Page 102 of Trick or Tease

“Excuse me,” I called out as I approached. “Janet, right?”

She looked up from her camera and smiled politely. “Yes, that’s right. Sabrina, wasn’t it?”

“That’s me. I was just wondering what brings you back today. More consulting work?”

“Just getting some additional photographs for the client’s file,” she said, adjusting her camera settings. “Standard procedure for this type of assessment.”

Something about the way she said “client’s file” made my stomach clench. “Aren’t we the clients? I mean, this is the Hogan family farm.”

Janet paused, looking at me with what might have been confusion or surprise. “Well, technically I’ve been hired by Ivar & Geiss. They’re handling the arrangements.”

Ivar & Geiss. That was Garrett’s law firm.

I felt like someone had just dumped ice water down my spine. “I see.”

“Is there a problem?” Janet asked, clearly picking up on my change in tone.

“No, no problem at all. Just wanted to make sure everything was in order.”

She nodded and went back to her photography, but I was no longer paying attention to what she was doing. My mind was racing, trying to piece together what this meant.

Why would Garrett’s law firm be hiring an appraiser? If this was just about insurance documentation like he’d claimed, wouldn’t the insurance company handle that themselves? And why hadn’t he mentioned that his own firm was involved?

Why was his firm involved?

Billy and Garrett should be the clients, right?

I was so confused. And I felt a little foolish because I didn’t understand all the ins and outs of insurance requirements and business licenses. I knew Billy didn’t either.

We were all counting on Garrett and his expertise. And for some reason, I got the feeling that might not be the best idea.

I walked back toward the main house on unsteady legs, feeling like the ground had shifted beneath my feet. The past few days had felt like a fairy tale with Garrett. I loved working with him and planning for the future festivals and events at the farm. I especially loved spending our nights wrapped up in each other like we were building something real and lasting.

But now I was wondering if I’d been living in a fantasy while Garrett was making very different plans. Plans that apparently involved his high-powered law firm and property appraisals and conversations about sales and development potential.

Plans that maybe didn’t include me at all.

I thought about the way he looked when Janet mentioned selling the property yesterday—uncomfortable, yes, but not surprised. Not like someone hearing the idea for the first time. And the way he’d tried to redirect the conversation so quickly, like he was trying to keep me from understanding what was really happening?

My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t get enough air. Had I completely misread everything between us? All those moments that felt so intimate and meaningful, had they meant something entirely different to him?

I found myself thinking about our conversation under the stars, when he’d talked about wanting to matter, about contributing to something bigger than himself. Had that all been just pretty words while he was secretly planning to tear down everything me, Billy, and Lucy built together?

The worst part was that I couldn’t even be angry with him. Not really. This was his family’s property, his decision to make. And I was just the hired help, wasn’t I? The local girl who’d gotten too attached, who’d started believing in something that was never real to begin with.

But God, it hurt. It hurt worse than I wanted to admit, even to myself.

I was still standing there trying to process everything when I heard Lucy calling my name from across the field. She was waving me over with that bright smile that meant she was excited about something. I forced myself to wave back and walk toward her, hoping my face didn’t give away the icky feeling in my stomach.

“There you are!” she said as I approached. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. How’s the prep going for tonight?”

“Good,” I managed, grateful for the distraction. “Actually, Tyler and I just finished working out the details for our headless horseman addition. He’s going to ride alongside the hayride with a fake jack-o’-lantern and a cloak rigged to hide his head.”

Lucy’s eyes lit up. “That sounds amazing! The kids are going to love that.”

“That’s what Tyler said too. We’re doing a full run-through tonight to make sure the timing works right.”

“I love it. This whole thing just keeps getting better and better.”