Starting tomorrow, the competition begins. I’m stepping up my efforts, determined to succeed.

  “Hey,” Aria says as she comes into work the next day just before four. “You look happy.” She smiles. “Did Sawyer come over last night?”

  “No, I’ll see him at the festival.” I walk over to her and hand her the flyers I printed out. “Pass these out to anyone who comes in and tell them they can take extras.”

  “What’s this?” she asks, staring at the flyer.

  “A flyer about our new promotion. I’m calling it Beer Bingo. When people come in, we give them a bingo card with the names of our beers. When they order a beer, we’ll cross it off on their card and when an entire row is crossed off, they’ll get a free beer. It’s a way to encourage people to try all the different beers so they’ll find a favorite and come back.”

  “Sounds fun! Does this start tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m taking some of the flyers with me to the festival. I’m going to ask Sawyer’s parents if it’s okay to hand them out. Oh, and if someone comes in wanting a bingo card, they’re on my desk.”

  “When did you do all this?”

  “This morning. I got up at four and had all these ideas. I came here and started working on the flyers and bingo cards. I also ordered one of those banner signs that stick in the ground. I think they’ll get more attention than a regular sign.”

  She smiles. “What got into you? You were all depressed last night and now you’re all fired up.”

  “I was thinking of Grandpa Willy and what he would’ve told me to do.”

  “Get your ass in the fire!” she says, imitating him in his gruff tone. That was one of his sayings. It means that if a problem is heating up, don’t run from it. Get in there and fight. Be the flame that rises the highest and burns the longest.

  I laugh. “You sound just like him.”

  “I miss him.”

  “Me too,” I say, wishing he was still alive. I would’ve loved for him to meet Sawyer. I told my grandpa all about him when I got back from camp that summer. I pretended to hate him, but I think my grandpa knew I secretly liked him.

  “Is there anything else I need to know before you go?” Aria asks.

  “I don’t think so. Lexi should be here in a few minutes to help out. If you need anything while I’m at the festival, just call.”

  “I will. Oh, while you’re there, find out if Sawyer’s brother is single. You don’t have to ask. Just see if he’s with a girl.”

  “What brother?”

  “Brody. The younger one. The guy who owns the lawn company. I saw him mowing someone’s yard yesterday.” She fans herself. “He’s really hot.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  On my way to the orchard, I try not to think about my lack of customers and tell myself to just go and have fun tonight. This festival is a big deal for Sawyer and his family and I don’t want to bring the mood down. Besides, G’s lack of business isn’t going to be a problem anymore. I’m determined to get people back there.

  18

  GINA

  The festival is so crowded that I have to park a mile down the road. The walk to the orchard is up a steep hill along a dirt path. I wore boots with a heel that are more for fashion than walking. I dressed for a date, not thinking about the long walk I’d have to the orchard. I didn’t know there’d be so many people here. Where I parked is the overflow parking. There’s a huge lot on the actually property that’s already filled.

  “Need a ride?” a guy asks, pulling up next me in a golf cart. I look over and see it’s Brody. He is really hot. I see why Aria likes him.

  “I’d love a ride,” I tell him as I hop on the golf cart. “I didn’t think I’d have to park this far away.”

  “It’ll be even worse later tonight when the dance starts. Almost everyone in town comes to the dance. Right now it’s mostly tourists.” He pulls ahead, then stops to let a car pass us. “Sawyer’s out back, getting more pumpkins. We already sold what we put out. The field’s just about empty.”

  “That’s great! How’s everything else selling?”

  “Better than we expected.” He smiles. “Nick said we’re on track to have a record season. He had to bring a crew in to pick more apples for tomorrow and Sunday, and Mom got some ladies from church to come over to help her keep up with the baking.”

  “Your family really knows how to get customers.”

  “Only because we’ve been doing it forever. Dad did all the work to figure it out. We all learned from him.” Brody stops again to let some families pass in front of us. “My lawn business really took off this year. And I’ve got a ton of new clients for snow removal this winter.”

  “That’s what Sawyer was telling me. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. And Sawyer’s place has been so busy he’s got people waiting outside. He said people waited over an hour for a table last night.”

  And my place has nobody. Those people could’ve driven to G’s and had a couple beers in less time than it took to get a table at Sawyer’s. So why didn’t they? Why is nobody going to G’s?

  “Shit, sorry,” Brody says. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “What I said. That stuff about Sawyer’s place. He mentioned things have been kind of slow at G’s.”

  “They have, but they’ll pick up. I’m going to be trying some new things.”

  Brody pulls up in front of the barn to let me off.

  “You have a date for tonight?” I ask, remembering Aria’s request to get info.

  “Yeah, she’s around here somewhere. She came with a friend. I’ll see her at the dance.” He waits for me to get off the golf cart. “Have a good time!”

  “Thanks! And thanks for the ride.” I go into the barn. It’s so crowded it takes forever to make my way through.

  “Hey, Gina,” I hear a girl say.

  I turn and see Lyndsay there, Nick’s fiancé. I got to know her when I was helping Sawyer’s family get ready for the festival. Lyndsay, Callie, and I all helped Martha, Sawyer’s mom, make the baked goods. It was a lot of work, but I loved it. I felt like I was with family. Callie and Lyndsay treated me like a sister, which is something I always wanted.

  “Hey, Lyndsay.”

  “Hey.” She gives me a quick hug. “Did you just get here?”

  “Yeah. I’m trying to find Sawyer. Brody said he’s outside.”

  “He is. He’s restocking the pumpkins. I can’t believe we sold out this fast.”

  “Is it always like this?” I ask, knowing she’s a local who grew up going to the festival.

  “It’s always busy, but it seems to get busier every year. Nick’s thinking about building another barn for next year, but then we’d need to add more parking.” She sighs. “We have a lot to figure out.”

  “And a wedding to plan,” I say, smiling at her.

  “That’s almost done. Callie just needs to give us the final guest list.”

  “I wasn’t talking about Callie’s wedding.”

  Lyndsay smiles. “Nick hasn’t proposed. He probably won’t until later this year, or maybe next year.”

  “You really think he’ll wait that long?”

  “We’ve only dated a few months, and Nick isn’t someone who rushes into things. ”

  As she says it, Nick shows up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and leaning down to kiss her cheek. “I couldn’t find you.”

  “Right here.” She looks up at him. “What do you need?”

  “Nothing. I just missed you.”

  She smiles at him.

  “Hey, Gina,” Nick says. “Looking for Sawyer?”

  “Yeah. I heard he’s outside. I’m going to go find him.”

  “Martha invited the family over for breakfast tomorrow,” Lyndsay says. “You’re welcome to come.”

  “Yeah, you should,” Nick says. “We’ll have more than enough food.”

  “I’ll talk to Sawyer about it. See you guys later.”

  They already treat me like family and I’ve only been dating Sawyer for a month. And I’m his competition. But they don’t seem to care about that. They’ve welcomed me with open arms.

  Continuing through the crowd, I finally make it outside. I’d normally just walk around the barn but it’s been walled off with stacks of hay. The Kanfields want people to go in the barn and visit the booths. During the festival, they let people in town set up booths to sell crafts or other items to earn money or promote their businesses. Speaking of that, I need to find Martha and ask her if I can hand out the flyers I made. I could’ve asked Nick, but I forgot.

  Looking around outside, I don’t see Sawyer by the pumpkins, just a bunch of kids begging their parents to buy them the biggest one. I gaze out at the orchard and see Tom, the print shop owner, and some other guys. One of the guys moves and I see Sawyer just in front of him.

  I walk over there. Sawyer’s talking when he sees me. He smiles and waves me over. Tom and the other guys glance back at me, then say something to Sawyer and walk off.

  “You made it,” Sawyer says as I come up to him. He’s got such a great smile, and he looks like a hot lumberjack today, dressed in jeans and a red-and-black plaid shirt with a black Kanfield Orchard t-shirt underneath. He’s also wearing a black baseball cap with the Kanfield Brewery logo on it.

  “Is that new?” I ask, pointing to his hat.

  “Yeah, I ordered some new merchandise. We already sold out of the hats, but I’m getting another shipment tomorrow. The t-shirts are almost gone too. I was just talking to Tom about printing some more. I usually order them online. It’s cheaper. But I need some fast so Tom will print them up tonight and deliver them tomorrow.”

  “That’s great they’re selling so well,” I say, telling myself to be happy for him and not envious. I can do just as well as Sawyer, or better than him. I just need to work harder.

  He pulls me into his arms and kisses me. “I missed you last night.”

  “I missed you too.” I pause. “My dad called.”

  Sawyer pulls back and looks at me with concern. “Your dad called? And you’re just telling me this now?”

  I’ve told Sawyer about my dad and how we don’t have a good relationship. It’s not something I normally talk about, with anyone, but I do with Sawyer. We tend to talk late at night, after our bars close, so maybe I’m just tired and more willing to open up. Or maybe I trust Sawyer more than I want to admit.

  “I didn’t want to call you when you’re busy with the brewery and the festival.”

  Sawyer takes my hand and brings me farther into the orchard, away from all the noise and activity. “You should’ve called. I’ll make time for you. You should know that by now. So what did he say?”

  “He just wanted to check in, see how I’m doing. And give me a lecture about how I should’ve kept my old job and used my inheritance to buy a house.”

  “He still isn’t okay with you opening G’s?”

  “No. He doesn’t approve. He thinks it’s a bad idea. He’s already talking like it’s failed, telling me I’ll find another job.”

  “You’re not going to close.”

  “You’re right.” I hold my head up higher. “I’m not. Soon I’m going to be the one with people waiting outside the door and running out of merchandise.”

  “I know that tone,” Sawyer says, a smile sliding up his face. “You sounded the same way right before you beat me at the pie-eating contest.”

  “It’s because I’ve decided I’m not going to stop competing against you just because I’m your girlfriend.”

  “You’re my girlfriend? You said I couldn’t call you that.”

  “You know what I mean,” I say, ignoring his comment. “Our personal lives are separate from our businesses. I need to treat you like I would any other business owner.”

  His arms go around my waist. “But I can call you my girlfriend?”

  I smile a little. “As long as it’s outside of our businesses, then yeah, I guess it’s okay.”

  “Good, because I’ve already been calling you that.”

  “Wait—what? I thought we were going to keep our relationship a secret. You said you didn’t want everyone in town gossiping about us.”

  “Fuck that. I don’t give a shit. I’m tired of us having to spend all our time at each other’s places. I want to take you out, go on a real date.” He glances at the people waiting in line to get on the hayrack ride. A few of them looked at us as we walked into the orchard and some are still watching us.

  “I think people already know.”

  “Yeah, so let’s stop hiding it. Tonight we make it official. People will see us together, and by tomorrow everyone will know we’re dating.”

  “I’m okay with that.” I smile. “But I’m still going to compete with you.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He leans down and kisses me. “It’s why I fell for you in the first place.”

  He’s told me that several times and I still find it hard to believe. He used to get so angry when I beat him back at camp. I never would’ve guessed that’s why he liked me. When he kissed me in the woods that day, I assumed he did it because someone dared him to, or to see how I’d react.

  “Want to go inside?” he asks. “Get some cider?”

  “The cider!” I pull away. “Shit, I forgot to try it.”

  “It’s not a big deal. You can try it right now.”

  “No, not that cider. I meant the hard cider, the one I’m working on for the competition. I haven’t been checking it. I’ve been so distracted lately that I almost forgot about the cider competition.” I toss my hands up. “See what happens when you get distracted by romance?”

  “Yeah.” He pulls me back into his arms. “You have great sex. You sleep better. You have someone to talk to.”

  “Okay, yeah, those are all good things, but I need to win that competition. I can’t be distracted by the great sex.”

  “But we’ll still have it, right?” he asks, kissing my neck. “Like tonight?”

  “Yes.” My eyes fall shut as he kisses his way back to my lips. “But tomorrow I’m working on my cider.”

  “Sawyer!” someone yells. “Are you out here?”

  Sawyer backs away, sighing. “That’s Jason. I told him I’d take over driving people to the orchard so he can go inside and get some food.”

  “Can I ride with you?”

  “You want to ride on the tractor?”

  “Yeah. I think it’s sexy watching you drive it.” I look him up and down, smiling. “Especially when you’re dressed like that. It’s like I’m dating a sexy ranch hand.”

  He laughs. “Not quite, but hey, whatever does it for ya.”

  He takes my hand and we walk over to the tractor.

  Jason is helping people into the wagon when he sees Sawyer. “Hey, can you cover for me? I’m starving. I need to eat.”

  “Yeah, go ahead,” Sawyer says. “We got this.”

  “We?” Jason smiles at me. “You’re helping?”

  “Yeah, it sounds fun!”

  “Must be serious,” he says, smiling at Sawyer.

  “Shut up and get out of here,” Sawyer says as he helps a little kid into the hay-lined wagon.

  “We get to pick apples!” a little girl squeals, jumping up and down in front of me.

  “She’s a little excited,” her mom says, smiling at me.

  “Let me help you up.” Sawyer picks up the little girl and sets her in the wagon. “Did you get your basket?”

  “Daddy has it,” she says, pointing to a man holding a basket and a little girl who looks to be around three.

  Sawyer smiles at the guy. “Hey, Matt. You guys just get here?”

  “We got here a couple hours ago. The girls have been doing the pumpkin painting.”

  “Gina, this is Matt and his wife, Tessa,” Sawyer says to me. “I went to school with Matt. He was in Nick’s class.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say to both of them.

  “We’ll have to talk to you later,” Sawyer says as he hoists a little boy into the wagon. “It’s a little crazy right now.”

  Matt and Tessa get into the wagon as Sawyer greets the people next in line. He knows most everyone here, even some of the out-of-towners who come every year. It makes sense why his brewery is packed. People want to support someone they know, not a stranger, which means I’ll have to work even harder to get people into G’s.

  We spend the next half hour taking people to the orchard. Seeing Sawyer driving the tractor and answering questions about the apples, I’m seeing a whole different side of him. He’s really sweet with the little kids. I had no idea he was so good with them. And he knows a lot about apples, not just the varieties, but about how they’re grown.

  “I’m impressed,” I tell him when we’re walking back to the barn. “I didn’t know you knew so much about apples.”

  “I grew up here. It’s all we talked about. I couldn’t get away from it.” His phone rings as we go into the barn. “I need to get this.” He answers the phone. “Wade, what’s up? You need help?” Sawyer smiles. “Great, thanks for letting me know. Oh, and Tom is dropping off the t-shirts tomorrow morning. He might get you some tonight if he can.” He nods. “Yeah, you too. Bye.”

  “Problems at work?” I ask.

  “No, just the opposite. Wade said the place is packed and that the two temp guys I hired are doing great. Wade’s a good manager. I’m lucky I found him. I can leave when it’s busy and not have to worry.”

  I’m annoyed that his place is busy, especially since Aria just texted that only seven people are at G’s. Why isn’t anyone going there? The first couple weeks G’s was open it was just as busy as Sawyer’s place, and now it’s dead. What happened? I know people liked the beer, so why aren’t they coming back?

  We walk over to the drink station where Mitch, Sawyer’s uncle, is working.

  He smiles at us. “What can I get you?”