#Chapter 33: Apple Trees & Crossed Boundaries

Ava With Chris’s departure, an awkward silence settled over Leonard and me as we stood there in the warm afternoon sun. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, a little unsure of what to say now that it was just the two of us. It wasn’t like me to feel tongue-tied, especially not around someone like Leonard who I had known for years, but it felt oddly different today. Thankfully, Leonard didn’t let the quiet linger for long. “Well then,” he said brightly, nodding his head toward the path up ahead. “Shall we? I’d love to show you the greenhouse I’ve been working on, even if Alpha Chris isn’t here to see it himself.” “Lead the way,” I replied with a small smile, adjusting the basket looped over my arm. “I’ll take some photos for him to look at later.” We fell into step together, our boots crunching over the hard-packed dirt trail that wound through the lush green fields. All around us, I could see evidence of Leonard’s hard work—rows of crops swaying gently in the