Chapter Three

~ A City Girl and a Dinner Invitation ~

Rapid knocks on the farmhouse door dragged me from my bed.

Through bleary eyes I looked at the clock on the nightstand.

6:01am.

Standing up, I turned towards the front door. Everything was silent. Had I imagined the hammering? Was it just my head, telling me off for drinking last night when I knew I'd have to get up early?

Then I realised my alarm hadn't gone off. I must have forgotten to set it. If my alarm hadn't woken me, something else must have-

Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock.

So I hadn't imagined it! My brief celebration that I wasn't going crazy was short-lived. An ugly mood unfurled as I strode over to the door; whoever thought it was a good idea to call on me first thing in the morning was about to learn just how mistaken they were. (No matter that if they hadn't knocked so early, I would have overslept and been behind on my chores.)

I unlocked the door and flung it open with a flourish, ready to hurl a stream of insults at whoever stood there.

My words caught in my throat. As the door bounced against the inside wall, I barely had the sense to reach out a hand to stop it from swinging back at me.

On my doorstep was someone I would never in a million years have expected to see.

Tall, arrogant, devilishly handsome Alex.

"Rise and shine, Farmer." His voice sounded like ice cream on a hot day. His gorgeous green eyes looked me up and down, and it was then that I realised I was wearing cat pyjamas and my hair must be a mess from sleeping.

"I didn't just wake up," I said, futilely.

"You wear pyjamas to do farm work?" he asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"No. I was just about to get dressed. Then you started trying to batter my door down."

"Whatever. I just came to give you this." He held out a cream envelope.

He'd lost interest in our conversation so quickly I almost got whiplash. That was the thing with Alex. The town jock, he was handsome with classical features, a defined jawline and unfairly clear skin. He was tall and built with sturdy muscle. If he'd gone to my school, girls would have swooned over him and guys would have wanted to be him – and maybe also date him. But he knew he was good-looking and he acted like he was too cool for everyone. Certainly too cool for me. When I first got here he was interested in me; a girl from the city should have been mysterious and intriguing. But I'd never cared much for chasing popularity. The only points I took with me from the city were that my social pool had been massive. Massive school, massive workplace, surrounded by strangers every day. Here, everyone knew everyone. They had no idea how to interact with newcomers, so rare that we were. Alex quickly realised I wasn't on his level, and since then he'd been standoffish. Not exactly rude, but he made it clear he didn't want to associate with a city rat like me.

I sighed and took the envelope, barely glancing at my name scratched on the front with black ink before using my thumb to rip it open. I'd use a nail, but since moving here I'd needed to keep my nails short and practical. Not that I used to do anything that fancy with them.

"Granny wants you to have dinner with them tonight," Alex said, not waiting for me to read the letter. I scanned it anyway. It was a prettily-written invitation for dinner with Evelyn and George.

"You won't be there?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them. It was too early in the morning for my wits to be conscious.

Alex shrugged, not seeming to think my question was strange. He was probably used to girls wanting him around. I hated that I was falling into that category, but I wasn't going to act like a schoolgirl with a crush, too scared to talk to the object of my fancy. I didn't even like Alex, not really. He was nice to look at, but his personality left much to be desired. He may be able to raise my heartrate just by meeting my eyes, but I wasn't about to lose my head around him.

I think it was just nice to have a crush again. When I left school and started working at Joja Corp, my soul was crushed under so much stress and boredom that I didn't have the energy to date anyone. My heart wasn't capable of racing unless I was late to work, because then I was in danger of having my pay docked.

Out here in the valley, all that pressure was gone. Maybe that's why I had crushes on half the people in town around my age. It wasn't that I actually wanted to date anyone. I just enjoyed the feeling of having a crush; of certain people raising my heartrate and the tender possibility of something going further.

"Later, Farmer," Alex said. He turned around to walk away.

"Wait," I said before I could think it through. "If you wait a moment, I'll come with you. I need to check the noticeboard."

Alex frowned. Then he grinned, looking more handsome than was fair. "How about I start walking, and you see if you can catch up." His tone made it clear he didn't think I'd stand a chance.

I grinned back. "How about if I catch up, you come to the dinner this evening?"

"Sure. Catch me if you can, Farmer."

I allowed myself to watch him take two steps down the stairs off my porch before I closed the door and raced around my farmhouse like a little whirlwind, grabbing a long blue skirt and a light blouse I hoped matched. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and splashed water on my face.

Pumpkin, my orange kitten, watched all of this with large green eyes, not moving from her spot on my bed. Often she was up before me, but maybe my strange behaviour this morning was more fascinating than her usual playtime outside.

I was out of the door within three minutes, barely remembering to lace up my boots.

Knowing Alex didn't like me, I half expected him to cheat and run back to the house he shared with his grandparents.

Instead, I caught up with him just before he reached the town square. Maybe he underestimated me or maybe he didn't care. Either way, I'd won.

I greeted him with a red face and a manic grin.

"Alex! Might wanna let your grandparents know you're crashing dinner tonight."

Alex looked down at me with a frown. He took in the clothes I'd pulled on in a rush. I glanced down self-consciously.

Did I pick the wrong blouse?

"You were fast," he said as if he couldn't quite believe it.

I raised my chin. "Daddy didn't raise no loser."

I immediately wanted to fold in on myself and tear out my own tongue. How had I let such an awful sentence leave my mouth?

Alex snorted. It was better than a noise of disgust, I supposed.

"Later, Farmer," was all he said.

I stood still as he continued walking. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but at least he hadn't taken back his agreement to come to dinner.

It could have gone worse.

Once Alex was out of sight I walked over to the notice board on the outside of Pierre's grocery store. He didn't open until 9am, and Abi wouldn't be awake for another couple of hours at least, but I didn't need seeds today and I had to get all my chores done before I could hang out socially. Think about seeds reminded me that I still needed more chicken feed.

It's a good thing I checked the notice board because George, Alex's grandfather, had actually posted a request for a leek. It would be a nice gesture to bring it to dinner, and with all day to search I was sure to find a good one.

I didn't let myself think about last night until I was on my way to Marnie's. What with oversleeping and Alex's impromptu visit, I'd forgotten about my… encounter with Shane.

Probably for the best. I don't even know if he'll remember seeing me last night. Especially if he kept drinking.

At least I didn't have to worry about the possibility of running into him. If I'd almost overslept after having two beers, there was no way he'd wake up early.

I kept my eyes to the ground and focused on controlling my breathing. It would be awkward to explain my state if anyone else was up early.

The walk down through town was pleasant. Blossom petals floated through the air, lifted on a gentle breeze.

Until something small pinged into my head, and a voice behind me made my blood run cold.

"Stop there, Farmer."