Chapter 118 A Farm on the Brink
POV Maya:
“Maya, I need to ask you something, and I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, or think that I—”
“Norah, you can ask. If it’s within my reach, I’ll do it.” I reassure her. She glances toward the living room and then turns her gaze back to me.
“I’m going to be away for a few weeks with Dane, and I wanted to ask if you could stay at the farm during that time, taking care of the boys for me?” I let the cream I was about to put in my mouth drip from the spoon, splattering onto the table.
I’m as surprised by her request as I am terrified. I only take care of Louis, and I don’t do such a great job. It’s no coincidence that my son is antisocial, with sociopathic tendencies.
“Seriously?” I ask, just to be sure I didn’t hear wrong.
“Yes, they absolutely can’t cook anything decent.”
What a coincidence. Neither can I.
“Norah, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, being as honest as possible.
I don’t believe staying with them for a few weeks is a wise decision, especially when I have no idea what this taking care actually means. Because if it means what I think it does, they’ll have undeniable proof that I’m not the best choice for a fiancée.
“It won’t be as difficult as you imagine. The boys are good at helping, if you need them.” Her hand closes around mine in a comforting squeeze. “Please, I can’t travel knowing they’ll be on their own.”
Okay, I can make a small effort, and nothing stops me from putting Dominic and Luca to do the heavier work. If I want to get to know the brothers better, this is the perfect opportunity. And looking at the bright side, during these weeks living with them, it’ll help me see if we actually work well together, if this harem madness will pan out.
“All right,” I say, and Norah’s smile grows enormous. “I’ll stay.”
I have no idea what will happen during these weeks, but I hope that by the end of them, the Moretti brothers will choose me as their fiancée—and that I won’t have blown up the farm with all of us inside.
Everything’s going to be fine, I think confidently.
(...)
POV Adrian:
I must have heard wrong.
I look from my parents to Dominic and Luca, who don’t seem nearly as surprised as Sebastian, Mikhail, and I are. When my parents said they wanted to talk to us, I never imagined it would involve a trip that would keep them away for weeks. If there’s one thing I know about Dane and Norah Moretti, it’s that they would never, under any circumstances, leave the farm unless something very serious was going on. My father is reclusive, as is my mother—who, curiously, started leaving the farm more often after Maya moved to El Soledad.
“Why?” Sebastian asks, making my parents, Dominic, and Luca exchange looks.
Something is going on—something they’re not telling us. The certainty twists my stomach. I don’t like secrets; they never bring anything good when revealed. Secrets exist only to hurt.
“We’re thinking of expanding the farm, and for that we need money,” Dad says, and I frown.
Expanding? That doesn’t make sense, especially when we’ve been selling some of our animals for months. Sebastian was devastated after we had to sell Valente; my brother loved that horse more than anything. Our father assured us it was for the greater good, that we still had other animals to care for. Still, the months went by, and more of our animals were sold. The few that remain are the ones that, for some reason, wouldn’t fetch a good price if we tried to sell them.
Today, our farm survives on sales of organic fertilizer and milk. Something painfully sad, when you stop to think about it. Before the Monroes left, their farm helped support ours a little. But after they sold their land and left without saying goodbye, I realized how much that broke my father. He counted on his old friend for some of the deliveries we’d committed to at the time.
“And that requires you to travel for so long?” Mikhail asks, looking from our father to our mother. “You’ve never traveled. You’ve never left the farm.”
“Son, your father knows what’s best for us,” Mom says, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m counting on you to keep the farm running while we’re away.” A glimmer lights up her eyes, and for some reason a shiver runs down my spine. “Maya will take care of you during the time we’re gone.”
“WHAT?” Dominic’s shout, for some reason, makes me laugh. “Mom, there’s not a fucking chance that crazy woman is taking care of us. And besides, we’re not children who need babysitting.”
“Dominic, watch how you speak to your mother,” our father reprimands him.
“Mom, Maya doesn’t need to take care of us,” I say. “We can manage. We’re adults.”
“Maya is an honorable, caring woman who likes to help. Just look—I merely mentioned my trip, and she offered to stay here, taking care of the house and of you,” she says, and I frown, because from what little I know of Maya, she doesn’t fit the description my mother just gave. “Please don’t tell her that I mentioned her kind gesture. She’s shy, and I don’t want her to feel embarrassed.”
Okay, I won’t mention it. Ever since my mother met Maya, it’s God in heaven and the redheaded troublemaker on Earth. Something very disturbing is going on. Something that Maya and my mother clearly know, while my brothers and I have no idea. My father might even know, but I don’t believe he’s involved.
“The answer is no. That lunatic is not staying here,” Dominic states, and our mother makes a disapproving face.
“I’m with Dominic on this. That psycho isn’t setting foot in here,” Luca agrees.