Текст книги "Love or Justice"

Автор книги: Rachel Mannino

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

“Son?” Albert said sharply. “What is it? What do you see?”

“Huh?” Dante jumped. “Oh, nothing. Thought I saw an animal, a deer. That’s all.”

Their job finished, Dante followed his father back to the ladder. When they reached the ground, they walked back to the house where they met the women bringing in some baskets of vegetables. Laurie was breathless as she jogged up to him with a heavy basket. Her eyes were wide and they sparkled with excitement as she gave him the biggest grin he’d ever seen.

“Dante! Look!” Laurie walked backward in front of him toward the house, holding an oddly shaped tomato up like a trophy. “Have you ever seen a tomato that looks like that before? It’s a German striped tomato. Isn’t it amazing?”

Dante smiled, looking at the tomato she handed him. It curled in upon itself, with bubbly lobes on each side and an irregular scalloping to its juicy flesh. It wasn’t just red, but also green, yellow, and a hint of orange. There was a seam running around part of its edges, which had split and mended itself. To Dante, it didn’t look amazing or appetizing. It looked like a Frankenstein tomato, but his smile deepened. He handed it back to her.

Laurie waited for his response, looking for a monumental reaction to seeing the Frankenstein tomato.

“It’s really something.” He reached for her basket. “Want me to take that?”

She shifted her basket to her other hip.

“Oh, no, it’s not heavy. Look at these. These things with this papery stuff on them. They’re tomatillos. Have you ever seen them before? Or this? This is okra.” Laurie showed him everything she had collected like an excited child. Dante fought to control his laughter.

“No. I’ve never seen either of them before. Let’s go in for lunch, okay?” He put his hand on her shoulder to lead her inside.

“These, well these are just green beans, but they’re fresh. They have this fuzz on them like peaches.” Laurie talked a mile a minute. They entered the kitchen to find his mother slicing fresh bread. His father had disappeared into another room.

“These are Japanese eggplants. I’ve never seen these before either. I’ve only seen the big eggplants you get in the grocery store, you know? Emma showed me how to pull up potatoes right out of the ground. Have you ever done that before?”

“No, I haven’t.” He let out a little chuckle before he could gain control of himself.

Laurie barely noticed as she turned her face down to gaze at the vegetables, trying to decide if she had anything else remarkable to show him.

“Laurie, honey, why don’t you put all of those good vegetables in the pantry. They’ll be nice and cool in there until we can use them.” Emma pulled plates out of the cabinets.

“Oh, okay.” Laurie hurried away with her basket to the small doorway beside the refrigerator.

Dante grinned at his mother, raising his eyebrows. She returned the gesture. Dante let out the laughter he’d been denying. He never would have guessed farm life would suit Laurie so well.

“Can I help you, Emma?” Laurie bounced back into the kitchen.

“Why don’t you pour everyone some water? The men have been up on the roof all morning.” Emma busied herself with lunch.

Dante leaned against the counter. He smiled, watching Laurie pour water for him from the jug in the refrigerator. She went to hand him the glass and paused.

“What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” His smile turned into a grin.

“Like that. Like I missed a joke or something. What is it?” She folded her arms, taking his water hostage. He cocked his head to the side.

“I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic.” He reached for his water.

“I shouldn’t be?” She stepped out of reach.

“No, no. It’s nice. I didn’t expect you would get so into gardening in one morning.” Dante plucked the water out of her hands. He fought the urge to kiss her. He wanted nothing more than to take advantage of the flushed cheeks and red lips the cold, fresh air had given her.

“Well, it was exciting. Emma and I had a very nice morning, didn’t we?” Laurie walked to the kitchen table. He almost followed her, but his mother distracted him.

“Where’s your father?” Emma glanced at him over her shoulder.

“Don’t know. Thought he came in with you. Want me to find him?” He shrugged.

“Yes, please. Tell him lunch is ready.” Emma busied herself in the refrigerator.

Dante walked toward the front of the house, but didn’t see him in any of the downstairs rooms. He went upstairs. He heard a barely audible whisper coming from his parents’ room. He looked through the old key lock, and saw his father talking on a cell phone. Dante had a pretty good idea what the call was about. His father hung up the phone. Dante knocked on the door.

“Dad? Are you in there?” He asked, more for his mother’s hearing than anything else.

“Be right down.” A muffled thump emanated from behind the closed door.

“Okay.” Dante was halfway down the stairs. His father wasn’t too far behind him.

“Where did you disappear to?” Emma whirled on him, butter knife in hand.

“I changed. Stained my shirt. You’re always yelling at me for it, so I went ahead and soaked it.” Albert’s jaw hardened as he cocked his head at her.

Dante turned and Albert did, in fact, have on a different shirt. He found himself wondering if there was a real stain or not. He figured he would just rather not know. If his father lied to his mother, then he did it for Laurie and himself.

“You finally listened to me. Our son has to come home for you to finally listen to me.” Emma shook her head in wonder as she picked up and carried Albert’s plate to the table.

“Well, I thought you’d be happy. If that’s the thanks I get, I just won’t do it all next time.” Albert sat down at the table with a frown.

“Then I guess you won’t have any shirts left, because I’m not helping you buy more any time soon.” Emma plunked his lunch down on the table with a pointed look.

“I don’t need your help to buy a shirt.” Albert shook his head, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“No, of course not. You’ll come home with a dozen shirts that are either too small or too big. Then you’ll ask me to take them back because you didn’t try them on in the dressing room.” Emma sat down, thunking her water glass on the table.

“You don’t need to try them on, Emma. That’s why they have sizes. If I buy a large I expect it to be a large.” Albert waved his sandwich in frustration. He was about to say something else, but Laurie’s choking laughter stopped him.

Albert and Emma looked across the table.

Laurie and Dante were snickering into their hands, hunched over their plates like schoolchildren. Laurie was almost purple, she was trying so hard to hold the laughter back.

“What do you two think is so funny?” Albert put his sandwich down.

“You two,” Dante replied through his laughter.

“Just you wait until you’re married. Then Albert and I will laugh at you.” Emma half-smiled into her tomato sandwich. There was a knowing gleam in her eye that made Dante edgy.

“Fair enough.” Dante lowered his eyes and bit into his lunch.

“Did you get the leak fixed?” Emma looked back at Albert.

“Yes. Now we can pull in the hay. Next, we need to get some more of that corn in the south field in.” Albert leaned over the table, taking a long drink of water.

“Good. Laurie and I are going to drive on over to the orchard.” Emma smiled at Laurie.

“Emma said they have some early apples. She wants to show me how to make an apple pie.” Laurie clasped her hands together.

“Now, wait a minute. How far is this orchard? Isn’t it on a neighboring farm?” Dante turned to his mother with a frown.

“Why?” Laurie’s face fell in an instant, and it made Dante miserable, but he just couldn’t let her go wandering off.

“Laurie.” He softened his tone. “You know why. I can’t just let you go off somewhere. Not after everything that’s happened.”

Laurie nodded, staring at her plate with resignation.

“Well, why don’t you two come with us? The corn can wait a day.” Emma looked sharply at Albert.

“Emma, the corn is as ripe as it gets. We need to get it in.” Albert shook his head. Emma’s look turned to a glare.

“It can wait one day, Albert.” Emma she gritted her teeth. “I promised Laurie we could go over to the orchard. I need to make sure the fungus we spotted the last time is gone. Do you want to lose our first apple crop over the corn?”

Albert rolled his eyes.

“No, dear.” He put his napkin on his plate, heaving a sigh.

“Can we?” Laurie looked to Dante, her hands clasped in supplication. He chuckled.

“Yes.” He rolled his eyes. “We can go.”

“Thank you!” Laurie jumped up from the table, and grabbed his plate for him.

“Let’s go pull out the apple baskets and put them in the pick-up truck before they change their minds!” Emma took Laurie’s arm.

The two women half-jogged down the hallway and out the front door. The door slammed behind them with finality. Dante and Albert looked at each other. For the first time in his life, Dante commiserated with his father.

“I feel like we just got hustled.” Dante ran his hands through his hair.

“We did.” Albert gave him a grim smile. “Come on. Let’s go apple picking.”

Dante chuckled as he got up from the table.

“There won’t be enough room for us in the pick-up.” Albert handed him a set of keys. “I’ll take the car. You can just follow me.”

Dante nodded. They walked out of the front door. Emma and Laurie had the baskets all ready, so he told Laurie to get in the pick-up. He got in on the driver’s side, started it up, and followed his father out of the driveway.

“Seems like you and my mom are getting along…maybe a little too well.” Dante gave her a sidelong glance.

“What do you mean?” Laurie raised her chin. She flashed him her sweetest smile, which contrasted with the wicked glint in her eye.

“Don’t,” he said, grinning. “Don’t even start. You know exactly what I mean.”

“She’s nice. I like your mom a lot.” Laurie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “How’s it going with your dad?”

“Fine, not much different than usual.” Dante shrugged. “Why?”

“No reason.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed. He could hear the lie in her voice.

“Laurie,” he said in warning. “Why?”

She sighed. He saw her roll her eyes in his peripheral vision.

“I think your mom’s worried. She said you two got into a fight a couple of years ago and that’s why you haven’t been back to visit.”

Dante grimaced.

“Well, I never knew where they lived.”

Laurie gave him a stern look.

“All right, so it was because of the fight we had.”

“I think she’s worried that if you two get into another fight you won’t come back again—ever.” Her words, couched in tenderness, cut him deep.

“I didn’t mean to,” Dante started. Then he heaved a sigh. “I didn’t mean to be away this long. By the time I had cooled off, I just kept getting more assignments. When I didn’t have assignments, I kept making excuses. But I shouldn’t have.”

He sighed again, mad at himself and feeling foolish.

“I know it was selfish, but I just didn’t think about how it might have been hurting Mom.”

“She understands, Dante. She loves you. I just think she’s worried. Maybe a little scared.”

He clenched his jaw, trying to focus on the road between his car and his father’s.

“Why do you have such a hard time with your father?”

“I don’t know.” Dante shook his head. “Because I’m stubborn, I guess.”

“I don’t think that’s the real reason. People usually get stubborn because they want something.”

Dante thought about that. He honestly didn’t know.

“I don’t know, Laurie. It’s always been this way. He says or does something and it just sets me off. I don’t know why.”

Laurie nodded, as they turned off the main road to another driveway. There were trees on both sides of the drive, ripe with pears. Laurie leaned her head out the window, her eyes as big as saucers. They pulled up to an old farmhouse. It was mint green with dark green shutters and a white porch. There was a brand new, white barn next to it, both sitting on a bed of emerald grass.

“That’s so beautiful!” Laurie sounded breathless.

It put the smile back on Dante’s face. It was beautiful, picturesque. It had a simplicity that just wasn’t possible in the dramatic landscape of Hawaii. Dante pulled the pick-up truck beside his parent’s car. They got out in a chorus of slamming doors.

“All right, Emma, where are these apples you’re so worried about?” Albert gave a nod toward the rows of trees behind the barn.

“The ones right behind the barn.” She led the way into the apple orchard.

Emma managed to look surprised when the apples turned out to be in perfect condition and ready to be picked. Dante and Laurie jogged back to the barn to grab a few apple pickers to help them harvest. Dante and Laurie took one line of trees while Albert and Emma took another.

After a few tries, Dante and Laurie mastered a system. Laurie would start with the low-hanging fruit on one side of the tree, while Dante would start with the other. Then Laurie would use the apple picker to scoop up the fruit for a while. Dante would take over, using his height and the apple picker to glean off as many ripe apples as possible. Finally, one of them would gently bend down the branches even lower, so they almost picked the tree clean of reddening fruit before they moved onto the next.

Dante and Laurie filled several heavy baskets to the brim. Dante looked down the line to see his mother and father slowly plucking the easiest fruit off the trees. They were taking their time, his mother walking over to the basket to lay each apple in, rather than tossing it as he and Laurie did. They had filled maybe one basket so far, maybe a basket and a half. They were laughing at something. Dante rarely ever saw his father smile, let alone laugh. He could hardly believe his eyes. Then his parents kissed. Dante was shocked.

“Awww,” Laurie purred from his right.

“I’ve never seen that happen. Never. Never in my whole life.” Dante looked away.

“Well, they’ve been together this long. They have to love each other. You were going to see your parents kissing at one time or another.” Laurie grinned at him.

“I thought they’d be divorced by now. They argue with each other all the time.”

“Do you mean yelling at each other, or just going back and forth like they have been?” Laurie glanced at him over her shoulder as she plucked another apple from the tree.

Dante furrowed his brow in thought. Then he grabbed the branch he was working on, and bent it toward the ground.

Laurie scooped up a couple of apples from the very tip, dropping them into the brimming basket below her.

“Like they have been. I don’t think I’ve ever heard them raise their voice at each other.”

“Well that’s just normal. My parents used to fuss at each other all the time. That’s how most couples are.”

Dante shot her a look of doubt.

“I guess I haven’t been around too many married couples.”

“You never did that with a girlfriend?”

“Haven’t had too many girlfriends.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” Laurie smirked at him over her shoulder.

Dante looked at her with a small smile. He watched her tuck a strand of sunshine laced hair behind her ear as she reached for a few more apples. He wanted to reach out to her, to touch those silken strands. Her face glowed in the sunlight of the late afternoon. Her eyes were the color of the sky at dusk as she concentrated on reaching those last few pieces of fruit. He swallowed, his mouth dry as sand. He wanted to touch her so badly his skin tingled from it.

“And why is that?” His voice sounded husky in his ears. He cleared his throat.

Laurie looked him over with half-veiled eyes and a coy smile.

“Because I don’t.” He moved closer to her, reaching up just above her head to take hold of an apple. Then he met her gaze.

“The armed forces, police work, and the Marshals Service aren’t that easy on relationships. I’ve done all three.”

“How many?” Laurie crossed her arms, doubt in her eyes.

“I’m telling the truth. I’ve had two girlfriends. The longest relationship I had was for two years. What about you?”

Laurie jutted out her chin. She looked him up and down, trying to decide if she believed him or not.

“Three.” She uncrossed her arms. “Two years was about the longest for me, too.”

They stared at each other. Electricity passed between them, a friction created by wanting to kiss and knowing they shouldn’t. He reached down, brushing a leaf away from her hair. Then he took a step back. Dante knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her much longer. He walked over to their bin and laid the apple in. When he turned back around, she stood in the same spot. She wore an amused smile. He smiled back.

He spotted his parents coming toward them, so he nodded to Laurie who turned around.

“I think we’ve about had it today kids.” Emma clasped her hands together.

“Okay! I think we’ve got plenty.” Laurie gestured to their line of baskets.

When Emma drew closer, she could see full, heavy baskets loaded with apples.

“Oh, my goodness! You two have been quite busy. Look at all they’ve picked, Albert!” Emma grabbed his shoulder.

“I might have to keep you two around to finish the apple harvest.” Albert surveyed their handiwork.

“We’d be happy to help.” Laurie shrugged. “It was a lot of fun.”

“Don’t be too happy to help. We won’t get a day’s rest if you start telling them that.” Dante nudged her.

Laurie slapped him on the arm.

“Ignore him. We’re happy to help.” Laurie tossed a final apple into the nearest bin. Dante rolled his eyes.

“Great. Now you can carry your own apple baskets.” Dante gave her a devilish grin.

“I will then.” Laurie jutted out her chin.

“Dante don’t you even dare!” Emma wagged her finger at him.

“No, I can take them back. He can just stay here.” Laurie strutted over to one of the baskets, but it took a couple of tries to get it off the ground.

“Give me that before you hurt yourself.” Dante closed the couple of steps between them. He lifted the basket up from the bottom.

“Just put one of the baskets in the truck, the rest can go in the barn. Why don’t both of you carry it back before you both hurt yourself?” Emma grimaced as the basket almost slipped out of their fingers. Dante nodded.

“She has a point.” Laurie shifted her grip on the basket. Dante laughed. They carried the heavy basket back to the truck.

The next basket they took into the barn, where Emma and Albert were waiting. There were several large wooden crates for the apples. Each side was almost long enough for Laurie to stretch fingertip to fingertip, and they reached up to her hips. Dante and Laurie set the basket down in front of the crate, so Emma and Albert could transfer the apples from basket to bin. It took a few trips, but soon the surplus apples were all in the crate, the barn locked, the apple baskets were back in the truck, and they were all driving back to the house for dinner.

Dinner was a full roast, with mashed fingerling potatoes and corn on the cob. Dante spent a little time on his parents aging computer, trying to get it to work, while Laurie watched TV with Emma and Albert. It was early when Laurie and Dante both excused themselves to go up to bed.

“That was a great day.” Laurie sighed as they entered her room. “I loved the orchard.”

“Yeah, that was amazing.” He grabbed her by the elbow, pulling Laurie back toward him from the dresser.

She giggled.

Dante turned her around and kissed her. The kiss turned deep, passionate. Before long, they were lying beside one another, shimmering from their very languid lovemaking. Dante buried them both under the covers. They drifted off, exhausted, peaceful, and happy.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Dante woke up disoriented. He forgot where he was, and why, until he realized Laurie lay across his chest. He held her for a while, stroking her back. When the sunlight grew to a level he could no longer ignore, he got up. He slipped out from underneath his lover’s sleeping form. He went to take a shower. When he came back, she was still fast asleep, curled on her side. He kissed her on the forehead with a smile, and decided to venture downstairs. When he entered the kitchen, his father sat at the table, reading the paper.

“Morning. Where’s Mom?”

“Upstairs.”

Dante nodded and headed to the cupboard to grab a coffee mug. He reached for the coffee pot. He was about to pour when his father’s voice made him pause.

“How long have you been sleeping with her?”

Dante froze. His heartbeat did a triple step. Blood rushed in his head. How did his father find out? How did he know? Dante steeled himself for the conversation he’d dreaded since he got off the plane. He finished pouring his coffee.

“Why does it matter?”

“Did you start sleeping with her before you started the assignment or after?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He turned toward his father slowly. Albert wore a stern expression Dante was all too familiar with. Dante stayed by the counter, determined not to let his father bully him.

“Son, you have responsibilities you swore—” Albert began.

“I know what I swore. I know what oath I took.” Dante slammed his coffee cup down on the counter.

That was all it took for Dante’s blood to turn from ice water to lava. His hands curled into fists, and his jaw clenched. His muscles vibrated with unspoken anger.

“You could lose your job. Your career!” Albert rose from the table. “Everything you’ve worked for!”

“It’s my choice, Dad. I didn’t mean for this to happen, but now it’s my choice.”

“If this gets you fired, every case you’ve ever been involved with could come into question.” Albert placed his hands on his hips.

“I’m not a cop anymore. I don’t do casework. If you even knew anything about my life then you would know I only do protection.”

“You’re not protecting a witness if you’re sleeping with them! When your emotions are involved, it compromises your work. You know this Dante.”

“Look, I didn’t mean for this to happen. But it did, and I’m glad. I wouldn’t take it back for anything in the world. I care about her.” Dante knew he was shouting, but he couldn’t control it.

“Then you shouldn’t have taken this kind of risk. What happens when the agency finds out? They won’t let you protect her. What happens when someone else has to ensure her safety from Kaimi?”

Dante fumed silently. His father hit a mark, a mark he hadn’t even thought of before. He knew his father was right, but he couldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it.

“You were supposed to be the best man for this job, Dante. You were supposed to protect her. You might as well have tied her up and delivered her to Kaimi yourself. Now you’ve destroyed your career as well. Everything you’ve worked for!”

“You didn’t take that risk, Albert?” Emma appeared at the hallway entrance. “You didn’t put your career on the line?”

Albert flinched and turned toward her.

His father recovered so quickly Dante thought he might have imagined it.

Albert clenched his fists. He set his jaw a fraction of an inch higher in defiance.

“That was different, Emma.”

“How is it any different? How is it any different at all?” Emma entered the room, crossing in front of her son like a mother bear protecting her cub.

Dante furrowed his brow, his gaze turning from one to the other. Albert’s eyes followed her, his face darkening in anger.

“Tell me, Albert, are you yelling at your son or a younger version of you?”

“This is NOT the same thing.” Albert backed up a step.

“It’s exactly the same. You fell in love with a woman you weren’t supposed to be with. How did that end?”

Albert let out a cry of disgust and began to pace.

“He hardly knows this woman!” Albert gestured to Dante.

“You hardly knew me!” Emma moved toward him.

Emma stood tall, her shoulders thrown back. Her eyes challenged her husband to dare contest her. Her face, lightly wrinkled and tan, held a gaunt tension as she closed on her pacing husband.

“Wait, what’s going on here? What are you two talking about?” Dante folded his arms across his chest.

“Your father and I were working together when we met. It was against agency policy, but it happened anyway, didn’t it Albert?” Emma didn’t even look at Dante when she answered.

“It’s not at all the same!” Albert spoke from the corner of the room opposite them. He had run out of room to retreat. Emma kept closing in.

“No, of course not. Unlike your son, you started an affair with one of your subordinates! Now don’t you think that’s just a tad bit worse?” Emma put her hands on her hips.

“She’s supposed to be under his protection.” Albert stood his ground.

“Wait, wait.” Dante pointed to his mother. “You were a secretary.”

“Yes, for many men who were friends with terrorists. I handled all of their calls, and their contacts. Why do you think I never brought you into work with me?” Emma tossed him a sharp look over her shoulder. “Albert, do you really think you are in any position to chastise him?”

“He lied to us.” Albert pouted. He stood in the corner, defeated. His fists hung meekly uncurled at his sides. His shoulders rounded in toward his chest, as he stared at his wife with a pained expression.

“Oh, he did no such thing. He just didn’t tell us everything. He told us what he thought we needed to know. That’s no more or less than what you would have done.” Emma raised her eyebrows at him. “Besides, all I had to do was take one look at her and I knew. If you were even paying half as much attention to your only child, you would have noticed the way he looks at her a lot sooner.”

“You knew?” Dante shifted on his feet.

“Honey, I’m your mother. Of course I knew.” Emma glanced at him askance.

“He’ll lose his job, Emma.” Albert lifted his shoulders.

“You didn’t lose yours. That will just be a decision the Marshals Service will have to make. Not you. Now apologize to him.” Emma nodded at Dante.

“I will not—” Albert started.

“Apologize to him right now.” Emma enunciated every syllable. Her voice was a low, hissing rumble Dante had never heard before.

Albert stared at his wife.

Emma stared back, not even blinking, her hands on her hips.

Albert sighed.

“I’m sorry.” Albert ran his hand down his face.

Those two tiny words hit Dante like gunfire. His body shuddered from the shock. His father had never apologized to anyone for anything before. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“I accept,” Dante choked out.

“Good.” She pivoted on her heel and moved toward the stove.

Dante didn’t move. He wasn’t sure what had happened. It took him a minute to realize Laurie was hovering outside the doorway. She caught his eye. He walked over to her with halting steps.

“Hey, how long have you been standing there?” He touched her elbow.

“A while. I’m sorry,” she whispered back.

“No. It’s not your fault.” He placed his hands on her shoulders.

Her face contorted with embarrassment. She looked fresh and clean, with her face scrubbed and free of make-up. Her blonde hair was a tawny brown and dripping wet from the shower. In the soft morning light, she looked sweet enough to be his personal piece of heaven. He told his father he was glad that his relationship with Laurie had happened. That he cared about her. While that had been technically true, Dante realized it had been a vast understatement.

“Laurie, honey, you don’t need to hover outside the doorway,” Emma called from the stove. “Don’t you pay either of these men any mind.”

Laurie looked to Dante for help.

He placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her into the room.

Laurie took halting steps toward the coffee maker, and then realized she didn’t have a mug, so she tiptoed toward Emma to grab one from the cupboard.

“Laurie, what do you want for breakfast?” Emma turned toward her with forced cheerfulness.

“Whatever everyone else is having.” Laurie froze mid-way to the cupboard.

“How about some crepes? Do you know how to make them?” Emma gave her a smile.

“I haven’t made it since I was kid.” Laurie gave a nervous smile back.

“Oh, good. I’ll show you.” Emma plucked a bowl from the cabinet.

Dante saw Laurie relax as she breathed a sigh of relief. He sat down at the table. His father sat down across from him, looking weary. Dante almost felt sorry for him—almost. Dante stared into his coffee cup, lost in thought. He had just learned so much about his parents and their marriage. Now so much of his childhood made sense, the constant moving, the aliases, the secrecy, drilling him on what to do if a stranger approached him. His mind turned it over all through breakfast.

After breakfast, his parents asked if he and Laurie would work in the orchard for the day. They said they just weren’t able to handle harvesting apples and pears as well as they did with the berry season. That was the reason they said anyway. His mother gave them the keys to the other farmhouse. A little while later, Dante and Laurie were in the truck driving down the road.

“My mother was a spy.” Dante was trying to wrap his head around it.

“Well, it does make sense, I guess. But you wouldn’t ever identify her as one.” Laurie glanced at him. “I’m sorry I caused that fight with your dad.”

“It wasn’t your fault at all. It was him.”

“I know, but it was about me. I should have pushed you to tell him.”

“Would have been the exact same fight no matter which way it went. To have the nerve to tell me I shouldn’t be involved with you when that’s almost how he met Mom. I can’t believe that either.”

“He just doesn’t want you making the same mistakes he made.”

“What? Like finding the woman he married and not letting anyone else’s rules stand between them?”

Laurie laughed, giving him a small smile. “Didn’t know you were such a romantic rebel.”

“Guess it’s in my genes.” Dante smirked back at her.

Laurie laughed again.

Dante pulled up to the farmhouse. He switched off the truck engine. He sat, shaking his head for a couple of minutes.

“You told him you care about me.”

Dante smiled and turned to her.

“You heard that, huh?”

“Yes.”

He reached for her hand.

“Must have been the heat of the moment.” He looked her up and down.

“I care about you too.” She bit her lip, as if she wanted to say more.

Dante leaned forward, taking Laurie by the chin. He kissed her, slow and sweet. When he pulled back, he ran his fingers through her hair. It grabbed at his hand in damp tangles, but he didn’t care. Then he sighed.