Page 29 of Falling for Mr. October

I think Nonna Francesca called me a half man, but I only know half a dozen words in Italian.

Do you have any good whiskey in the house?

Relief engulfs me. No disasters today, then, just an unusual amount of mayhem.

I reply:

Nope. But I have a pretty good story, and Giovanni has wine.

When I stuff my phone back in my pocket, Giovanni already has a large glass poured for me, and even though he’s obviously trying to butter me up, I take it with gratitude. After all, I’m trying to butter him up too. “Salute”

A wide grin spreads across his face as he clinks his glass to mine. “Salute”

“They didn’t get the wagon,” I announce, leaning back against the counter to sip the wine. He’s only a couple of feet away from me, and he rests his hip against the counter.

“Are they in jail?”

I don’t want to be charmed by this man who clearly has millions in his thrall…but I’m charmed by him, nonetheless. “No, but Theo has a flat tire. As you might imagine, he’s getting lots of unsolicited advice on dealing with it.”

“Poor Theo.”

Giovanni sets his glass down, clearly on the verge of making some kind of statement, so I hurry to say, “You should stay in Apple Ridge.”

He hesitates. “Because Miles wanted me to? You told me that earlier.”

I take a long sip of the wine, savoring the taste.

I have never liked asking for favors. I’m the eldest girl, all of us raised just short of wild on our family farm. I’m used to creating solutions, not asking for them.

It doesn’t help that I’m attracted to Giovanni. Or that he’s the first boy I ever kissed. Or that I remember running through the woods with him and Miles—on the rare occasions that Miles would convince me to get up to some mischief.

But I’ll be damned if I’ll let any of those things silence me.

Clearing my throat, I say, “I want you to stay. You know the farm’s in trouble. We haven’t been getting enough visitors. There’s been some trouble with the mayor.”

“What’d you do to him?” he asks in an attempt at humor.

“Let’s just say he’s not my biggest fan. But things weren’t going great even before he turned on us. The apple barn is old, and it’s not enough for farms to only offer U-Pick options anymore. Now you need to hold festivals. Get musicians to visit. Have pizza ovens.”

“That’s why Theo wanted the wagon,” he says with a nod.

“Why buy a wagon when we have you?” I say bluntly.

It’s like a shutter comes down over his usually lively eyes. “I see.”

“People will show up just for you. They may stay to buy apples, or let their kids play on the bounce pad or pick a pumpkin. If you stay for a little while, just through October, like you were planning to anyway, it would be a big help. I’d really appreciate it. I think it would be good for the nonnas too.”

He wipes a hand across his face. “I’ll talk to my grandmother, but I’ve put her through enough over the past month. It’ll be her call. We’ll go wherever she’ll be more comfortable.”

I nod, agreeing. That’s as much as I can ask for.

Quiet descends between us, and I’m the one who breaks it, probably surprising us both.

“But there’s no need for you to stay hidden away in the house. This Eva St. Claire woman knows who you are, and soon it won’t be a secret. You should spend time in town. Get to know people. Have some fun.”

He nods, but I can tell he’s only being polite.

I clear my throat. “There’s a big bonfire in Gallagher Park on Sunday night. I could bring you. Emily will be there too. Everyone will be making s’mores.”