“Me neither,” Angelica said matter-of-factly.
“Shall we find more for you to bring home?” he asked.
I wanted to linger and watch the pair of them for the whole duration of our hour out in the orchard but I didn’t have that luxury. I was working.
Before breaking away to join the others, I spotted Winifred snapping pictures of Lukas with Angelica. There was no doubt in my mind that people would find him an easier man to connect with after seeing those pictures.
The kids loved picking apples. Some filled their buckets so full they could hardly carry them and adults had to carry them on their behalf. Lukas ended up carrying two buckets and complained about how heavy they were to any child who would listen. Even as I worked and talked to the kids about nutrition and how important it was to do our best to make mindful and healthy choices where we could, I was distracted by him.
He poked fun at those he knew could take it and spoke warmly to the ones who seemed a little more sensitive. He plucked pretty leaves from trees for the littlest children to play with and got down on their level as they scoured for bugs in the dirt.
He was softening before my eyes. I saw nothing of the gruff, tough, broody man he’d been just days before. His behavior touched and impressed me and I found myself pulled to him. Wherever he was, I wanted to be, and I wasn’t the only one. Some of the other parents seemed to like being around him, too. His energy was magnetic. Compelling. Warm.
Trouble, I told myself. He’s trouble.
And he was off limits. We were working together which meant there would be no indulging in any hanky-panky. More importantly, I had Lisa to think of.
Lisa.
What would she think if she knew I was drooling over her brother like this? She’d probably call me weak-willed or something like that and remind me that Lukas was an ass. She’d tell me I deserved better or something along those lines. Or perhaps she’d be happy for me.
I gave my head a shake. That was a preposterous thought. Lisa would not want me falling for her brother.
Falling?
Stop it, I thought sharply.
My mind was getting ahead of itself and I was thankful when the hour in the orchard ended and we all piled back in the wagon with twenty pounds of apples to our names. We rode back to the barn where our lunches were waiting for us, along with my surprise pie delivery.
I shot Lukas a glance as he tried to steal a couple of apples from Angelica’s bucket. She was having none of his shenanigans and slapped his hand away every time he got close. Lukas glanced up and we locked eyes. He flashed me a devilish smile before leaning back and draping his arms over the sides of the wagon.
Trouble indeed.
We arrived back at the barn and everyone moved to the picnic tables on a grassy spot beside the building. Guardians brought out lunch bags filled with sandwiches, vegetables, fruit, and milk cartons, and all the kids sat down to eat.
Meanwhile, I moved through the rows of tables and talked to them about the nutritional value in their lunches. I asked them to hold up their vegetable, whatever one it may be, and explained the importance of making sure vegetables were always on their plate during a meal. Some kids had eaten their veggies already and held empty fists in the air.
This made Lukas chuckle and it was hard for me to keep a straight face as I continued my educational part of the day. When I spied him cutting the crust off Angelica’s sandwich, I almost melted. By sheer will alone, I kept going.
I was saved by the sound of a truck arriving. I glanced at the dirt road where a delivery van had just pulled up and I grinned.
“All right,” I said, clasping my hands together. “Do you remember when I said I’d arranged a surprise for later? Well, this is it.”
The driver got out of the van and opened the back doors. Inside, stacked upon plastic crates, were boxes of freshly baked apple pies from a local bakery down the road.
The kids bristled with excitement as the pies were passed around to the tables along with plastic cutlery and paper plates.
“So there’s something special about these pies,” I said, continuing to walk up and down the rows of picnic tables. All eyes were on me, including Lukas’. “All of these apple pies were made with apples from this orchard. So the apples you picked today are the very same ones in these pies. Pretty cool, huh?”
I was met with a chorus of excited agreement.
I glanced at Lukas. He was cutting slices for everyone at his table and passing them around. Winifred was off in the far corner, snapping pictures, and I knew Lisa would be thrilled to see them all. How long had it been since she saw this version of her brother?
Lukas cut off a piece of pie and took a bite.
I watched out of the corner of my eye as he chewed and savored the morsel. He closed his eyes for a moment, like he had when he was a kid eating the pies my mother brought home from her bakery. Then he swallowed and nodded. The moment was entirely his own. He went in for another bite, and another, and each one brought the same look of pleasure and contentment to his face.
It was making me think naughty things. Very naughty things.
Licking my lips, I forced myself to turn my back on him. This was not the time or place to have sexual fantasies about my best friend’s older brother.
While
