“Hey, you.”

I opened my eyes to one of my favorite faces about three inches from mine. “Hey. We missed you at dinner.” I sat up on the couch. I’d meant to just sit down for a minute after doing the dishes and must have blinked out. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours.”

“Oh, shoot. I wanted to go see Aunt Laverne about a room.”

Hayes stood up. “Scoot over.”

I inched down the old leather couch that had seen a lot of naps. He sat beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. The familiar scent of pine and mint settled around me. “You can crash in my room tonight. We’ll bring you over tomorrow.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That bed?”

He arched his brow at me. His brilliant blue eyes tired but shrewd. “I’ll have you know there are fresh sheets in the closet just for this sort of occasion.”

“Why are you back home? I thought you moved out too.”

He shrugged. “Things with Cheryl didn’t work out. Seemed stupid to throw money out the window. I just crash here.”

“In between girlfriends?”

He withdrew his arm and scrunched down on the couch to match me. “Been quite the dry spell on this end of the Manning family tree.”

“We are a pair.”

“Yeah?” He gave me one of his squinty smiles. God, I missed his face. “I heard there might need to be some murder.”

I laughed. “Guess you talked to Beck and Justin.”

He smirked. “Yeah, Beck has an evil side. I mean, I knew he had one, but whoa.”

“Luckily, Ian’s on the other side of the country.”

“Musician, huh? Doesn’t seem like you. You usually like the nerdy dudes or dramatic artsy ones.”

I tapped his dark rimmed glasses. “I do happen to love nerds like my big brother. However, I’d say musicians count for the emo crowd.” Not that Ian was especially emo. He liked to pretend he was. Those big, soulful green eyes had certainly held a lot of…well, everything. From passion to fear, then love. It had been pretty incredible to watch all of the different facets of him unfold with each day they’d been together.

He liked to think he was a big, bad tough guy—and to some extent, the streets had certainly honed him into someone jaded about the world—but in the end, he’d been more lover than fighter. He’d been starving for love.

Starving for me.

Hayes tipped his head and studied me. “Hmm. Yeah, that’s true.” He nudged my arm. “The way the idiots were talking, I was expecting you to be all wrecked. The woe of intense woe.”

I laughed. “No. I left my woe in Michigan, I’d say.”

“He’s not worth it.”

Oh, he was. He was worth every minute right up until the end. “He did something.”

Hayes sat up. “Like what?”

“Not like that. He didn’t lay a hand on me. Besides, you guys taught me how to handle myself quite well.” Except for that one day. The one day that thad pretty much started my little metamorphosis. And not just because of a bully’s knife and eyes full of malicious intent.

But the guy who’d come to my rescue.

The day Ian had truly crashed into my life.

The concert had been my first foray into his onstage persona, but Ian? The real Ian had held me while I cried out the fear of what could have been. Then he’d showed me just what love looked like.

Even with lies between us, I knew he loved me.

He just wasn’t ready for a real relationship. No matter how much he wished it was different, I knew those issues would haunt us. The fact that he didn’t value himself would always be working against us. He defaulted to self-destructive behavior because he didn’t believe he was worth the trouble. And I couldn’t live like that.

To watch him spiral again because his entire self worth was wrapped in us?

No. I couldn’t be part of that.

How were we supposed to get through the tough times if he didn’t believe in us? Our love was too new. It was feeding off lust and the excitement of learning someone inside and out. But he was forever focusing on me, not himself. It didn’t matter how much I gave, I couldn’t be the one to sustain him.

“There’s a lot going on in those eyes, sis.”

I sighed and tipped my head against his shoulder. Hayes had always been the more introspective of my brothers. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me too.”

“Even if you’re going to steal my bed.”

“I’m not going to steal your bed.”

“Like Mom will let you sleep on the couch.”

“One kid or the other, what difference does it make? Besides, I’m smaller. The couch will be fine for tonight.”

“Just you watch, I’ll be on the couch.”

“Well, if you scram, I’ll snuggle back down and fall asleep again. Then you’ll be golden.”

“Nah.”

“Seriously, H. I’m good out here. Or is there another reason you don’t want to sleep back there?”

“What? No.”

“Seems Mom adopted a certain someone from the store.”

“Willa? Um, no. Nothing there between us.”

I nudged him again. “You sure?”

“Very.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

He stood up and tossed a throw blanket at my head. “Night, Z.”

“Night.”

My sleep was fitful after that. I’d had just enough to not let me slide back under easily. I dug my phone out and scrolled through social media. I smiled at the sweet little picture of booties Margo and Simon had added to their Instagram pages. My eyes got a little misty from all the replies from their band members.

The members of Oblivion—and various spouses—were a tight-knit group. Even with their own individual families taking over, there was a bond that I’d personally never seen outside of my own family. I’d been here at the orchard when they’d come for Christmas dinners at my aunt’s house. I’d seen them all interact over the years. And Lila and Nick were a staple at the other side of the orchard. It was a large enough property that our two families lived in harmony. Just close enough to be there when we needed each other, and far enough apart that we didn’t feel like everyone was in our business constantly.

The Mannings and Ronsons had bookended the orchard for a few generations. Fred and Laverne tended to take care of the shops and lodging, and they’d even started doing weddings in the last few years. My dad and brothers took the lead on the orchards and staff who took care of them.

Family was all I knew. Even being out in Venice, I knew I had that home life to lean on if I needed it. Well, minus the orchid farm my mom had created out of my bedroom. What the hell was that all about?

I settled deeper into the smushed pillows I’d made into the perfect cocoon and scrolled some more. A few artist friends I followed showed off their gallery photos. Part of me wished I’d stayed in the program. Even if it didn’t fit me anymore, I still longed for all that creativity around me.

A blurry picture with a play button came up in my feed.

I shouldn’t have clicked on it. I knew it as soon as my thumb tapped on it.

Ian.

He was obviously drunk. Not that he needed alcohol to do ridiculous things, but he certainly did them with much more reckless abandon when whiskey or vodka was part of the equation. He jumped on the table and his friends were laughing uproariously.

Flynn with his indulgent smile as women were instantly drawn to the life of the party—my guy.

My ex-guy.

I flicked the video away, only to find another from a different angle in a different spot in the bar. This time, with a girl reaching for Ian. He had a besotted smile on his face and my damn sunglasses.

I closed the app. Hell no.

My fingers shook as I gripped my phone. So glad he was thinking of me.

Bastard.

I rolled off the couch and shoved my phone in my pocket. No more lounging around for me. I needed to get out this itch under my skin. I quietly crept down the hallway to the bathroom, but my mother was already up. She was humming lightly as she went to each of her orchids with a spray bottle and a little watering pitcher.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my mother that intense about anything. Barking orders and getting things moving at the orchard, yes. But to actually hum a little tune with such happiness in her eyes? I tried to back up before she saw me, but she had eyes in the back of her head.

“Zoe Jayne, what are you doing up?”

I moved back into the doorway. “Fell asleep too early, I guess.” Considering my sleep schedule was more like a teething toddler, five in the morning or five at night meant the same to me when it came to working.

The canvas didn’t care as long as I had some sort of light source to paint with.

“I thought I’d go see Aunt Laverne. See if she can find me a spot at the lodge.”

She paused with her sprayer. “It’s fine, we can move my greenhouse.”

“No, Mom. It’s fine. I won’t be around long enough to move back in.”

“Oh, really? Where are you going with no job and no way to make money?”

I swallowed down the instant reply. I really didn’t need to have the “artists don’t make money” conversation with my mother. For one thing, my freelancing account was bulging with offers, and for another, I had more savings than she knew about. “I’ll be fine. I’m not destitute, I promise.”

“Family takes care of family.”

“And Aunt Laverne has tons of room over at the lodge.”

“You’d think, but now that your rich cousin has brought her band to visit, Laverne’s bookings are very tight.”

I hated that my mother got a tone when talking about Lila and her newfound family. She’d never quite forgiven Li for moving away and marrying her first husband. Very much like she reacted when I said I was leaving. “Well, it can’t hurt to ask. I don’t want you to ruin your…garden?” I stepped in, determined not to fight with her even though I knew she was spoiling for one. “I’m not sure what to call it.”

“Greenhouse is sufficient.”

The moment I stepped in, the change in climate was incredible. The air was humid and the scent of spice and sweetness clung to me almost immediately. “It’s beautiful, Mom. All of it. I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Honestly.”

Her blue eyes met mine. A sheen gathered before she blinked it away. Tears? From my mother?

I swallowed down the lump and tipped my head against her shoulder. “So, which one’s your favorite?”

Her eyebrows shot up and she blinked at me. She cleared her throat. “Vandas. I have a few different kinds. These…” She crossed to a tall fanning spine of leaves with large pink blooms dripping from one of the taller leaves. She touched the tips of the flower gently before moving on to another plant with smaller peach blooms. She rattled off some Latin-like words as if she was telling me about the weather.

Her passion came rolling out as she drew me over to a handmade box that definitely had my father’s style all over it. It had been made from apple boxes. Nestled inside was a similar fan of greens, only far more compact with gorgeous purple blooms sprouting up from the spine-like structure.

I let her ramble on about them because it was obvious how much she was enjoying it. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard my mom actually speak about something with such love and reverence. Almost an hour went by before she stopped. I nudged her along with questions about a few plants, but I really didn’t need to do much. She was totally uncorked and oh boy, was her wine free flowing.

Finally, it was a little beep from her watch—Apple watch, to be exact. Dear God, what had happened to my mother since I’d been gone? She’d been wearing the same Timex since we’d been kids. “Oh, Zoe. I’m sorry, I have to put together a plant food mix before work. That was my reminder.”

“Sure, Mom. That’s fine. Thanks for letting me know a little bit about your babies.”

“I guess they are, aren’t they?”

I tipped my head, taking a mental picture of my mom here in her element. “Would you mind if I did some sketches in here one day?”

“No. Oh, honey, that would be lovely. Would you be sure to show me?”

After I picked up my jaw off the floor, I stuttered out my agreement. In high school, my parents had been supportive of my art, but after that, they’d been at a loss for my particular style. They understood the still life stuff before I’d found my niche. After that? Not so much.

I heard my brother moving about in the bathroom. “I’m going to hitch a ride in with Hayes to see Aunt Laverne.”

“All right. I really don’t want you to put your aunt out.”

“I won’t. I promise.” I quickly pressed a kiss to her soft cheek. “I’ll catch you later, Mom.”

I caught Hayes in the hallway. “Hey, can you drop me at the storefront?”

“You’ve got five minutes,” he said as he headed for the kitchen.

I rushed into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. My hair was a lost cause, so I jammed it under a ball cap and threaded my braid through the hole in the back. As sweet as my brother had been last night, he was in full-on work mode and I barely managed to catch him on the porch.

“Leaving without me?”

He grinned down at me. “Serves you right. I had both Mom and Dad read me the riot act for letting you sleep on the couch.”

I waved him off. “Yeah, yeah.” I stepped up into his ancient Jeep Wrangler. He didn’t even wait for me to belt in before he was backing down the gravel drive. “So, what happened with Cheryl? I thought she was the one.”

He gave me some side-eye, but didn’t answer. Instead, he took a long sip from his travel mug.

“Where’s mine?”

“Did you make one?”

“Cruel. You know how I like it.”

“How do I know if you changed with your big city ways?”

I laughed. “More like crunchy ways where I was. It was hard to find a decent cup of coffee without paying an arm and two legs.”

“Your idea to go to California.”

I grabbed onto the frame of his Jeep as he took one of the side roads through the orchard to cut time off the drive in. Trucks were out in full force. If the sun was up, people were working in the orchard. Harvest was still a ways away, but there were a million other details to worry about before the apples were fully ready.

The dense shadows and heavy scent of berries and apples made my eyes sting. So different from the sea-drenched air of Venice. Home. The day’s heat hadn’t dented the canopy of trees yet. A few fallen apples lay broken open by the extreme heat of the last week.

I got text updates from my parents weekly and knew they’d been worried about drought already. It had been a dry spring and summer wasn’t being much better. Today seemed to be one more in a string of hot days. Crunchy leaves fluttered in our wake and the ripe sweetness of crushed apples hung in the air.

The humidity was already sticking to me. I should have changed out of my jeans into shorts before heading out. Hayes turned up the old song on the classic rock channel he listened to when my other brothers weren’t around.

The youngest of my brothers, and the biggest fan of the seventies I’ve ever known. “No Sugar Tonight” blared through the orchard and I stood to grip the roll bar.

“Zoe, sit the fuck down.”

I whipped off my cap and tossed it at him. “Faster.”

“You’re nuts.”

Yeah, I was, but it felt like ages since I’d enjoyed a run through the orchard without a destination in mind. I’d always worked the fields and the store, but for once, I didn’t have responsibility weighing me down.

I waved to Beckett on one of the large tractors. He shook his head and gave me a wave with his ancient Yankees cap. As we passed the Honeycrisp trees, I noticed the old barn next to the distillery.

“Is there still power in the old barn?”

Hayes turned down the music as I settled back into my seat. “You want to stay in the barn?”

I shrugged. “I could work in there and not bother anyone. It’s certainly warm enough that I don’t need to worry about any of that.”

“That’s true. I think there is, but it’s easy enough to hook you up from the distillery. We’re still building in there, so it’s not done. Probably won’t get back to working on that until after the harvest.”

“So, it’ll be quiet.” I liked that idea even more.

“Pretty rustic.”

“I don’t need much.”

“I’ll remind you of that when you’re screaming about how hot it is in there.”

“Then don’t come visit me without a call or you’ll get a surprise.”

“Oh, gross.”

I laughed as we pulled through the orchard into the wide open mouth of the parking lot and main store. I leaned over and gave Hayes a kiss. “Thanks. Think you could round up Beck and Justin to help me get some lights in there tonight?”

“In the barn. You’re serious?”

“Totally. I have been ousted by orchids. And that place is huge. All my canvases are between seven and eight feet tall.”

“What? Since when?” He whipped off his sunglasses to stare at me.

“Lots of new stuff brewing, big brother.” I hopped out. “I’ll use one of the apple carts to head out there and look around.”

He shook his head and put his aviators back on. “Chaos is back in town.”

It felt good to be home.