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We walked side by side, my hands stuffed deep into my coat pockets, occasionally brushing shoulders.

Landon insisted on picking kale first. He grabbed a bundle of green, assessing it like it might explode.

I took it from him gently. “That’s spinach.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Definitely is.”

He glanced at the sign. “Okay, fine. But it looks like kale.”

“You’re hopeless,” I said, handing it back with a grin.

“Hopefully not, considering I’m officially a new cook at the diner.”

“What?” I turned to face him fully, my grin widening. “You are?”

He nodded, a little sheepish but clearly pleased with himself. “Mom and I talked about it the other day.”

“Landon, that’s amazing!” I threw my arms around him before I could think twice, squeezing him tight.

He chuckled, hugging me back. “You really think so?”

“Of course I do. You’ve been basically living in that kitchen anyway. This just makes it official.” I leaned back to look at him, still smiling. “I’m proud of you. And your mom must be over the moon.”

“She had a mix of happy and stress-induced tears,” he admitted. “Tried to hide it behind the dry goods order, but yeah, she’s excited.”

I laughed. “You made your mom cry with kale and commitment. That’s kind of beautiful.”

“Spinach,” he corrected dryly, and I laughed harder.

We made our way from stall to stall, gathering winter squash, potatoes, onions, and a few strange-looking root things I couldn’t identify.

“You doing okay?” Landon asked after a while.

I looked up. “Yeah. Why?”

He shrugged, adjusting the strap of the canvas bag over his shoulder. “You just accomplished something big, and now I’m making you hold a bag of celery.”

“I don’t need a giant celebration. I’m happy here just being with you.”

Landon nodded like he didn’t believe me. “Okay. Well, if we survive this soft opening, I’m taking you out on a fancy, celebratory date.”

I stopped walking. “What do you meanif?”

He slowed too, exhaling like someone had just deflated him a little. “We’re having some problems with the diner. My mom’s freaking out. She tried to cancel, but I convinced her to persevere through the soft opening.”

Uh-oh.

“What kind of issues?”

He told me about all their struggles, from produce to technology to staffing.

I winced. “Yikes. How are you feeling?”

Landon gave a one-shouldered shrug, eyes fixed on the slush-slick pavement. “A little terrified, honestly.”

I waited, letting the silence settle for a beat before nudging gently. “Because of the customer chaos or…something else?”