It seemed to be Ashton and Rachel.
Rachel spoke in a delicate voice. “Mr. Fuller, you didn’t have to come with me. This orchard is not that far away, so I’m fine being alone. It’s better if you stay with Mr. Oberick and keep him company.”
Ashton replied softly, “It’s fine. The paths are slippery so it’s not that safe for you to come alone.”
Rachel then broke out into a light smile as her eyes shone brightly, probably because Ashton’s words had been very warming to hear.
Feeling as though I was a third wheel, I prepared to leave.
However, Ashton suddenly called on me. “Ms. Stovall, have you finished picking the fruits?”
Stunned, I looked into my empty plastic bag and laughed. “Not yet. Aren’t you picking some with Ms. Zimmer? I don’t think Mr. Oberick needs that many, so I’ll just leave first!”
“Since you’re already here and the weather is so hot, why don’t you pick a few more back and share them with the rest?” said Rachel, as she deliberately moved closer to Ashton, as if she were afraid that I would not be able to see how close they were.
I nodded and replied indifferently, “Sure, I’ll pick some then!”
As I walked around the orchard, I managed to find a pear tree that looked rather healthy and was at the right height for me to reach.
Rachel had been following me around as if she were a ghost haunting me. When I plucked a pear and placed it in my bag, she picked one too. She then wiped it clean for a long time before taking a bite. She scrunched up her face as she said, “It’s really sour. Who’s going to eat them if you bring it back? What a waste of these fruits!”
I just stood there as I was lost for words. Then, I looked at her and said, “Someone else will eat them. If it’s too sour for you, go pick your own!”
Ignoring her, I then found another tree. However, Rachel continued to shout, “These fruits seem good, Ms. Stovall. Why don’t you climb up to pick them!”
I looked to where she pointed and pressed my lips together, speechless. The tree was a few meters tall, so naturally, it got a lot of sunlight. However, it was not that simple to pluck fruits from a tree that tall.
“I can’t climb trees!” I replied, not planning to carry on the conversation any further.
“Seriously?” She looked at me with a shocked expression and continued, “Mr. Fuller told me that you grew up in the countryside. Don’t tell me you can’t even climb such a small tree?”
However, the man in question was nowhere in sight. Frowning, I looked at her and said, “Did Ashton tell you that?”
Rachel nodded as if it was something to be expected. “Yeah, he told me so much about his past!”
I then gave her a nod and hummed in reply before ignoring her.
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