Offices and Orchards (A New Adult Sweet Romance)

Chapter 10

After slipping into a pair of blue cotton shorts and a pale blue tank top, she added sunglasses atop her head above her free-flowing strawberry-blonde hair. She had been tying it back for so long.  She mentally made herself a plan for the day, recalling the promise she had made to herself on Thursday: walk along the lake to the Village, breakfast out, wander around, a gelato and then home for a nap, catch up with Mom, and hopefully Amber. Cleaning the apartment, groceries and figuring out how to get the trip to Australia were also on the list, but those could be done on Sunday.
Ok make-up- i haven't done this for awhile. I don't look too bad, she thought to her reflection, which showed a natural looking beachy, summery face.
She spritzed on some light tropical perfume, grabbed an apple from the fruitbowl on the counter, She made sure she had all of her essentials in a small handbag: wallet, lipstick, keys, and out she went, absolutely thrilled to go to the Village.
The walk to the Village was similar to her walk to work, in that she could walk down on the lakefront, but in the other direction. By the time she got down to the lake it was still early morning, but the lakeside was already busy with the fitness buffs, out for their workouts.
For the first time since she had arrived in Harvest Hills over a month ago, she was out for a walk without a purpose, free to do as she pleased. She took a seat on one of the benches to eat her apple. What a beautiful view! She thought as she munched away, people-watching, lake-watching, scenery-watching, thinking. It felt like days had passed since she had last spoke to Amber. Actually it had been days! It was Thursday at lunchtime when we were at Paco with Evie, which was what? two days ago? Feels like so much has happened in that time. Things were different: the Carter project was done, orientation was over, she had gone out three times in two days, and she and McIntosh seemed to be... what was it? Something. Or maybe nothing. Probably nothing. She wasn't sure. Okay, get going to the Village. Maybe I'll even try the bakery.
She continued her leisurely stroll down the lakefront. "Barnett!' someone called out her name and she turned to locate the voice. "Barnett!"
Harvey was calling to her from the gazebo. "Good morning," she called back. He was wearing a navy t-shirt, khaki shorts and white and blue sneakers. Autumn's heart thudded in her chest.
He looks good. Like really good. The short sleeved shirt revealed skin and more muscles she was not used to seeing on him. "You look nice with your clothes on."
"With my clothes on, Barnett? Since when have you seen me without them?"
"I mean..." she stuttered a little, "I mean, without your work clothes on... you know what I mean."
"You look nice too." Autumn was glad she had bothered to do her makeup.
"So what you doing out here this morning anyway? Not too hungover?"
"Since we took a cab last night, I've just come back to pick up my car, but it's such a nice day that I thought I'd spend a bit of time outside. What are you up to?" he asked.
"Your little tour yesterday inspired me to do some exploring. I've been here nearly a month now, and this is my first time down this way." There was a comfort between them that had not existed even a few days ago: the kind of familiarity that comes from just spending time together.
"So you're out for a walk?"
"For now, yes."
"So you're not really busy at the moment?"
"Not really,"
"Wanna do something with me? Actually, what I mean is, wanna have breakfast?"
"Truffles?"
"You read my mind!"
"Sure. Let's walk today though. Summer is fading too quickly for my liking."
The best coffee that Autumn had had possibly ever, was followed by the best breakfast. They had a plate of local Johnnycakes, a fried cake made from cornmeal, salt, hot milk and honey and some fish cakes with eggs, made of a local flaky white fish - Harvey was not sure which one - which is then breaded and pan fried for a delicate, crispy crust. "Lots of people would say that this is an odd choice of breakfast food, but it's a local specialty," Harvey told her.
"I'm from Maine, McIntosh. Fish for breakfast is standard," she returned. There was also a side bowl of Boston-style baked beans, this time Autumn gave the history lesson: "The Pilgrims learned how to make baked beans from the Native Americans. Boston became an exporter of rum in the 1700s, which uses molasses in the distilling process. Eventually the molasses were added to the baked beans recipe. It's one of my favourites!" They chatted and laughed and got to know each other even more, stuffing their faces with the fresh home-cooked comfort food.
"Orientation was quite something, wasn't it?" They both smiled, having the shared knowledge of what they had both gone through in the last month.
"A bit too much work and too little sleep for too long. I would have gotten sick I think, had we not been given the day off yesterday," she took a sip of her coffee.
"I enjoyed that time with you," he looked directly into her eyes, and Autumn was not sure if he meant the entire orientation, or the night before, but she didn't want to ask the question, and neither was she sure how to respond, so she changed the subject. "Well, we did some serious damage here, but should we get the bill?"
"I've got this Barnett, it was me who ordered everything after all,"
"Thanks, McIntosh. I'll grab the next one," You're flirting a bit miss Autumn. And also the next one? Would there be a next one? Do I really want there to be a next one?
He went to pay for the meal, and Autumn stood at the door waiting for him to come back.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Sure,"
"Where are we going next?"
"Next?"
"Yes, next," he had a way of speaking which was like he was giving orders, without making the other person feel like he was telling them what he wanted them to do. It was one of the reasons that he had done such a good job on the Carter project they had just finished. Autumn paused. Do I want to continue to spend time with him today? Yeah I do. But should I? I guess there's no reason I can't continue to get to know the colleague I work most often with, is there?
"This is your hometown, you tell me,"
"Great! Let me just run to the restroom, and let's start an adventure!" He seemed happy, excited, content. She had to admit that she felt the same way.
"Autumn?" Amber had appeared on the sidewalk in front of Truffles, and was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Had Amber caught her smiling to herself? "What are you doing here?"
"Just had breakfast! You?"
"I saw him. And I saw your face," Autumn bit her lip as the reality of the situation hit her friend. "You two?"
"It's not what it looks like. We just ran into each other on the lakefront and had breakfast," Autumn could see the gears working in Amber's head, trying to piece things together. "Nothing's happening."
"McIntosh. Seriously?" Amber perched her hands onto her hips.
"Harvey and I just-"
"So it's Harvey now? Don't forget who he is." Autumn heard the heavy sigh that passed through her lips.
"Trust me, it's fine. be happy that I have something to do today that doesn't involve work." Something on Autumn's face must have made Amber reconsider because her hands dropped from her hips.
"Fine. Look, just don't do anything stupid, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt. Plus we have it hard enough working at a boy's club without being part of their locker-room talk, you know what I mean?" Autumn nodded. "I know. But It's fine...it's nothing.  showing me around Harvest Hills a bit."
"Oh please. just showing me around..." She rolled her eyes.
"I promise, What are you doing here anyway?"
"Remember Brandon?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Amber! You little hypocrite!"
"I know. Can I tell you later about it? I'm just supposed to grab us coffee."
"Can't wait!" Autumn smiled as her friend walked into the bakery giving a little wave. Was Amber right? Was it foolish getting involved with someone that she worked with? Maybe she was, but Autumn could take care of herself. Nothing had happened between them and nothing had to happen between them either. He couldn't possible like her though. Could he? And she would never make any move on him.
Amber must have passed by Harvey because he came out saying, "What did she want?" in a slightly annoyed tone. "getting coffee." That was strange. Why would McIntosh be annoyed to see Amber?
"Let's go, I've decided where!"
"Where?"
They headed over to Harvey's car, which was in the same spot they had left it in the day before for the Park Bar orientation party. Was it only the day before? It felt like such a long time ago.
"My place," Harvey informed her.
"Your place? Like where you live?" 
"Yes. My place. Where I live."
"I thought we were going to explore?"
"We will, just a quick stop," he said mysteriously.
Soon after, he turned onto a small and leafy residential street, pulling into a little bricked driveway barely wide enough for his own car and up to a place that was nothing like what Autumn had expected. She had imagined a modern bachelor pad with like chrome and high-tech devices. The place they were at was none of that. In front of them sat a quaint little yellow cottage, a cheerful sunbeam at the edge of a tiny grove of trees in the front yard which dappled the neat square of lawn with sunlight. The shutters were white, as was the narrow strip of porch. There were potted flowers going up the steps in a happy dance of bright summer colors, just like at the majestic country homes they had seen the day before. There was even a white, picket fence along the outside of the property. "Welcome," Mcintosh let them in by tapping a code into the door handles on the front door – so there were some high-tech devices to it after all. Autumn still had not said a word as her eyes traveled over everything she could see. It looked kind of like the sort of house she'd lived in when she was a child, but the countryside version of it, whereas she had grown up in the seaside version. Everything was timber, warm colors with rustic touches, a little countryside cottage. "Your house, it's beautiful," Autumn whispered as she followed behind Harvey into the kitchen, which was a little room near the back of the house, with a door opening onto a deck and a large window above the sink overlooking a garden. In contrast to the rest of the place, the kitchen was modernized, with a stainless steel stove and appliances.
Harvey poured her a glass of cold water. A look of relief seemed to slip onto his face."I'm glad you like it. A lot of people make fun of my place."
"Why?" She crinkled her forehead.
"It's not what they're expecting I guess."
"Well, I like it. I never felt too comfortable growing up in big homes, or in small apartments. This little place is exactly me. Feel free to look around. There's a garden out back too, if you like that kind of thing. I'm going to go upstairs to grab some stuff before we head out again." When he walked away, she picked up her cup of water and wandered through the ground floor of the house. The dining and living room were open plan, but there was an office slash library that she had spotted on the way in.  Two walls were dedicated to books that ranged from mysteries and thrillers, to bestsellers and biographies. There was even an antique book section. Autumn let her fingers travel over their smooth spines, picking up a photo frame of what she assumed was the McIntosh family- a young Harvey with a bowl cut, and holding a basket of apples, his older brother, and parents she guessed, under an apple tree.
Once she stepped out of the library, she decided to take a peek at the garden. She peered through the glass doors off of the living room, passed the balcony, to rows and rows of vegetables, many of which looked as though they were ready to pick. She slid the doors open, and walked down the deck into the grass, wandering past rows of tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, cucumbers, beans. There was even a herb garden with little white tags that identified the plants. Without reading them, Autumn could tell there was basil, dill, parsley, thyme and rosemary.
"What do you think?" Harvey stepped out onto the porch. He had put on a sweater across his shoulders over his t-shirt and had replaced his khaki shorts with full-length khakis. Her eyes travelled down his body, taking him in, appreciating him in a way that two days ago, may not have happened. "Oh, the garden. it's beautiful," she forced her attention back to the plot of vegetables. "My grandparents used to have an absolutely beautiful garden. I used to love to help them with it when we were kids."
"What happened to it?"
"Well, my grandmother died of breast cancer when I was a kid, and we put my grandpa in an assisted-living facility last year. He's as spry as ever, but it was getting too difficult for him to be at home on his own, you know?" She brushed off her shorts as she stood by the patch of ground marked, strawberries. "I always thought it would be nice to have a house with a vegetable garden and a little coop out back, you know, for chickens. Now, I eat processed donuts, I get my veggies from pizza and I consume my body weight in coffee," She gave a little laugh as she looked over at Harvey. He had a look on his face that she could not put a word to, a cross between affection, concern and surprise. When he walked over to her, she thought he was going to hug her, but he stood next to her instead.
"I'm sorry about your grandmother," he murmured after a pause. "Mine passed the same way." They stood in silence for a minute, together.
"I'm actually supposed to go and see my Grandpa, as soon as I can find the time,"
"Let me know when you do, and I can pack him up some vegetables, if you like."
Autumn turned slightly to smile up at Harvey. "He would love that. Thank you. I still can't believe you did all this."
Harvey pointed out the newer things he'd planted as well as his plans for the rest of the space. Somewhere along the garden walk, their hands brushed against each other making Autumn wonder if that had been deliberate, and hope that it had.
He showed her the in-ground pool under construction on the other side of the yard, A lone little shed stood by the back gate, the paint badly in need of a touch up. "I've been meaning to get to it," he said sheepishly, "but by the time I come home it's too late and I'm too tired. Should have done it during August." Autumn laughed.
"I know the feeling all too well." They went inside and sat down on the living room couch. "So this is what you wanted to show me? Your house?"
"Not exactly, I had something else in mind. You up for it?"
"Maybe," she picked up a magazine from the coffee table. It was Enchanting New England Magazine, showing a picture of a beach on the front cover. "That could be where I'm from!"
"Nice picture, but I still can't see the beach as the real New England, you know?" Harvey commented as he sat down on the armchair. "
"What are you talking about? The beach in Maine is as New England as it gets! Just imagine, walking barefoot down the boardwalk along the beach with an ice cream in your hand without a care in the world."
"I don't really like the beach,"
"Who doesn't like the beach?" Autumn scoffed as he looked over at her.
"People who don't want to be cleaning away sand for weeks on end. Don't get me wrong, I like being outside, but come on, there is nothing better than a walk in the woods in the fall, when the leaves have changed, in the crisp air, under the blue skies, wearing a woollen scarf for warmth. That's my happy place."
Harvey realised he was also perfectly happy sitting on the couch talking to Autumn.
"It's our first date, we should do something memorable," he said as she continued to flip through his magazines. "I don't want our first date to be sitting on the couch."
"We aren't on a date McIntosh!"
"We're not?"
""That's not what you said last night," he smiled. "You said that if we went out again, it would be on a date."
"You mean when I had had all that tequila?" Autumn grinned up at him. "You can't trust anyone who's had tequila,"
This was the first mention he'd made of a date, and she did not know what to think about that. While she liked the idea of it, what Amber had said earlier popped into her head suddenly, but she pushed her friend's warning away.
"Shall we get going then? I've got somewhere I hope you're going to love." Harvey's keys were in his hand, and he started intently at them, a wide grin on his face. "Go on," she urged when he did not say anything more.
"You like apples?"