C4 Chapter Four

~~~~~~~ ONE YEAR AGO~~~~~

Jules Pov

Ugh, another farm day. I stared out the window, watching the dust motes dance in the afternoon sun. Nothing ever happened here, except maybe the occasional cow giving birth (which, frankly, wasn't that exciting after the third time). I yearned to be hunched over my laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as my story unfolded, I love writing. But Nana always insisted I keep her company while she cooked. Most of the time, it was nice. The smell of her apple pie simmering in the oven, mixed with the warm, yeasty scent of bread rising, always made my stomach rumble. And Nana's stories about her wild youth in the city before she settled down on the farm were the best. But lately, her forgetfulness had been acting up more and more. Sometimes, she wouldn't even remember who I was. Thankfully, that wasn't happening today.

Suddenly, a loud rumble shattered the afternoon quiet. I whipped around to see a fancy, chrome car pull up by the rickety old cow fence next to the barn. Great. Nana loved renting out the loft above the barn to city folks on a "back-to-nature" kick. They were always such a pain - clueless about where milk came from or the difference between a goat and a sheep.

"Nana, is this another one of those city people?" I groaned, already picturing the inevitable questions about milking cows and sheep shearing.

Nana chuckled, her wrinkles crinkling around her eyes. "Now, Jule, don't be rude. It's good to have someone new to cook for besides you and Danny." She winked, slipping a golden-brown pie into the oven.

"But Nana..." I whined, rolling my eyes.

Nana patted my shoulder, her touch warm and comforting. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go meet them. Maybe they won't be so bad this time. Besides, you never know, they might even have some interesting stories from the city."

I grumbled as Nana pulled me to my feet. Maybe she was right. Maybe this time, the city person wouldn't be a complete dud. After all, a little change of pace from the usual farm routine wouldn't hurt.

My Nana's grip on my hand went from friendly to ouch-tight. "Honey, don't be a grouch," she whispered. "We've got company today."

I stuck my tongue out at her, just barely. "But Nanaaa," I whined, "I don't wanna go out there!"

"Hush now," she said, her voice leaving no room for arguing. "Come on, outside with you."

We stepped outside, and there by a Toyota truck was a guy who looked, well, perfect. Even with his back to us, he just…had something.

Before I could even open my mouth, Nana was talking a mile a minute. "Hello there! Glad you could make it!"

The guy turned around, and my stomach did a weird flip. His eyes were brown, like melted chocolate chips, and they locked with mine for a brief moment. My heart started hammering in my chest like it was trying to escape.

This guy was definitely different from any boy I'd met around here. He was tall and had messy brown hair that kind of flopped around his face in a way that made him seem…well... perfect.

"Hey there," he said with a grin. "I'm Adam."

Adam, Adam...his Adam. Even his name is perfect, the first man....

"This is Majorie," Nana said, gesturing between us, "and this right here is my amazing granddaughter, Julie Rose."

"Just Jules," I mumbled, my voice sounding like a tiny kitten. Fantastic. Here I was, trying to make a good impression on this super cute guy, and I sounded like a squeak toy. Why did I have to be such a dork?

The minute he said, "Hey there, Jules," I felt like I could melt into a puddle. His eyes locked onto mine, and there was no way I was looking away first. It got quiet, but in a good way, like neither of us wanted to mess up the moment. Then, I saw something in his eyes. Maybe... a spark? I really, really hoped he liked me back. Grandma always said I'm the kind of girl who'd fall for a guy hard and it'd be a forever type of falling, like Romeo and Juliet. I never wanted to correct her by telling her they both died in the end. It felt a bit brutal to get the sweet old lady down like that.

But looking at him right now... let's just say my heart was not doing a happy dance but rather shooting faster than a metourite.

"Jules, honey," Grandma chimed in, "why don't you be a sweetheart and show our guest to his room?"

"No worries, ma'am," the guy said politely. "I don't want to cause any trouble. Just point me in the right direction, I'll be fine." He still hadn't looked away from me, which was making me blush like crazy.

"Call me Marj, dear," Grandma said, puffing out her chest proudly. "And don't you worry about Jules. She's tougher than Bummer, our prize bull."

"Nana!" I groaned, hiding my face in my hand. Grandma always knew how to embarrass me at the worst times.

The guy chuckled and handed me his suitcase. "Just a little help, Jules, if that's alright? I promise I pack light." He winked at me again. The bag was heavy but not enough to tip me over "Seems you might even be stronger than Bummer himself."

My stomach did a somersault. Butterflies galore! Was he, for real, flirting with me? Before I could even stammer out a reply, Grandma was already walking away. "Gotta make sure that pie doesn't burn!" she yelled back.

Suddenly, I was all alone with this incredibly handsome guy. He leaned in a little closer, a big smile on his face. "Alright, starlight," he said, "show me the way." Everything felt tingly and exciting. Maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something truly amazing.