Behind it was a huge tent set up. People milled about and as we got closer, the delicious smell of barbeque got stronger. We parked next to two other golf carts and hopped out. I gave the key back to Lina before I was tempted to keep going and then knowing me, getting lost on this huge property.

  “You finally made it,” Bryce said, coming over and pulling me into a short hug. “I thought Lina was never going to let you go.”

  “I love how you fear for me and not for Lina. Maybe I would be the one to hold her hostage. She’s such a delight.”

  Bryce’s eyes widened before he laughed. “Now I wonder what that’d be like.”

  “Come on,” Lina called. “It’s about time to start handing out food and you two are helping. Lawson and Lee, want to be my little helpers? I need to make sure everyone has their utensils.”

  “Can we?” Lee asked me.

  “Yes. Remember to stay in sight of an adult. No running off after you’re done.” I knew them too well. They had to be itching to explore more. I knew I was.

  Time flew by. I stood next to Koen and Bryce as we handed out compostable containers overfilled with food to the guests. It was a good time, everyone having fun, talking and laughing.

  The music kept going, the live band playing a range of music to make sure there was something for everyone. People danced, sang, and had a good time all around.

  It was contagious, and before I knew it, I was dragging Koen to an open space and making him dance with me.

  “You do know how to dance,” I accused as I moved.

  “Of course I do,” he said.

  “Darn.”

  His lip curled into a smile. “Thought you’d be able to make me look like a fool.” He pulled me close and moved in a way that made my skin heat as my face flushed. His bottom half ground against mine in something way too sensual and similar to something that should be happening between the sheets and not out in public.

  Chuckling, he pulled away, leaving me panting and wanting for more.

  “You don’t play fair at all,” I grumbled. The song stopped. Instead of another one starting, the band quieted down and Dayton’s father hopped onto the makeshift stage.

  We all gathered around and listened as he did a flowery and humorous speech about the family farm and annual cider festival, thanking sponsors and vendors for participating, for volunteers taking time to help out, and to the guests for coming and making the event successful.

  Once the speech ended, I was able to steal food and claim a table. Lawson and Lee were with me long enough to take a couple of bites before the other children grabbed their attention. They were gone before I could tell them to eat any more.

  They were so going to bed hungry tonight.

  I contemplated taking the containers back to the room for them, but I wasn’t sure if that was appropriate since we were guests in someone’s house. Besides, with how hard they were playing tag, they were going to be exhausted by the time we made it back to the house.

  My jaw ached as I yawned, my eyes tearing up. Okay, I would be lucky if I made it back to our room.

  “Time to call it a night?” Koen asked, coming over.

  “Carry me,” I moaned, putting my head down on the table, suddenly blurry-eyed. They were feeling crusty, and it was a losing war as I fought to keep them open.

  Exhaustion hit hard when it hit me. All the sleepless nights and stressing didn’t help. It was like I ran for days and days at a time, and then suddenly it all hit me hard.

  Today was that day for me unfortunately.

  “How about I bring you back so you can go to bed. The guys will make sure the twins come back with them. It looks like they aren’t ready to stop any time soon.”

  “Hm. They’re my responsibility. I don’t want to push them off on anyone.”

  “You aren’t, trust me. If Lina had her way, she’d keep them at her side too. She took to them a lot more than I thought she would.” Koen watched Lina. I followed her line of sight and realized she was staring at the kids as she smiled like that.

  “She really wants grandkids, doesn’t she?”

  Koen shrugged. “Dayton is her baby, and he’s going to be hitting thirty in a few years. She probably thought with three girls, she’d at least have a child or two by now, but the Killison family are all stubborn, and none of the sisters want a kid right now.”

  “Who do you think will have a child first?”

  “Ivy.”

  “Really?” That surprised me.

  “She’s business oriented, but she’s also huge on family. She wouldn’t be so willing to take over the orchard if she wasn’t. She loves what having a family is like, especially a big one. Once she gets where she wants to be with the orchard, she’ll settle down more. I think she’s been seeing someone, though she hasn’t announced it yet.”

  I chuckled. “Announcing it to Lina must be the equivalent of announcing that she’s engaged.”

  “You know her so well already.”

  “Hmm.” I stared at Lina, fighting to keep my smile in place.

  “What are you thinking?” Koen asked.

  I straightened from lying on the picnic table and leaned into him, resting my head on his bicep.

  “She’s a mother.”

  “Yeah?”

  I sighed. “I forgot what having a mother was like. Seeing her so attentive to her loved ones, always fluttering around, trying to take care of everyone, making sure no one feels unwelcome. She’s a good woman.”

  “Olivia was never a mother. I can’t even be sure if she was one to your sister.”

  I sighed. “I don’t know either. Mandy was already grown when I met her.”

  “What about your mother? You don’t talk about her often. I think all anyone knows is that she was sick and died when you were sixteen. Cancer, right?”

  I nodded, trying to work around the lump in my throat. “It was bad. And hard. She was diagnosed when I was eleven. It was a very long battle for her. For a while, she refused treatment because it was only her and me, and she needed to work to take care of me. When I was fourteen, I was able to get a job to help, or to at least keep us fed.” I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to imagine my mother. It was hard. All I kept seeing was the sick version of her, not the healthy, happy woman I had grown up with.

  “When Dad found out, he helped with the medical bill
s. It pushed her to get treatment. But she also had to keep working and that wasn’t easy. She couldn’t rest like she needed to. Eventually, she couldn’t work anymore, at all. I went to school, then to work, then spent my nights taking care of her those last two years.”

  “I’m sorry, Maddie.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m just glad she’s no longer suffering. I guess that’s something, right?” I glanced at Lina. “And I’m glad Lina is who she is. The world needs good mothers like her.”

  “Did you know Lina was diagnosed with breast cancer just after Dayton was born?”

  “No.” I frowned “I didn’t know that.”

  “She’s in remission now. Been healthy for the past ten years, but it was hard. At one point, it was touch and go. I think it gave her a new outlook on life. Everyone still worries for her, but she’s been in the clear for a while now, and she stays on top of her appointments.”

  “That’s good.”

  Koen stood up and lifted me to my feet. “Come on, I’ll take you back. The others are more than happy to watch the twins.” As if Dayton had been eavesdropping on us, he looked over. Koen pointed to one of the carts, lifting his key. Dayton nodded, giving us a thumbs up before continuing to chase the kids around. He had had gotten roped into playing a fun game of tag. If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I’d have been chasing them around too.

  But my body felt old and achy. I needed a good rest. Being there, surrounded by loving people with only sincerity in everything they did, it made it easier to relax.

  That was probably why the exhaustion hit so hard.

  Remembering Dr. Adam’s assignment to be willing to reach out for more help, I figured this fit into what he meant. So I relented and nodded.

  And let Dayton and Bryce make sure Lawson and Lee didn’t get themselves killed. That couldn’t be too hard, right?

  Chapter Twelve

  It was bright and early when Charlie forced her way into my room and woke us all up.

  “I thought roosters were supposed to crow when it was time to wake up,” I mumbled, burying my head under a pillow.

  She laughed. “Wrong kind of farm. We don’t have a rooster.”

  “That’s a shame,” I mumbled.

  “Come on, before you miss breakfast. You should eat now before it’s all gone and there won’t be anything until lunchtime.”

  “Too early.”

  “The festival starts early. Vendors are already setting up and the guests will start arriving soon. We need to do a walk through and make sure everything is set up. Make sure the vendors don’t need anything.”

  I grunted, finally getting up. Lawson and Lee were rubbing their adorable cherub faces, trying to wake up too. They were used to getting up for school, but it wasn’t this early.

  How was getting up so early relaxing and fun? I think Dayton needed a talking to about what was fun and wasn’t.

  Breakfast was nearly impossible. I was pretty sure Koen caught my head once or twice before it landed in my dish. Lawson and Lee had no trouble as they gulped down all their food.

  Bryce was grinning when he came over to the dining table.

  “What?” I eyed him suspiciously.

  “Here.” He held the cup out to me.

  I stared at it like it was going to explode in my face. Then the scent finally reached me, entered my brain, and sent my neurons into overdrive. My mouth flooded with saliva. Sustenance. Real sustenance.

  “Please, please, please tell me that’s hot chocolate. Please.” I reached for it, loving the perfect warmth emanating from the pink flamingo style cup. I brought it to my nose and took in a deep breath, savoring its dark, creamy sweetness.

  This was the good stuff.

  “I love you.” I took a drink and moaned, the rest of my brain waking up. “You found gold. This is better than gold. Diamonds? Maybe a fallen star. You found a shooting star.”

  Bryce chuckled as he took the seat next to me. “We made sure to stock up on some before coming here.”

  “What brand is this?”

  “That’s a secret,” he said with a mischievous smirk.

  I narrowed my eyes. “I accept. I accept your challenge. I’ll know the brand before the weekend is over.”

  Dayton laughed. “Good luck with that.”

  My focus landed on him, noting the way he was smiling, leaning back in his chair, doing that infuriating half smirk that drove me crazy. It was sexy and challenging and cocky all mixed in together. Bryce had a similar smile.

  My eyes narrowed. They were in cahoots with each other.

  “The hunt is on,” I said.

  They shared a conspiratorial smile.

  “All right, finish up,” Lucas said, standing up from the table, his plate already clean. His dish had been full literally two minutes ago.

  My eyes widened at how quickly his food had disappeared. Was that even possible?

  “As soon as you’re done, head out to the gift shop. You’ll be allocated jobs there. I’m going to do a last drive around to make sure everything is properly set up.” He leaned over and gave Lina a quick peck on her lips, his expression softening.

  Lina watched as he left, a small smile on her lips. Her expression was full of so much love that my heart ached. What was it like to look at someone like that? Or to be looked at like that?

  I didn’t know, but I was beginning to think I wanted to find out.

  After that, everyone quickly shoveled their food into their mouths before heading out. The twins went with Lina. She said she had a special job only for them, and they were quick to abandon me once I told them it was okay to go be her little slaves.

  There was a brief tug of war over who got to drive. Koen ended up winning as he drove the golf cart, making me frustrated as he avoided all the bumps. I was without the twins. It was time to let loose and have some fun.

  Koen was taking away all my fun.

  As soon as we arrived, Dayton pulled me away.

  “But I just got here,” I argued.

  “And I have a special job for you,” he said. “We need to pick a bunch of apples for later today. Mom does a demonstration with some of the guests and she likes her apples fresh.”

  “Apple picking?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Lots of apple picking.”

  We jumped into a golf cart, and I didn’t even argue as he took the driver’s seat. “Check the back. There’s a present for you.”

  I turned, spotting the small white box right away.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it.”

  I did and my mouth watered as I looked at the delicious mini donuts, golden brown, covered in sugar crystals. They were warm too.

  “Oh. Oh, this is life right here,” I said. It didn’t take long to introduce a donut to my mouth, finding heaven. The moans were unstoppable as warmth curled around my tongue and the donut melted into a cinnamon sweetness that left me desperate for more.

  The box never stood a chance. When Dayton made a move to take one, I turned my body, curling it around the box, and growled at him. That’d make him think twice.

  My reaction shocked him into laughter.

  Once my obsession was curbed enough, I focused on giving him the third degree about apple orchards. What I knew about them could fit on one hand. Okay. One finger.

  Apple orchards were where apples grew to be harvested and eaten. Now that I thought about it, put it that way, and it was a bit morbid.

  “Isn’t it late into the season?” I asked.

  “It is. This is the last of the crop so to speak for the rest of the year. After this, the orchard will close down to visitors.”

  “So not so many apples out there?”

  “They have the Enterprise and Gold Rush apples to pick. They ripen later, usually from late October to mid-November. We built a nice patch of them for guests who didn’t want to come in during the main apple-picking season. It’s where we focus the guests for the festival. Besides, they still have a bunch of other activities. Not eve
ryone is into apple picking.”

  We drove between small bushy trees that were practically my height, maybe a little taller. More like Christmas tree height. That was when I realized it.

  “These aren’t apple trees.”

  Dayton snorted. “They’re dwarf trees. Easier to grow and safer to pick from.”

  “But…”

  “What?”

  I stared at a tree, seeing some apples still hanging, but barely. They were ready to fall and smash to the ground. The bottoms of the trees were more barren than those higher up. They looked a little sad.

  “I thought trees were supposed to be like twenty feet tall. And we got to use a ladder. And those cool apron-looking bags to put them in?”

  The breeze whipped away Dayton’s laughter as we turned onto another road and went further down. The trees were more plentiful. Apples asking to be plucked. He pulled off to the side and hopped out. I didn’t realize there was a small crate attached to the back of the cart. He pulled out a bag and handed it to me.

  “We use the dwarf and semi-dwarf trees depending on spacing and type of trees we need. There are some full-size trees on the property, but we don’t let visitors pick them. Too dangerous. The last thing we need is someone falling off a ladder and breaking a bone, then trying to sue us because they don’t know how to climb a ladder in the first place.”

  I frowned. Okay, well, more like pouted. “That’s… disappointing.”

  Dayton shook his head, chuckling. “Come on.” He helped put the sack on me before putting his on.

  “These apples are so red,” I whispered, looking at them.

  “These are the Enterprise apples. You can tell the difference because they’re glossy red. A full-size tree can grow to fourteen feet.”

  “What about the others? The Gold Rush ones?”

  “They’re nearby. We’ll need to pick more of those. They’re the best for baking and eating right off the tree.” He grabbed a red apple and held it to my mouth. “Bite.”

  I did as he said, digging my teeth into the apple. Eating an apple he held felt a lot more intimate than I thought it should have been. More sensual. There was probably some kind of biblical reference in there somewhere too, but I wasn’t good with that stuff. So I let my teeth sink in through the red skin and into the firm apple. The skin was a little tough, and the inside on the grainy side. Juice flowed into my mouth as my taste buds tingled with a flavor I wasn’t used to.