Best Friend's Ex Box Set

"It's telling me not to give in to the pressure to kick Adam out!" I said stubbornly. "It's telling me to figure out a solution that puts the store and the farm in the black and gives you and the rest what you need to keep living however you choose to live!"

I was on a roll as I angrily cut into a second melon and dumped the guts and juice into the sink with the remains of the first one. I sliced as I continued listing the things my inner voice was telling me to do until I finally ended the list with an emotional plea, "It's tel

ling me I want to go home to Chicago and back to my life in the city, but that makes me feel guilty for leaving you all here without Mamm and Dat!"

"So, who asked you to sacrifice anything for us?" Honor said as she pulled open the back door and stepped inside. She was carrying a basket full of fresh eggs and a half full bucket of milk, which she set next to the counter before putting the eggs in the strainer next to the sink. "We didn't ask you to give up anything, Grace, but you make it sound like you're the only one who can somehow rescue us."

"Wait a minute!" I said setting the knife down and turning toward her. "I didn't say that! I was just answering Verity's question about what my inner voice was telling me to do."

"Honor! Grace!" Verity said sharply. "There's no reason to fight; we're all on the same side. We just need to figure out what needs to be done so that we can all do what it is we need to do."

"How come no one ever asks me that question?" Honor said as the stomped to the back door and pushed it open. "No one ever asked me what I wanted to do. You all just expect that I'll be here taking care of the animals and watching over Danny, but you never ask me anything about what I want!"

In a flash, she darted out the back door and ran toward the barn. I looked at Verity and she nodded as she turned off the gas on the stove, wiped her hands, and followed Honor out to the barn.

"Dammit!" I swore once she was out of earshot.

"You okay, Grace?" Adam asked. Startled, I gasped and jumped away from the counter as I turned and saw him standing framed in the kitchen doorway. His hair was tousled and he had a sleepy look on his face that told me we'd most likely woken him up.

"I'm sorry, we were having a family discussion that got a little heated," I said reluctantly pulling my gaze away from his handsome face. "Did we wake you?"

"No, actually I have been awake for a few hours," he said. "I was going to get up and start breakfast, but I had no idea where to begin."

"Probably better that you didn't mess with Verity's territory," I said, giving him a playful grin which he quickly returned before he looked away. I couldn't read his face and I wasn't sure if he was embarrassed about the night before or if I'd hurt his feelings when I'd pulled back. I wanted to ask, but I was afraid of what his answer would be.

"Grace, are you sure..." he began as Danny came bounding down the stairs and entered the kitchen signing his apologies that he'd overslept.

"I'll go milk the cows," he signed as he fastened his suspenders to his pants.

"Honor already did it!" I yelled as he ran past me and flew out the back door. "And don't let the door—"

I braced myself as the door slammed against the frame, and then threw my hands up in the air.

"Can I set the table or something?" Adam chuckled as he shook his head. I nodded and pointed to the stack of plates and pile of silverware Verity had set on the table. I watched as Adam limped over and grabbed the silverware then turned and relit the stove.

It wasn't long before Verity returned from the barn. She acted as if nothing had happened, so I followed her lead and finished cutting up the fruit and putting everything on the table for breakfast. A short while later, Danny and Honor returned to the house. They silently washed their hands in the kitchen sink and then sat down at the table and waited for the rest of us.

Breakfast was eaten in silence. Halfway through it, a truck pulled into the drive. Danny and Honor were out of their chairs and through the back door before any of us could say a word. I looked at Verity and she shrugged, so I followed the other two outside to find a very confused FedEx driver asking for Adam.

"Adam, there's a package here for you!" I called through the screen door. A few minutes later, he emerged on the front porch waving to the delivery driver who quickly made it way up the steps and presented Adam with an electronic signature form.

"I didn't know the Amish had cell phones now," the driver commented as he waited for Adam to finish signing.

"They don't," he said handing the pad back to the driver with a smile that annoyed me. "I'm just a guest."

The driver looked confused, but nodded and quickly returned to his truck. He shook his head as he back down the drive, pulled back out on to the road, and drove away. I gave him a small wave, wishing I could hop on the truck and head back to the city with him. His reply was a short blast of his horn before he sped off toward town.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Adam

My new phone quickly became the focus of attention as I unwrapped it and began setting it up. Danny singed something that I couldn't understand.

"Danny wants to know where that came from and what it does," Verity translated.

"It's a cell phone, er, telephone," I said offering it to him for inspection. Danny took the phone in one hand and flipped it over examining every inch of the thin, flat device as he signed with his free hand.

"I don't know, Danny," Verity frowned. "Mr. Wallace, he wants to know if this is an eight, sixteen, or sixty-four. Do you know what that means?"