My body is so used to waking up at four in the morning that I don't need the alarm clock anymore. I roll over in bed and sigh, knowing today is going to be a long day. It is Monday! We have to get ready for the milk and egg pickup.

Part of the reason I couldn't sleep was that I saw that golden light again last night. I was walking from the barn and happened to look up. It was as bright as the moon. It climbed higher and higher into the sky. Once it reached a certain point, it fell. It looked exactly like a space shuttle, reentering the atmosphere—the tail end on fire.

What the hell was it, and why was no one in town asking questions?

I stand and touch my toes, stretching out the kinks. "Get the falling star out of your head, Em. You are going crazy!" I scold myself out loud.

Today I have to micromanage everything and everyone. Something I didn't have to do, but I exercise perfection. It's just how I operate, I guess.

I exit my bedroom, head for the bathroom, and start to daydream about punching Mr. Leviathan Castor in the face! It instantly makes me smile. Man, is he annoying!

Rick and Sandy are such friendly people. Hard to believe they raised a son like Leviathan. And what kind of name is Leviathan? Isn't that the name of a water demon or something in the bible? I'm pretty sure it is. It suits him, though.

I am thinking about his piercing, blue eyes when the smell of coffee lingers in the hallway. It's calling my name. Time to start my day!

I walk into the kitchen. Daddy is on his laptop, and Alice is making waffles.

"I hate technology! I curse the man that invented this damn contraption!" Daddy is trying to print last week's receipts, of course. "This is why I always ask you to take receipts from the driver, Em."

I scoff as I sit at the table. "You're mad at me because you can't remember how to print a single sheet?"

Alice puts my plate in front of me. I inhale the sweet, refreshing smell of waffles. "Simon is upset because his hip is killing him," she says, trying to close his laptop. He flags her hand away, and she walks back to the stove.

"Figures!" I say as I look at Daddy. I grab the whipped cream.

"You wouldn't be in so much pain if you went to your doctor appointments every month like instructed. They are prescribing you pain medication! Since you stopped going, you haven't even taken your pills," Alice says, placing a waffle on a plate.

"Are you crazy?" Dad says, closing the laptop angrily. "The government puts ungodly stuff in that. It's how they get mind control over us. They even coat the medicine in diseases. Cancer, HIV, even headaches!"

I smile, and Alice notices.

"Emery, you have him on the conspiracy theory train again. You both are the same!" Alice shakes her head as she serves me coffee and places it near my plate. She's insane! I didn't say anything.

Daddy cuts into his waffle rather roughly. "They will never take me as a prisoner. Remember the Watsons? They wanted to turn their land into a vegetable farm. John gets into that accident, he takes meds prescribed to him, and then what happens? They move out of the state. They suddenly want to become city folk. Hmpf!"

Alice sits and sips her coffee as she goes through the newspaper. "If you ever needed to know where you get your exaggeration from, there's the reason." She looks at me and points her knife at daddy.

I smile as I coat my waffle with whipped cream. I grab the cherry glaze tub and take a spoonful, spreading it all over the waffle. I love this!

Best breakfast in the world!

Alice smiles at my plate. "So I didn't tell you what Sandy and I spoke about yesterday."

I look at my aunt as I cut into my breakfast. "Is she giving you another huge check so you can buy more appliances?"

Daddy chuckles.

"No!" She closes the newspaper and hits me on the head with it. "A business opportunity." She looks at us both. "For a bakery. My very own!" She says, beaming.

I stop cutting, and my mouth falls open. "Are you serious?! You're going to open up your own business?"

She nods excitedly. I stand up and hug her. "Oh my goodness! I'm so happy for you!"

She hugs me back. "I'm happy too! She wants to be a silent partner. I have full control of the shop and hiring and the buying."

Daddy looks skeptical. "I don't like it! Why is she being nice?"

"Who cares?" I interject as I let Alice go. "She's loaded and is probably bored with her money. I'm glad she decided to do this with you. You honestly deserve it!"

Alice's smile slowly disappears as she looks at my dad. "Be happy for me, for once, brother. Please? I've never asked for anything."

After breakfast, I head to the big barn—the one furthest from the house. I walk in and spot my crew. They are cheerily talking to one another, drinking coffee. Alice always brings them coffee while I get ready.

These workers are some of the friendliest and loyal people I have ever met. Of course, I know them all well. As tiny as the town is, it's hard not to know who is who.

"Good morning, Emery! How are you?" Nathan Vardone asks me.

"Tired, but I'm fine. Thanks for asking," I say, not bothering to look at Nathan as I head straight for the desk in the corner.

While everyone else was well in their forties or older, Nathan was my age, tall and skinny. His family moved from Hawaii when he was five years old, and they've enjoyed country life ever since.

Nathan took this job for the summer and is very good at it. That is until he developed a crush on me.

He's never come out and said it, but it's uncomfortably apparent. Instead of focusing on work, I will catch him staring at me. I don't mind it that much. As long as he does his job, he can google all he wants.

"Okay, guys!" I yell as I stand on a metal stool. "Trucks are coming today! Mark and I will hand milk the standard five! Nathan, I need a full count on the eggs while Robert double-checks! I need all the oranges and apples picked off the trees! Brian will deliver the fruits to Mrs. Obel! Remember, today is the pickup day! So let's concentrate and make sure the barn is taken care of!"

All the men smile and nod as I continue with the job list.

"Alright, have a great day! Lunch is at eleven. Alice is making tacos as you all requested," I continue.

The men cheer! They love Alice's cooking, so she makes it a point to serve them lunch every day.

"Alright, settle down," I say with a laugh as Nathan hands me my clipboard. "Let's get to work!"

I jump down and turn toward my desk when Hector calls out to me. "Boss! Phone! It's Mr. Summer!"

I walk towards Hector and grab the phone. "Thanks, Hector." I put the phone to my ear. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Sweetheart, come back to the house for a second."

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

"Yes. Everything is fine." He hangs up.

It was still dark as I walked back to the house. Sunrise isn't until 6 am.

I have so much on my mind. Mondays are horrible! I will eventually have to tell Daddy that we need more people. Forty isn't enough.

We don't have enough staffing with over fifty cows and sixty chickens, six horses, all the trees. Even though the money is coming in, my dad is a penny pincher, so I will have to ask Alice to talk to him.

I am heading up the porch stairs when I see a car parked in front of the house—a black Porsche Cheyenne. I only know this because I always fantasized about owning this car. Those ads on the television do a number on me.

"Daddy?!" I yell, walking in. I walk towards the back and into the kitchen. "Whose car is-"

I don't finish the sentence as the figure stands from the table. It's that smug, self-entitled prick!

Leviathan.

"What's going on?" I ask my dad and Alice cautiously. I am so confused. Why the hell is he here?

Alice hands Levi a cup of coffee and turns to me. "Levi said you invited him to help you. So nice that he's here. Right, Em?"

"Yeah." I scoff and roll my eyes. "I don't remember inviting him, but we need the extra help."

I am mad but somewhat nervous, not understanding why he is here.

Levi walks to Daddy and shakes his hand. "Wonderful to finally meet you, sir! I hope I don't let you down out there. I'm not used to getting dirty. I'm sure Emery will show me the ropes."

Dad laughs, which infuriates me! I look over at Alice, who swoons. Gross!

I walk out of the kitchen and straight towards the front door, feeling Levi's gaze on my backside. My heart is racing a thousand miles an hour. Why does he make me so nervous? I jump off of the porch when I hear Levi behind me.

"What is the proper attire when working with animals, Emery? Pajamas? You did say it is relaxing working with them, right?"

I scoff and turn to him. "Why are you here?! Stop pretending to be nice to my family! You're a bully, and you certainly don't belong with the working class!"

"You invited me here. I believe your exact words were, and I quote: I'd love to see you actually work! You wouldn't survive a day at our farm!"

I look at him in complete amazement and cross my arms. "Are you for real?! That was a diss, not an invitation! And I stand by what I said. You wouldn't survive an hour here. You'd die of boredom and exhaustion after picking oranges from one tree."

Levi chuckles. "Exaggerating, aren't we? One doesn't simply die from boredom and exhaustion. You must take several steps to achieve death. Shall I show you?"

He steps forward, giving me a creepy grin.

"Don't patronize me!" I look him up and down and take a step back. What the hell is he wearing anyways? A dark brown suit? In this heat?! "And you can't work in a thousand-dollar suit. Are you insane?!"

Levi looks down at himself, appalled. "Of course not, Emery! I would never wear in a thousand-dollar suit." He walks towards his car. "It's a six thousand dollar suit."

I scratch my forehead and look around, exhaling deeply. God, I hate him! I turn and see him open the back passenger side door, sliding in. I blink, and he immediately exits through the other side wearing different clothes.

"What the?! Did you just-?" I ask in utter shock, taking several steps forward. My brows furrow as I rub my eyes.

"Did I just what?" He turns and looks around as he closes the car door.

"You just went in and out of that car in point five seconds!" Wait, do I see things now?!

"Always with the exaggeration." Levi shakes his head and walks towards me, examining me closely. He is now wearing blue jeans and a white wife-beater. He also has a pair of new chestnut-colored boots.

I'm just tired. No average person can do that. I wipe my eyes again and look at him from head to toe.

My mouth goes slack. Levi is abnormally big but has my mouth-watering. How old is he anyway? I try to look away, but I can't help but look at every inch of protruding muscle in his arms and chest. Good looks and a great body too. Too bad I loathe the man!

Levi and I are wearing matching outfits which annoys me even more! I have on blue jeans and an old, white wife-beater. I made it my uniform for work so I wouldn't ruin any nice clothes I have.

"Earth to Miss Summers."

I am brought back from my reverie with Levi's hand in my face.

"I'm fine! Don't put your hand in my face!" I snap at him.

He smiles and looks towards the barn. "My apologies, Summers. Shall we?" He moves away and bows slightly.

I cut my eyes at him and begin to lead the way. Today is going to be a long day!

"So what task will you have me doing today? And when does this relaxation kick in?" Levi asks as he walks into the barn after me. I want to laugh, but I compose myself rather quickly. He will probably ride that relaxation bit until the end of time.

I turn to him. "Would you stop? It's not relaxing for everyone. Just for me."

"Wow, Mr. Castor! What a surprise. How are you?" Nathan walks up to us, shaking Levi's hand.

"I'm great, Nathaniel. Thank you for asking. I'm here because Emery asked for my help." Levi looks at me and grins. I roll my eyes and cross my arms.

"You are such a good person. No one decides to volunteer in the sweltering heat. My parents are making me do this before I head off to college in the fall."

Levi looks at Nathan seriously. "I commend your parents then. They are teaching you responsibility before you head out into the world."

Nathan smiles as the rest of the crew gather to say hello to the annoying newcomer. "It's so good to see you again. Hey guys, it's Levi Castor."

I walk away from them. This public display of admiration is becoming disgusting! We have tons to do, and Rico Suave over here has the men drooling over him. He hasn't even started yet, and I am ready to fire him.

"...Emery is a great boss." I hear Mr. Kavanaugh say to Levi.

I smile to myself. I don't mind my staff bragging about me. I am strict but lenient with them. I am also fair, and they can take as many breaks as they like.

I honestly don't care what they do if all the work is completed by 4 pm. Mondays are the exception. And it is only because of the pickup.

I walk to the sink and wash my hands. Mr. Kavanaugh already has the five cows set up to be milked by me. I only milk these cows myself because they are frightened of the milking machine. The rest of the cows go into the rotary milking machine, which is called the rotolactor.

The rotolactor is a large rotating "merry-go-round" style platform for holding more than twenty cows. The machine brings the cows into position for milking. The rotating platform machine is sixty feet in diameter and makes one complete revolution about every twelve and a half minutes, which was the time required to prepare and milk each cow set up in the second barn.

"Alright, guys! Let's get back to work. Leviathan, let's go."

The men say bye to him as he follows me.

"Go wash your hands. Make sure you use plenty of soap," I tell him as I sit on a stool. He nods and walks to the sink.

I grab onto the cow's teat and express milk into a sterilized container. I don't care what anyone says. I find this relaxing. I usually have music playing, but I didn't want to be too relaxed now that we have a stranger in our midst.

Levi walks back to me and watches me for a while. He then examines all the cows. After a couple of minutes, I look over and don't see him anymore. No doubt he is probably sitting on a stool, watching his stupid cell phone.

I never saw the appeal of that damn contraption.

Ten more minutes pass, and I finish with the first cow. I call Hector over and tell him to take the container over to the milk tank. He takes it and leaves.

I stand and walk over to the next cow. Leviathan is leaning against it uninteresting. The container under the cow is full. He stands tall and smiles at me. "So, what's next?"

I look at Levi, baffled. What a stupid question! There are three other cows to be milked. I walk around to the next cow and see the container is full also.

Wow! How did he milk two cows that quickly? I am very impressed, but I mask it. I don't want him getting a big head about it.

I walk to the final two cows and see their milking has also been complete. I stand there with my mouth agape.

Levi stands next to me, texting away furiously. "You were right! Farm life is relaxing. What's next?"

Levi follows me, carrying a ten-foot ladder, and I hold a large weave basket. We are walking towards Apple Lane. We called it that because there are about thirty trees—two lanes on a grassy hill.

The sky was a mix of red, yellow, and orange. Dawn. My favorite time of day.

I stop walking once we get up the hill. I do love it here! So beautiful and peaceful. The grass is still wet, thanks to water sprinklers that shut off not that long ago.

I walk and stop in front of the first tree and throw the basket down. "Pick as many apples as you can. If you need breaks, take as many as you like. I suggest you wear sunscreen. The sun is coming up."

Levi turns toward the horizon and smiles. "That's fine." He turns back at me and grins. "I don't burn easily."

I cut my eyes at him and walk away. "Lunch is at eleven. At the house. Bye!" When I get halfway back to the barn, I turn to look at him. He is on his phone again.

I would've gotten mad, but he only proves my suspicions that he is an entitled brat who does absolutely nothing. I can't wait to throw it in his face.

Sitting at the table in the barn, I am getting the pickup forms in order. The sun is also at its highest. I can't wait for the workday to be over and take a shower. It is much needed.

Time has flown by, and it's almost eleven. The men will be heading towards the house soon for lunch. I stand and decide to go and check on them. I am about to step out of the barn when Mr. Kavanaugh comes running inside.

"Miss Emery, come and see this!" He says excitedly, out of breath.

I immediately get upset. What did Levi do now? I follow Mr. Kavanaugh up the hill and see the crew congregated near the trees. I walk up to them and immediately look for Levi.

"Where is he? Where's Levi?" I ask angrily.

"Uh, Emery. Do you mind looking towards Apple Lanes?" Nathan points towards the trees. I don't understand what I am looking at until I realize there are no apples on any trees?

There are no apples on the trees. The baskets in front of each tree are packed. Some are so full that they have toppled onto the grass.

"That's not all. Levi did orange lane as well. I didn't know we had a load of people helping today. I didn't even hear anyone. I only saw Mr. Castor today," Mr. Kavanaugh says, impressed.