Page 3 of Fruit and Flash

“No, but I can woman it,” she says with a cackle at her joke. “That’s what you pay me the big bucks for.”

“Like you need the money.” Ezra rolls his eyes in an affectionate way and leads me out to the stairs and up to my new home for now. “The fold-out couch is here and the bathroom is past the kitchenette on the right.”

“Much appreciated.”

Closing myself in the updated but simple restroom, I take care of business and look in the mirror while I’m washing my hands. As much as Tessy said the townspeople will want to meet me, and I first came to the town during a pride celebration, I do worry about my reception.

Ezra assured me there’re so many queer people in the small town now that it’s a little safe haven, but I still wonder how they’ll take my loud personality and clothing. It’s only temporary. If it’s not for me, I can try San Francisco or LA again. Hell, maybe figure out a way to go to New York.

As much as I miss my family, and the island, I plan to keep growing my brand and making a niche for myself. This is another step in that direction.

Hearing voices and rustling through the door, I exit to find Olly and another young man hauling my suitcases in. If I travelled light, I could have taken the train from state to state. I don’t travel light.

Ezra is directing them to set my things down on and around the coffee table. “Oh good, you get to meet my new intern, Avery. And he’s going to be your roommate!”

“Oh?” I turn to look at the guy, who is around my height, has brown hair and dark eyes like me, and looks about my age, except he’s pale where I have a permanent tan from myHawaiian heritage and he’s got face scruff. In short, he’s hot. “Hope you don’t mind me couch-surfing?”

“I hear you’re from Hawai’i, so I feel like there’s a surfing joke in there,” Avery quips and I can tell I’ll like him. “I follow your socials.”

“Awesome! Send me a DM and I’ll follow back,” I tell him, shaking his offered hand. “How new are you?”

“Brand new. I just moved to Foggy Basin, myself. It’s a lot hotter than Olivia Cove on the coast.”

“I bet. Hotter than Hawai’i and the Pacific Northwest where I’ve been for half the year. But I was here for a day in spring,” I add.

Ezra chuckles, “Still can’t believe you stumbled across this little place and we didn’t cross paths.”

“It was a memorable day,” I tell them, thinking of the fun I had in a farm kitchen with a repressed cowboy.

“I was here for their Pride as well,” Avery explains. “They lulled us with the great weather and flowers in bloom.”

“Our first Pride!” Ezra says with a clap and I find their positivity infectious. “But there’s so much more to Foggy Basin.”

“How about a place to eat?” I ask, and my stomach grumbles as if to punctuate my words. “I finished my road snacks hours ago.”

“Ooh, yes, let’s get food and drinks down the road to celebrate you both being here!”

After a quick freshening up, Avery and I go downstairs and back into the shop to find Ezra and Olly making out with Tessy nowhere is sight. Ah. So they’re that kind of couple. I’m not jealous or anything.

We leave and Ezra flips the sign to closed before locking up. “We don’t really worry about our cars and houses being broken into, but the shop has so many important things.”

Nodding and following along, I think back to the way Hayes’ blue truck and house didn’t need to be unlocked. Will he be at the restaurant? Did he ever come out? I don’t know if I’ll see him while in town, but I know that I want to. If for nothing else than a good time.

Chapter two

Hayes

Shadowyipsatmyniece’s teasing, pouncing at Meaghan’s feet and begging for the fresh raspberries she’s trying to hold out of his reach. He doesn’t actually like to eat the berries, which I’m glad for as they're not good for dogs, he just thinks it’s a fun game. Her braids and gingham dress are floating in the breeze with her movement and I’m worried Shadow will try to bite at them to herd her.

“Meaghan,” I yell to get the eight year old’s attention over the barking and laughter. “You need to eat them or put the berries in the box, kiddo.”

“Fine, Uncle Hayes.” She sighs, in the way only a child who thinks the slightest inconvenience is the worst thing ever can, and does as I asked.

“You’re no fun,” my sister Kristen tells me, appearing at my shoulder suddenly. She’s got her long, light brown hair twisted up in some braid-bun combo and is wearing a matching dress with her daughter.

If you had told me that she would become a calm and content mother when she was a party girl rodeo queen I could barely reign in, I would have been tempted to take that bet. Our parents were gone and I had a wild eighteen year old on my hands who thought she was too grown up to listen. Now she’s married into a rich family who owns Belham rice farms outside of town and she’s happily living the housewife and stay at home life.

“Was farming ever fun when we were kids?" I ask.