The evening air rushed over her skin, pulling goose bumps up along her flesh. The breeze was biting enough that it caused her to shiver deep in her bones and wish she’d brought her sweater with her. With determined strides, she quickly crossed over the grassy knoll at the front of the wedding venue and made her way toward the parking lot. When she reached her truck, she yanked on the door handle and all but fell into the cab, defeat washing over her in unrelenting waves.
Sophie gathered her sweater from the seat and balled it up. She lifted it to her face and a frustrated gargle ripped from her throat, muffled into the soft fabric.
“You okay?”
Sophie jumped so high in her seat, she almost hit her head on the inside roof.
She threw her sweater at the intruder. “Cole! You scared me to death! I didn’t hear you open the door.”
“Because you were too busy yelling into your shirt.” He handed her back the offending cardigan and cautiously climbed into the truck. “Sophie, did I say or do something back there to make you run?”
“You? Gosh, no, Cole. I’m just—it’s just…” Her words trailed off as her gaze shifted to her hands in her lap. “I don’t know. Things were so much easier before this whole backyard competition, you know? I had my flowers and the market and none of it was a threat to anyone.”
“Your flowers aren’t a threat, Sophie. In fact, other than those deceptive yellow carnations, flowers are the exact opposite of threatening.”
She ran a hand through her hair, aggravated that he didn’t understand. “I appreciate the levity, Cole, I do, but I’m being serious. It never occurred to me that something I love doing would ever pose a problem for someone else.”
“I’m failing to see the actual problem.” Cole looked at Sophie intently, searching out her eyes. “I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job keeping everything balanced and above reproach. It hasn’t been easy, I know that, but I think it’s been worth it.”
“We have done a decent job, but it’s exhausting.”
Slumping against the seat, Cole blew out a breath. “I don’t want to exhaust you, Sophie. That’s never what I intended.”
“That’s not at all what I’m saying. You’re not getting it.” Sophie shook her head back and forth.
“Then tell me what you mean because all I’m hearing is that this landscape project is ruining your flower farm and that this—,” he waved his hand frantically between them, “what we have developing here—is exhausting to you. Honestly, the only way I can see to fix it is for me to go back to Nashville and for your world to go back to the way it was before I ever came into it.” He shrugged and Sophie noticed the tense muscle pulse in his jaw. Cole was rigid, teeth clenched, as he stared straight through the windshield. “I’d do that in an instant, Sophie, if you thought it would solve things. I would. But I hate to break it to you—it would only be a temporary fix to your problems at the farm.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The McAllisters said they weren’t planning to renew your lease after this year.”
Sophie’s throat went dry, that awful parched sensation she couldn’t control. “When did they tell you that?”
“The first day I met Kelly out at the property.”
Sophie’s eyes fell wide open in shock. “You’ve known for a month that this would be my last season on the farm and you never bothered to tell me?”
“It’s not like I was trying to keep it from you, Sophie. It was sort of mentioned in passing. I honestly just didn’t think about it much after she first told me.”
“Well, then. I suppose that right there is the real problem.”
“What is this problem that you keep referring to?”
“The problem is that my future isn’t a part of your future, Cole. That the reality of me not having a place to farm next year didn’t seem to impact you at all—to the point that you didn’t even give it a second thought, or feel like you should at least give me a heads up.” Her words were choppy with trembling breath. “That you would just flit into Fairvale, win your silly little contest, and then be merrily on your way. That I’m not a part of your future, Cole.”
Cole’s jaw ticked. “I didn’t realize you thought what I do is silly.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Sophie backpedaled.
“I think I should probably go.”
“Cole—”
He turned in his seat. “Listen, I’m not upset with you. I’m not. I just think maybe we should put some space between us right now. I don’t like where things are heading with this conversation and I don’t want either of us to say something we’ll regret.”
“I think that might have already happened.”
Sophie was used to big displays of emotion, but their conversation spun her completely around, leaving her disoriented and dizzied. She felt like screaming, she felt like crying, but mostly, she felt like being alone.
Cole picked up on that.
He reached for the door handle. “Drive safely and get some sleep, Sophie. It’s been a big day.”
“It has.”
“We’ll catch up later, okay?”
“Okay,” was all she said as Cole stepped out of the vehicle, the cheers, laughter, and celebratory music pumping from the barn at odds with everything she felt in the pit of her stomach and in her aching heart.
14
Cole
“YOU HAVE THE perfect face for the camera, Cole.” Tammy reached out and smoothed a piece of Cole’s hair that fell across his forehead and then adjusted his glasses so they sat squarely upon his nose. It was like she was primping a child on school picture day. “I’m surprised you don’t get approached all the time by talent scouts in Nashville. Rumor has it you sing, too. You’re a triple threat: looks, smarts, and a set of pipes.”
“Singing is just a hobby of mine,” Cole admitted. A hobby he hadn’t practiced in the last week, his standing invitation to perform at the market evidently withdrawn. He didn’t expect Sophie to ask him back, not after the way they left things at Marie and Peter’s wedding, but he still felt that disappointment in knowing she obviously didn’t want him at the market.
“Well, I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, but this project is at the top of my list. It’s all so impressive, Cole. You’re quite good at what you do and it shows.”
“Sorry I’m late!” Just then, Derek jogged up to Tammy, Cole, and the cameraman, huffing with labored breath. He bent over at the waist to collect himself with his hands pressed to his knees like he had just completed a 5K race. “I didn’t realize we were doing this today. Just finished up at the gym. Gotta do something to get this body in wedding day shape!”
“Didn’t you accept my calendar invite for this?” Tammy’s mouth squiggled into a frown.
“I did, but with the wedding this Saturday, my brain’s been elsewhere. Caroline’s had me tasting cake flavors every night this week,” Derek said. “Which reminds me, I need to go back in and get refitted for my tux this afternoon. I have a feeling my pant size has been paying the price for all these samples.” He patted his stomach with a flat palm. “Anyway, I’m here now, so let’s get started.”
Tammy handed Derek a folder. “I’ve already prepped Cole with the interview questions, and we’ve done our portion with Kelly back at the house. It shouldn’t take more than an hour to run through everything.”
“That’s good news,” Derek replied. “Caroline’s got me picking up the programs at noon and then I’m supposed to meet the caterer to drop off the final check. After that, I’ve got to circle up with the DJ about song choices. Caroline has a whole list of last minute changes. Seriously, my head is spinning so hard, it feels like it’s going to fall right off.”
“I’m happy to help if you need any,” Cole suggested. He didn’t know Derek well, but it was clear the man was being pulled in a thousand different directions. With the landscape project nearing completion, Cole found more free hours in his day than normal, and it would be good to fill
them with something to keep his mind off of Sophie and their last conversation.
“Normally I would say I’ve got it all under control, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I just might take you up on that offer, Cole. Thanks, again. Just don’t let anyone know how we know each other,” Derek said with a wink.
“Not a problem at all. Happy to help.”
Arms folded across her body, Tammy tapped an impatient foot on the newly installed brick walkway. “Well, we will certainly have a problem if we don’t get the footage we need for this segment. If you’re all done talking wedding woes, I suggest we get started.”
* * *
EVEN THOUGH TAMMY said he was a natural on camera, Cole felt anything but. His words were jumbled, his eye contact all wrong, and he misspoke more than once about the shrubs they had used for the hedges. He was grateful when Tanner showed up with a few guys from the crew, as it took a bit of the pressure off, and he was in need of a break from the scrutinizing camera lens.
“You’re doing just great.” Derek walked over to Cole and handed him a bottle of water before he sat next to him in a white Adirondack chair. “Tammy can be a bit intense, but she knows what she’s doing and she’s good at it. Your project photographs really well and you’ve done an awesome job explaining the process. I think the McAllisters are a big contender for the winning title this year, but don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“That’s the goal, I suppose.” Cole took a refreshing swig of water, swishing it in his mouth. “It doesn’t sound like it’s an option to lose.”
“Do they have plans to sell?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“I only ask because last year’s winners put their property on the market just a few weeks after the contest. I heard they got back what they put into the project tenfold. I think the exposure from the project, in addition to getting first place, made their property even more desirable. It was instant publicity. Not a bad idea, actually.”
The growing tightness in Cole’s chest made him wonder if that was exactly the plan. It only made sense, especially with Kelly’s comment about choosing not to renew Sophie’s lease the following year. He couldn’t tamp down the disappointment rising within him, though. To put in all the work and then for it to be sold to the highest bidder? Of course he knew he didn’t have any real say in what happened to the land after he designed it, but he’d at least hoped the McAllisters would be the ones to enjoy it. It seemed almost silly for them not to.
“Anyway, I suppose it’s really none of my business what they do with it.” Derek dropped a hand onto Cole’s shoulder. He stood up. “I think we’re about ready to wrap up here. Tammy mentioned getting one last shot of you by the silos before heading out, but I’ve got to get that check to our caterer before Caroline texts me with one more reminder. I’ve stalled long enough. If I don’t text back soon, she’s going to send out a search party.”
“Sounds good, Derek. Like I said before, I’m here if you need any help.”
Derek deliberated for a brief moment. “Actually, do you think you might be able to grab the programs? They’re just over at Fairvale Copy off Main Street. They’ve been paid for and everything, just need to be picked up. I hate to ask you to do it, but it would seriously be a huge help.”
“I can definitely manage that,” Cole said. “Where do you want me to deliver them?”
“It’s probably best if you give them directly to Caroline. With my luck, I’d misplace or lose them, and I think weddings have been called off over lesser offenses.”
“Consider it done.”
“Thanks again, man. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Cole?” Tammy’s voice broke into their conversation, her hollering loud and insistent from across the yard. “Cole, we’re ready for you.”
“Good luck, man. You’re in the homestretch now.”
* * *
“WHAT WAS YOUR goal with these flowers? We love how you’ve included your very own little patch. It goes so well with the farm-like scenery. Can you tell our viewers a bit more about your decision to involve them?”
Tammy held the microphone a few inches from Cole’s mouth, awaiting his answer. He swallowed so loudly, he worried the microphone picked it up.
“The flowers?”
“Yes.” Tammy turned around. The cameraman followed her gaze, sweeping the lens across Sophie’s two acres of blooms. “All of these amazing flowers, Cole. Where did you get the idea to create a space just for them? We’ve seen other landscapers use flowers throughout their design in planters and in pots more as accents, but you’ve created row upon row here. Would you mind telling us why you did this?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Cole blew out a breath. “I wish I could, but I can’t take credit for the flowers. They belong to a local farmer and were here before we began the backyard landscape.”
“Well, I would never have known they weren’t part of the project. Very well done, Cole.” Tammy looked back into the lens. “That’s it for today’s Backyard and Beyond Summer Showcase tour. Stay tuned tomorrow morning for the design talents of Westwood and Sons Landscaping as they take over the Sanchez property. And don’t forget, voting begins June tenth and lasts through the thirtieth. If you see a backyard you love, don’t forget to cast your vote! See you right back here on Channel 12 News tomorrow morning. Stay fabulous, Fairvale!”
The camera fell away from the cameraman’s face and Tammy took a step toward Cole. With a lowered voice, she said, “I’m not going to ask you who those flowers belong to, because I don’t want any information that could drag me into the middle of this. I have a feeling Derek didn’t mention anything earlier for that exact reason, but I suggest you work something out before voting begins so you don’t get disqualified. Are we understood?”
Cole nodded. “Understood.”
“It would really be a shame for all of this to blow up in your face, Cole. I’ve known the McAllisters for many years now, and they aren’t known as the most forgiving people. If you ruin this for them, things could get ugly. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
* * *
TAMMY’S ADMONITION REPLAYED in Cole’s head as he drove to the copy shop to collect the programs. Even when he turned up the car radio to full blast, he could hear her words loud and clear over the lyrics. He was in a bind, with what seemed like no way out. Ever the bearer of bad news, he’d have to let Sophie know. There just wasn’t any way around it.
He rehearsed a thousand times on the short drive, but when he knocked on the door and she greeted him on the other side of it, all of those words flew right out of his brain.
“What are you doing here, Cole?”
She wore gray sweatpants and a short-sleeved shirt that read Garden Gal across the front. Her hair was swept into a messy bun on top of her head and even though he could see she wasn’t wearing makeup, she glowed with beauty.
Cole swallowed.
“Why are you here?” she repeated again.
“Wedding programs.” He stretched out the stack of papers into the gap between them. “I picked them up for your brother and he suggested I bring them straight to Caroline so he didn’t have a chance to lose them.”
Sophie took them from his hands. “Dang it. These were supposed to be cut and folded.” Her mouth flipped into a frown. “Never mind. It’s fine. I’ll fix them before Caroline gets back so she doesn’t have a conniption. She’s in full-on bridezilla mode.”
“I could help.”
Sophie’s eyes rounded. “You don’t have to—”
“I’m pretty good with a pair of scissors. Once had a dog grooming business back when I was ten. Cutting paper is about a thousand times easier than cutting poodle fur.”
“Cole…”
“Please let me help, Sophie. I’d really like to.”
She took a step back. “Fine.”
They gathered two pairs of scissors from a drawer in the kitchen and then spread out the programs onto the coffee table in assembly line f
ashion. Sophie folded while Cole cut and before they knew it, they hit their groove. Two-hundred and fifty programs and one hand cramp later, they were finished.
“All done!” Sophie exclaimed as she folded the very last pamphlet and set it atop the pile. “Remind me not to have a big wedding. Someone has to do their part in saving the trees.”
“It is a lot of paper, isn’t it? Did they invite all of Fairvale?”
“Well, Caroline has never really met a stranger and Derek did invite most of his coworkers from the station.”
“Speaking of the station, Tammy and her camera crew came out today to film the segment for their show. Your brother and I even had some time to chat.”
Panic gripped Sophie’s features. “Derek was there? Well that makes so much more sense now. I was wondering how he ended up asking you to get the programs.”
“Sophie, I think you were right about all of this not working. I didn’t come right out and tell her, but it’s obvious Tammy knows the farm is yours.”
Sophie slumped against the couch. Her eyes slipped shut as her head dropped back onto the cushion. “I’m just going to rip it all out.”
“What?”
“My flowers. I’ll just harvest them all early and take them to the market this week and sell what I can.”
“That seems extreme.”
“I don’t know what else to do, Cole. Do you have another option? I can’t just leave it there.”
“But take them all out? Really?”
“There’s nothing else to do.”
“I could try to convince the McAllisters to bow out of the competition,” Cole suggested.
“Oh, like that’s going to happen.”
“I’m serious. I have a hunch they plan to sell anyway. Maybe I can get them to put it on the market earlier.”
“They’re planning to sell?” Sophie’s voice shot up three octaves. “That’s even worse!”
In the Market for Love Page 12
