“Sit down.” He nods toward one of the picnic tables.

  We walk over there and sit across from each other.

  “You want explain what happened in there?” He glances back at the barn.

  “You mean how you allowed the enemy onto our property and gave her the ingredients she’s going to use to compete against your own son?” I huff. “Yeah, let’s talk about that.”

  “And why is she the enemy? Because she owns a brewery? You think you’re the only person allowed to do that?”

  “In Haydon Falls? Yeah. There aren’t enough people here to support two microbreweries.”

  “Then why do we have so many restaurants? We got a lot more than two and they’re all still in business.”

  “Restaurants are different. A place that only serves beer isn’t as popular as a place that serves food.”

  “Sounds like an excuse if you ask me, to explain why your place has been slow this week.”

  “It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact. This town just isn’t big enough.”

  “If I’d believed that, I never would’ve started this orchard. This town was a lot smaller back then and people could buy apples at the grocery store. I could’ve decided that an orchard could never make it, that there weren’t enough people who’d want to come here and buy apples. And at first that was true. We’d get maybe a half dozen people a week stopping at that stand we had along the road. But look at us now. We get thousands of people coming here.”

  “Yeah, well, my situation is different.”

  “How? If anything, you’ve got it easier. You got a good location and people know who you are. And you were lucky enough to have your cousins come up here and do all those renovations for you for next to nothing.”

  He’s right. I was fortunate to have their help, and my last name is an advantage, but that still doesn’t make it okay for my family to be helping out my competitor.

  “I just don’t get why you let Gina use our apples to make the cider for the competition. She could get apples anywhere.”

  “Anyone can buy our apples, and they can do whatever they want with them. And if Gina makes a better hard cider than you, you can’t be blaming our apples because you’ll be using them too.”

  “So what are you saying? That she’s better than me?”

  “I think you’re saying that to yourself.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re letting her make you doubt yourself.” He leans toward me. “This girl has been getting under your skin since the moment you two met at camp. There’s just something about her that has you acting like a damn fool. If you weren’t so ornery around the girl, I’d think you were in love with her.”

  I burst out laughing. “Dad, have you been drinking? Because that’s the craziest thing you’ve ever said. Gina Slater is the most annoying person I’ve ever met. I didn’t like her when we were seven and I don’t like her now. She assumes she’s better than anyone else and thinks she’s going to win before the competition’s even started.”

  “You’re the same way, except when this girl is involved. Before you found out she’d be entering the competition, you were talking like you’d already won it. If any of the other competitors came here to buy their apples, you wouldn’t think twice about it, but Gina does and you get all angry about it.”

  I pause to think about that. “Okay, so maybe I overreacted, but she’s still my competition and I don’t think it’s right for my own family to be helping her out. She could’ve at least bought the damn apples.”

  “Sawyer, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I didn’t raise you to be this way.”

  “What way?”

  “Wanting what others have. Making excuses instead of doing the work. Being angry at someone for doing well instead of focusing on doing well yourself.” He looks over at the fields, then back at me. “You know how many orchards I went to before opening this place? I don’t know the exact number, but it was close to 30 and they were all doing well. Some were bringing in thousands of dollars a day during the season. I could’ve seen that and decided I could never compete with those orchards, but instead I committed to doing the work to make this orchard what I wanted it to be, a place people wanted to go that would make me enough money to support my family. I didn’t go after my competition or even worry about them. That would’ve been time and energy wasted that could be better spent building my business. You see what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah,” I say, just wanting this to be over. I love my dad, but I’m too old for these lectures. I get his point that I need to focus on my own business instead of worrying about Gina’s, but the fact remains that we’re both competing for the same customers and one of us is going to come out ahead. I can’t just ignore what she’s doing and pretend her place doesn’t exist. “Dad, I need to get going.”

  “Think about what I said. And don’t be giving that girl any trouble. She’s got it a lot harder than you do. A lot of the old timers won’t even step foot in her place, saying she’s an outsider and shouldn’t be doing business here.”

  “There aren’t enough old timers left to make that a problem.”

  “It only takes a few of them to make up stories about her and spread them around town so people won’t go to G’s.”

  “How do you know they’re doing that? I haven’t heard anything.”

  “Your mother heard Harriott talking at the fabric store, telling people Gina’s tattoo is some kind of gang symbol and that she’s going to be attracting the wrong kind of people here.”

  I laugh. “Harriott thinks Gina’s in a gang? Seriously?”

  “She heard it from Orson, one of the old timers who wants Gina to leave. He doesn’t think it’s right for an outsider to be taking money from the locals. That’s what the girl’s up against. So stop trying to put her out of business because there’s people who are already trying to. And I don’t want my son being one of them. I didn’t teach you to be like that.” He gets up. “Say goodbye to your mother before you leave.”

  He’s angry at me, but he doesn’t know what I’m going through. Things aren’t the same as they were 40 years ago when he opened the orchard. And an orchard isn’t the same as a microbrewery. The orchard is a destination, an activity, a place for parents to bring their kids for an outing. My brewery is a place people only go to if they like the beer. And the beer has to be something different than they could get at a store. If it’s not, they have no reason to come to Kanfield Brewery. It’s all about the beer and I’m starting to realize I need to do better.

  Maybe there was some truth in what my dad said. Maybe Gina makes me angry because deep down, I know her beer is better than mine. But that doesn’t mean I can’t improve. I just need to work harder and stop thinking the Kanfield name is enough to get people in the door.

  “Hey, Sawyer,” Lyndsay says as I return to the barn with my basket of apples. She’s the orchard’s bookkeeper, but sometimes she fills in at the barn if Nick or my parents need her to.

  “Hey.” I pour the apples I picked into one of the bags next to the register. “You filling in for Mom?”

  “Just for a few minutes. Are those for your hard cider?”

  “Yeah. I’m kind of in a hurry. Is Mom coming back soon? I want to tell her I’m leaving.”

  “She went to get something in the house.”

  “Okay. See ya, Lyndsay.” I go into the house and find my mom in the kitchen. “Mom, I’m heading out.”

  “Not without some apple fritters.” She walks up to me, holding a paper sack. “They’re fresh from the oven.”

  “Thanks.” I take the sack and give her a quick hug. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Here.” She takes another sack of fritters from the counter and brings it to me. “Take another.”

  “Mom, one is enough. I can’t eat that many.”

  “They’re not for you. They’re for Gina. Give them to her next time you see her.”

  “When would I see Gina?”

  “It’s not a very big town. You never know. You might run into her.”

  “If I see her, I’ll be walking the other way.”

  “Don’t be like that. Gina’s a very nice girl and she’s new to town. She probably doesn’t have many friends. The least you could do is be nice to her.”

  “To the girl who could put me out of business?” I shake my head. “You sound just like Dad. I don’t get you two. You’re acting like it’s wrong for me to compete with her when it’s not. It’s just business.”

  “Take the fritters, just in case.” She shoves them in my hand, then reaches up to kiss my cheek. “Goodbye, honey.”

  “Bye, Mom.” I race out of there before Nick shows up and gives me my third lecture for the day. I feel like my whole family has turned against me ever since Gina came to town. They’re acting like she and I should be friends, which makes no sense. You don’t make friends with the enemy.

  Or maybe I should. If I became friends with Gina, maybe I could find out how she knows so much about making beer, where she learned this stuff and who taught her. Maybe if we were friends, she’d stop running price specials that make people choose her bar over mine.

  Keep your enemies close. I’ve heard it a million times but never had to use it until now. The question is… how do I get Gina to spend time with me? She can’t stand me, and she knows I feel the same way about her. She’ll get suspicious if I invite her to do something, unless I phrase it just the right way.

  As I drive to her brewery, I practice what to say to her, how to ask her out without actually asking her out. This isn’t a date. It’s just two people spending time together, getting to know each other. She’ll probably turn me down, but it’s worth a shot. I feel kind of guilty doing this, but it’s not like I’m trying to steal her recipes. I’m just trying to protect my business and make sure she doesn’t do something to destroy it. I don’t think she would, but it’s possible. I don’t trust her. I’m almost positive she cheated during the trail race back at camp. I think she went off the route and took a shortcut. There’s no way she beat me following the actual route. I’m a fast runner and that trail was full of rocks and twigs. She had to have tripped at least once, slowing her down. She tripped just walking through the orchard today.

  When I get to G’s I go around to the back, assuming Gina’s working in her office since the place doesn’t open until four. I knock on the door, then ring the bell the delivery guys use.

  Gina opens the door, looking more annoyed than surprised at my unexpected visit. “What do you want?”

  “To give you these.” I hand her the sack of fritters. “A peace offering.”

  “What is this?” she asks, holding the sack far away from her, like she’s expecting it to blow up.

  “My mom’s apple fritters. They’re fresh from the oven.”

  “Why are you giving me these?”

  “To make up for being an ass back at the orchard. I was just surprised seeing you there. But I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. You have every right to be there.”

  She tilts her head and narrows her eyes. “Is this some kind of trick?”

  “No, I’m just being nice.”

  She opens the sack and looks inside. “Are these poisoned?”

  “No! What the hell? I try to do something nice and you accuse me of trying to poison you?”

  She pulls out a fritter and takes a bite. “They’re really good. Your mom made these?”

  “She’s been making them for years. We sell them at the orchard. People come from all over just to buy them. On the weekends, we sell out of them by noon.”

  “Tell your mom thanks.” She drops the fritter in the sack. “See you, Sawyer.” She goes to shut the door.

  “Wait!” I push on the door. “I’m not done.”

  She leans against the door frame and flings her hair over her shoulder. She took off the flannel shirt, leaving her in just the tank top and jeans. I’m trying really hard not to look at her tits, but they’re right there, her nipples on display because she’s not wearing a bra. “Hurry up. What do you want?”

  My eyes dart back to her face. “I want to take you to dinner. A welcome to town dinner.”

  “I’ve been here for almost two months.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve probably been working that whole time.”

  “Most of it, but I’ve gone out a few times.”

  “C’mon, just let me take you for dinner, and afterward I can give you a tour of the town.”

  “I don’t need a tour. It’s not that big.”

  I sigh. “Okay, what will it take to get a yes? And please don’t make me beg.”

  “Why are you insisting I have dinner with you?”

  “Because I feel bad about how I acted and I want to make it up to you.”

  “You don’t need to. I’m over it.” She takes a fritter from the bag and takes another bite. “These are really good, like I-can’t-stop-eating-them good.”

  “I’m glad you like them. So what do you say? Tonight? Maybe around eight?”

  “Friday’s our busiest night. I have to work. And so do you.”

  Shit, that’s right. I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was so eager to have dinner with her that I forgot about the brewery. What the hell’s wrong with me?

  “How about four? Hardly anyone shows up then, and if they do, our employees can handle it.”

  She stares at me. “You want to eat dinner at four in the afternoon?”

  “I’d rather eat later, but if four is our only option, let’s do it then.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think so. I need to be here working. Speaking of work, I need to get back to it.”

  “How about lunch? We could go at noon and you could be back here by one.”

  “Sawyer, you don’t have to do this. I don’t care what happened this morning. I’m already over it. You don’t need to take me to lunch as some kind of apology. We’re good.”

  “What if it isn’t about that? What if I just want to take you out? Get to know you?”

  “Why would you want to get to know me?” she asks, suspiciously.

  “We both like beer. We both like brewing it. Maybe we could be friends.”

  She laughs. “You and me? Friends?”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, for one, you made it clear how much you can’t stand me. You’re probably hoping I’ll fail so I’ll leave town and you’ll never have to see me again.”

  “Hey.” I back away, holding my hands up. “I was just trying to be nice, but if you really feel that way, I’ll leave you alone.”

  I’m heading back around to the front when I hear her voice.

  “How about a race?”

  I turn back. “What?”

  “A canoe race. We could meet tomorrow at the lake. Seven o’clock.”

  I walk back to her. “You want us to meet for a canoe race? Is this a joke?”

  “No.” She smiles and my damn heart beats faster. “I kind of miss our competitions. You were the only person who actually tried to beat me instead of giving up halfway in.”

  “A canoe race. At seven in the morning. That’s really what you want to do?”

  “Yeah. I think it’d be fun.”

  “They don’t even rent canoes that early. The place doesn’t open until ten. And actually, I think they’re closed for the season. They close after Labor Day.”

  “The canoes are still there. We’ll just use them and put them back. Who’s going to know?”

  I took one of those canoes back in high school and got caught and had to pay a fine. It wasn’t much, maybe twenty bucks. I’d be willing to risk having to pay the fine again, but I really don’t want to race her. It’ll be like camp all over again. Is that why she’s doing this? To humiliate me again?

  What am I saying? I’m not seven anymore. I’m a grown man, and a lot bigger and stronger than her. I could easily beat her in a canoe race.

  “You’re on,” I say. “But I’d still like to take you to lunch.”

  “How about breakfast? After the race? But only if you win.”

  “Oh, I’m going to win. There’s no question.”

  Her brows rise. “And why is that?”

  “Look at these arms.” I hold up my arm and flex my bicep. “That’s some serious strength there. I could go twice as fast as you.”

  Her gaze moves from my arm back to my face. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

  “Guess so.” I turn to leave, then turn back. “Go ahead and pick out a place for breakfast. I like Maury’s, but I’ll let you choose.” I walk off, a smug grin on my face, knowing she’s probably fuming at my assumption that I’m going to win. Now she’ll know what I felt like when she taunted me at camp, acting like she’d already won before we even competed.

  I’m looking forward to this. I wanted to take her to dinner, but this is better. I’ll finally get to prove to her that I can beat her. I wonder why she suggested this. She knows she can’t beat me in a canoe race. She’s in great shape, but so am I, and I have a lot more muscle than her. Was she just too stubborn to agree to go out with me so she made up this contest I had to win in order to take her to breakfast?

  I don’t understand her. Gina’s always been a mystery to me. Just when I think I’ve figured her out, she does something that confuses me. She’s unpredictable, which is another reason why getting to know her is a good idea. This is such a brilliant plan. I should’ve thought of it sooner.

  7

  GINA

  When Sawyer showed up at my door yesterday to ask me out, I knew something was up. He was furious when he saw me at his parents’ orchard, and then less than an hour later, he’s bringing me fritters and inviting me to dinner? Did he really think I wouldn’t figure out what he’s doing?

  He’s clearly trying to get on my good side, trying to get close to me so I’ll confide in him about my business. I can’t believe he thinks I’m that stupid, but since he does, I’m going to play along. I’m going to turn the tables on him and make him the one who confides in me. It shouldn’t be hard. He’s a guy, and he thinks I’m hot, as evidenced by the fact that he keeps staring at my boobs. When a guy’s distracted by a hot girl, you can get him to say most anything. Girls are smarter than that. I think Sawyer’s hot, but I don’t let it distract me, at least not to the point I’d tell him stuff about my business.