Homegrown - Chapter 1

The day was gorgeous, the type of day where you wanted to ride around with the top of your car down as you listened to the perfect playlist on repeat. Ella was driving with her top down, but instead of a playlist buzzing in her ears, it was the sound of Andy announcing the new partner at Cromwell & Associates.

The new partner that was most certainly not Ella Richards. Never mind the countless hours she’d put in over the seven years she’d worked there, steadily building her client list and experience until she was one of the first people consulted when colleagues needed help or even just advice. That hadn’t mattered at the end of the day. No, what had mattered were afternoons of golf and a boys’ club that was as difficult to penetrate as an unloosened asshole. The smattering of applause that had met that announcement was just enough to get Ella moving. She’d ignored the glances of confusion as she marched herself back to her office, gathered her things and made her way out the door.

By the time she walked into the townhome she should have been sharing with her now ex-girlfriend Tasha, Ella was well and truly prepared for a breakdown. She paused in the living room and gazed around. There were still boxes, some open but most closed, having been set down and not touched since. The few places Tasha had added items were now empty, as if they had never been there to begin with. The room felt cavernous and devoid of any warmth that could ease the pain of today. It was all too much. Ella’s phone pinged, and she glanced down, seeing the doorbell-camera notification pop up. She sighed and dropped her bag on the couch before returning to the front door to pick her package up off the stoop. When she opened the door and saw the familiar logo of Taylor’s Organic Farm, something in her loosened. The package was opened before she even set it on her kitchen counter, but the other contents of the box were forgotten when she saw the note.

Good luck today. They’re lucky to have you. Yours, Sam

Ella sank down onto a bar stool and stared at the card. It wasn’t anything different than what Sam usually sent, and even the handwriting was the same as on the note that had started their friendship at thirteen. She had been getting monthly deliveries of pickled vegetables and preserves from Sam since she moved to Nashville and away from Peach Blossom. At first, Ella had tried to pay for them, but every time she had sent money, Sam had either sent it back or sent her an extra box until Ella finally got the hint. Instead, Ella had started sending souvenirs and trinkets whenever she came across something that reminded her of Sam. But for some reason, the note hit her more than usual today. As she gazed around the kitchen with its sleek and almost sterile counters, a wave of homesickness so powerful hit her.

“I need to get out of here,” she whispered to herself. The need was strong enough to bring her to her feet, and she quickly made a call. “Hey, Sherry. I need to use my PTO. If there’s nothing pressing on my calendar for the next week, clear it. I’ll be out of reach.”

***

Sam stared down at her phone, brow wrinkling in confusion. She had gotten the alert that Ella’s monthly care package had been delivered, but nothing since then. Usually, as soon as the package was delivered, Sam’s phone would ping with a message from her friend, typically with more emojis than she thought a lawyer would use. But it had been almost five hours and nothing had come through.

“Why are you standing there staring at your phone?” She looked up when her older brother Christopher poked his head out of his office. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head before quickly pocketing her phone. “No. Just checking my texts.”

“Ella hasn’t sent her a text today, so little sis is freaking out,” Peter said as he passed by, the usual smirk on his face. When he reached to poke her cheek, Sam swatted his hand away.

“Enough with the little sis. We’re twins,” she said with a scowl.

He shrugged. “I popped out first.”

“By five minutes.”

“Still counts.” He danced out of the way before she could swat at him again. He cackled as he turned the corner and disappeared from view. Sam could have run after him, but she didn’t have the energy. She had spent most of the day on the phone with their distributors, and all she wanted was a moment alone to decompress. Plus, she and Peter lived together. If she felt like making him pay later, she would just corner him then. It was just the two of them now, so she could get her revenge without worrying about anyone being around to stop her. For now, though, she needed to figure out a way out of this.

With a sigh, she glanced at Christopher. He was still looking at her with a knowing expression, and it deepened her scowl. She didn’t need to have this talk again. It always ended the same way.

“It’s fine, Chris. Today was the day the new partner was being announced, so she’s probably celebrating.” Sam looked away. “I’m sure I’ll hear from her later.”

“Or you could send her a congratulations text instead of torturing yourself by checking your messages every five seconds.”

“I’m not—” Sam cut herself off abruptly when she realized he was teasing her. With a sigh, her shoulders fell. Sam’s crush on her best friend, Ella, was well-known in the Taylor household. Hell, sometimes she thought they’d realized it before she had. Her brothers certainly acted like they did. Then again, their dad wasn’t any better. “Shut up.” As far as comebacks went, it was pretty weak, but she didn’t know what else to say.

“Good one, sis. Next time, come up with a hand gesture to go with it for more emphasis.”

Before she could respond, Joseph came around the corner. He paused, dark brown eyes looking from Christopher to Sam. “Am I in trouble?”

That got an eyebrow raise out of Sam, and Christopher looked similarly intrigued. “That depends. What did you do?” Christopher’s voice was pitched in that dad type of way that never failed to get the siblings to break and confess. Even though there were only three years between him and Sam and only two between him and Joseph, it still worked.

“Nothing,” Joseph said quickly. When they continued to stare, he continued, “Seriously, I didn’t do anything. I just came back in to tell Sam that Ella is parked out front, asleep in her car.”

“What?” Sam asked, her voice going sharp. She quickly pulled out her phone, but she still didn’t have any texts. “How long has she been out there?”

Joseph shrugged. “No idea. I just got back from the orchard and saw her there. I was going to knock on the window, but I didn’t want to scare her. Did something happen?”

Did something happen? Sam didn’t think so. She knew that Ella and her girlfriend Tasha, had broken up a week or so ago, but Ella had said the split was mutual and barely even worth a bottle of wine to drown her sorrows. So why was she here unexpectedly?

“I don’t think so, but I should check on her,” Sam said before moving toward the hallway. She glanced back at Christopher. “I’ll get back to you with the distribution changes from this morning. I just want to…”

He waved her off. “Yeah, yeah. We all know where we stand when it comes to that one. Go get her, tiger.”

Sam didn’t even bother to counter his words. They were useless anyway and would only tire her out. She pulled open the front door and stepped out into the waning sunlight. The glow was still pleasantly bright, flooding the driveway in orange warmth. Sure enough, Ella’s Subaru was sitting off to the side under the shade of the old magnolia tree that they played under as kids. Sam dusted her jeans off even though she had been holed up in her office all day and not out in the fields. She reached the car and carefully knocked on the window. Ella didn’t startle, but Sam saw the moment she woke up.

Large brown eyes looked up at her, and Sam felt her breath catch in that familiar way it always did. Twenty years had gone by, and yet the strength of her feelings for her best friend hadn’t lessened. She opened the door, and before she could even say a word, her arms were wrapped around a familiar frame.

“Ella, what are you—” She cut herself off as Ella’s scent wrapped around her. She breathed deep, feeling something settle in her. It didn’t matter why, really. Not right now. When Ella’s arms curled around her shoulders, Sam let herself indulge with a contented sigh. “Welcome home.”