This past Monday, October 10, was Canadian Thanksgiving. The following excerpt is from a scene that plays out on Thanksgiving at a u-pick apple orchard at the end of Don’t Tell Mom I Have a Girlfriend and is when Trish and Henry, book 2’s couple, officially meet.
And in case you’re wondering, the u-pick apple orchards we drove past on Thanksgiving were VERY busy. 🙂
…“Let me get the bags,” Will offered when they reached the front of the entrance line. “We’re all doing the corn maze, too, right?”
“Sure,” Trish answered. “I heard this year’s maze is pretty good, and there haven’t been any storms through to knock it down yet.”
“This year’s is great. Hey, Trish. It is Trish, right?”
“Yep, that’s me, and I’m going to say since you don’t look almost exactly like Edmund that you’re Henry.”
He tapped his forehead. “That’s putting the old grey matter to good use. Speaking of Eddie, has anyone seen him yet?”
“He went in with Cari, Nate, and Emma,” Will answered.
“Good to see you, Brandon,” Henry clapped him on the shoulder. “Keep the camera away from me.”
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t want to break it.”
Henry laughed. “I just didn’t want to outshine all the others.” He struck a pose, held it for ten seconds, and then hit another.
“Wow,” Trish muttered. “No lack of self-assurance there.”
“Meh,” Henry said, “a lot can be hidden behind a dose of swagger.” His eyes challenged her to believe that he was only playing the role of an outgoing, devil-may-care guy.
“I suppose that’s true,” she agreed as she took the bag Will handed her. “I’ve known a person or two who hide in plain sight behind daring façades.” She looked at one in the mirror every morning when getting ready to present herself to the world outside of her apartment.
Henry’s eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, and he held her gaze for five loud heartbeats before nodding and saying, “I suppose we all know someone like that. Probably more than we realize we do.”
Why did she feel like she had just been put through an x-ray machine and her soul had been laid bare? Henry was one Bennett brother to stay away from if she wished to keep her secrets to herself…
image source: depositphotos
