Seasons of Davenport Ridge: S1E3 – “I just wanted to see…
CORI
“Oh,” I said behind Noelle as I dragged the plastic tip of a bottle of Crown & Coil’s Root Revival Scalp Oil between two of her large cornrows. “You removed your wedding rings.”
She paused, stroking her nail with the gel nail polish brush, before she shrugged and resumed her actions. “I did.”
I moved my eyes to Camille, whose eyes met mine. She sat on the lounger, deep conditioning with a plastic cap over her curls.
“Don’t be weird about it,” Noelle said, her attention down on the nail she was polishing. “I took them off because I didn’t want to wear them. The end. A short story.”
But why?
Camille’s phone rang on cue, giving her a reason to gracefully excuse herself from the conversation.
Noelle had been quiet about what was happening in Chicago. When we’d gotten the call from our grandmother about moving onto the estate, and our grandmother assured Noelle her husband was more than welcome to stay at the estate too, Noelle simply said we didn’t have to consider him because he wasn’t coming. No explanation as to why. Just that he wasn’t coming.
It was weird then, and with her removing her rings, despite her not wanting us to ask why, was weird too.
Something was up, and she wasn’t talking, and it was never like me and Camille to push for information. Not that we ever could. Noelle had that big sister vibe with boundaries as thick as the two braids in her hair. So even if we did push, we wouldn’t get anywhere with it.
“All done,” I said to her as I turned to face the booth of products.
She spun around in the salon chair to catch a glimpse of herself in the large mirror behind me. “Gorgeous as always. Thank you.”
“Of course,” I replied with a smile.
We were in the Ridge Salon inside the Davenport Main House. On a Sunday morning, I talked my sisters into coming into the salon so I could refresh Noelle’s braids and handle Camille’s wash day.
Practically had to beg them to. The upcoming week would make it two weeks since we’d been here, and I was starting to get a little stir-crazy.
I’d taken a couple of trips to the town’s Main Street, and while it had more people there walking the extremely clean sidewalks, it wasn’t Manhattan. It was just as quiet on Main Street as it was here on the estate. And everyone greeted you over there, making it impossible to get lost in a crowd.
So I begged my sisters to meet me in the salon so we could make Sunday morning a time set aside for self-care and talking, because I needed something to do with my hands.
Speaking of hands…
The farm had continued to draw me to it every day. I’d started to remember the names of some of the farmhands with the help of the farm manager, Rufus. Rufus was a 70-year-old farming aficionado who did everything by hand. Inventory, bookkeeping, you name it, it was written by his hands in notebooks. I nearly gasped at how Stone Age he kept things. Nothing like the farm I happened upon a few days ago.
And just like that farm with the giant iron gate with Rhodes on the plaque had been on my mind…
So had been the man… whose name was still a mystery to me.
“So, I visited a farm the other day,” I said, returning the bottles of Crown & Coil products to the shelves.
The Ridge Salon looked like any high-end salon you’d see in the city. Floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the farm. Fully equipped and dipped in a pink-toned luxury design.
“Oh?” Noelle commented, sliding her hand into a UV lamp to cure her nails.
“Yeah.” I pressed my back to the counter behind me. “It was nothing like ours. Everything was high-end and modern. Looked chic and functional, if that makes sense.”
Noelle peeked behind herself at me. “They let you just walk on their farm like that?”
“Well… no.”
She arched a brow.
Camille’s laugh traveled around us as she got lost in her phone conversation.
“I… may have… trespassed…” I held my hand up and held my index finger and thumb within inches of each other. “A little.”
“Trespassed?” Both of Noelle’s brows arched now. “Excuse me?”
“I was curious.”
“Hmph.” She shook her head and removed her hand from the UV unit when it sounded, indicating the cure time had been reached. “Cori, you better be careful with that curiosity of yours. You can’t just be walking on people’s properties like that. Morgansville is not your personal museum or boutique. You can’t just randomly help yourself to tours, babe.”
I rolled my eyes.
“This isn’t Manhattan—”
“Anyway,” I said over her. “Like I said, the farm looked fantastic, and the way the owner has things set up over there has me wanting to do something with the farm we have here.”
“You met with the owner?” she asked this time, her eyes averted as she focused on her nails.
“No, I met with one of their farmers.”
And what a farmer he was. That man was all kinds of fine. I’d seen him again days ago when I was on Main Street, looking to get acclimated to this new place.
He was the cleanest yet rugged farmer I’d seen, and I’d seen a few thus far.
They, in fact, were not as fine as him.
But it wasn’t just his looks. There was something else about him.
When I’d seen him, I’d, for a brief moment, contemplated stopping to speak with him. But I didn’t want to give the wrong impression. He was fine, that was a given, but we were from two different worlds. And I wasn’t trying to flirt with the possibility of getting to know that man… whatever his name is.
“Just based on how that farm is set up and stuff,” I continued, talking to the back of Noelle’s head. “I feel we could do something here—”
“God! I don’t understand your fascination with this damn farm,” Noelle mumbled, spinning in her chair to face me. My big sister didn’t look a day over 30. She glowed, even when toeing the line of coming off as a mean girl right now.
“Elle, I just feel—”
“Here we go,” she said, dropping her head back between her shoulders.
“We could improve things, is all I’m saying,” I finished.
My eyes ventured past her and to the floor-to-ceiling window that offered a stunning view of the farm and our farmhands at work on it.
Autumn would officially start in a few weeks, and I was too geeked to see how the miles and miles of trees would transform. I’d never visited the estate during autumn, always summer, so I had no idea what it would look like.
I was lowkey excited.
Noelle shook her head, lowering her eyes to the nails she’d just painted.
“You’re like the bookkeeping whisperer, and I just know your knack for creating robust systems—”
“Nope.” She shook her head for emphasis. “I am not interested… at all.”
I sighed. “Noelle.”
“Besides the fact that we all agreed to not get involved on the farm when Grandma gave us the option of running it or leaving it to the farm manager, which, correct me if I’m wrong, we chose the latter…” Noelle started, standing up from her seat to approach the mirror. “I’m still working remotely for Crown & Coil.”
I rolled my eyes. “Crown & Coil doesn’t need you, though. Everything is running smoothly over there. Daddy told us as much—”
“Cori.” She shot me a look. “I am not interested. And now, I’m done discussing it.”
“Cal says hi,” Camille shouted from the other end of the salon.
Noelle and I turned that way to glance at her.
Camille added, “He said he’s looking forward to seeing y’all when he comes out here to visit soon.”
I smiled. “Hey, Cal. We can’t wait!”
Calloway Sterling, who we all called Cal, was like a baby brother to us. He and Camille had been best friends since they were 12 years old, playing co-op soccer at Chelsea Piers. He and Camille moved out to L.A. for creative reasons, her to grow her social media channels and him to establish himself as a culinary chef, so I hadn’t seen him in a while and genuinely couldn’t wait to pinch his baby-faced cheeks.
My sisters and I spent another hour in the salon, talking about any and everything other than the farm, ordered by Noelle.
“We should make this a recurring thing,” I said, shutting off the blow dryer. I’d just finished diffusing Camille’s beautiful curls. “Every Sunday we come in here, update each other on how we’re feeling about our decision.”
Camille giggled. “I’m down.” She was up on her feet, fluffing her curls with her fingertips. “Especially if that means my big sister doing my hair and taking wash day off my hands.”
“Same,” Noelle said next, smiling. “I’m definitely down for me getting my braids refreshed by one of the best hands in the business.”
I blushed. “Y’all know I’d be delighted to handle y’all heads. Just like when we were kids.”
Noelle and Camille both laughed.
“So that settles it,” I said. “Every Sunday. It’s a date!”
***
It was later afternoon when I finally made my way out of the main house. I’d spent all morning there, first eating brunch in the main kitchen, then hanging with my sisters in The Ridge Salon.
I genuinely couldn’t wait to return there next Sunday. Styling their hair really offered me the nervous system reset I needed.
But now, I had nothing else to do and was bored.
My attention drifted to the farm again. Bodies moved in and out of it, animals grazing at the perimeter, chickens free-ranging.
I twisted my lips to one side as I watched.
Everything, like I said, appeared functional, and had I not been aware of another way of doing things, I would think this was all good.
And it was… but it was nothing like that farm several miles up the road.
The one with that fine-ass farmer.
I took another look at the farm again, with its old-school equipment and vehicles, and sighed.
“What is it about that damn farm and me?!” I asked, a little frustrated with myself.
Because why couldn’t I just be like Noelle, who didn’t give this spot of the estate a second look? Or Camille, who keeps herself so busy during the day, she swears there isn’t enough time for her to film her videos, create content, brainstorm, and rest in between?
It’s just that if I don’t understand something, I can’t rest until I do.
Plus, it was going on two weeks, and boredom kept creeping up on me.
I needed to do something.
“I mean…” I said to myself. “If I’m going to be here… I need to understand this place. I need something to do, for real.”
At least that was the logic that had me walking away from the farm and stopping at the farm office.
“Random question, but do you guys have binoculars?”
Our receptionist, who I learned was named Paula, confirmed we did, handing them off to me and giving me a reason to follow my idea to get into my car to drive off in the direction of the farm I trespassed on days ago.
When I arrived in front of the property, the gate was closed this time, the shiny Rhodes plaque shining under the high sun.
My phone ringing on the passenger seat had me dipping my hand into my jeans’ pocket to pull out my AirPods to plug my ears and answer the call.
“Hey girl, hey!” I answered, grabbing the binoculars and stepping out of the car. “What’s up?”
“You even sound different now,” my best friend, Presley, whined on the other end of my phone.
I giggled, walking up the road a little to see past the gate. “What are you talking about?”
“You sound a little… rural.”
That made me holler a laugh.
“Girl, how the hell do I sound like that?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s all in my head. Maybe I’m missing my best friend who, if she was here, would be going out to do something in the city with me. I don’t know.”
“Awww,” I teased. “You big baby. I’m sure Malik will keep you busy today.”
She snickered in my ears. “Mmm… I’m a little sore from how busy he’s been keeping me—”
“Aht,” I said, lifting the binoculars up to my eyes to see ahead of me. “Spare me.”
She laughed. “What are you doing anyway?”
“Oh, you know…” I viewed the land up ahead. Unlike on our farm, there were no farmhands visible from where I could see. “Getting some intel.”
“Intel?”
I shifted a little to get more of a view beyond the trees shrouding my sight.
“The other day, I drove onto a property with a farm that was so immaculate.”
“Drove onto?”
“Yeah, I trespassed a little, but anyway…” I adjusted the lens on the binoculars. “What I saw there was so damn dope. I feel like we could do the same with our farm, but I just need to get a little more insight so I know where to start. The gate is closed, but I didn’t intend on driving back in there. So I brought binoculars to take a look.”
“Cori, are you trying to get yourself shot?!”
I snorted. “You sound like Noelle.”
“People out in the middle of nowhere be having guns on them for trespassing ass city girls like you.”
I laughed this time, shifting again to get a better view ahead of me. “Dramatic ass.”
“You better get your butt back in your car and go home,” Presley added. “Acting like you weren’t born and raised in New York City. Are you crazy?!”
“Shit, I must be doing something very dangerous, because if you’re asking me if I’m crazy…”
“Ha, ha,” she mocked.
“At ease.” I shook my head, adjusting the lens again. “I highly doubt…”
Something told me to check to my left. A feeling, almost like a random breeze I hadn’t felt since arriving outside of the gate.
And when I did, I saw the farmer I’d met on the farm stepping out of a box truck and making his way over to me.
“Shit,” I whispered.
“What?!” Presley asked.
“I’ve just been caught.”
“Hi, there,” the farmer said, walking his way to me.
“Girl!” Presley shouted.
“I’ll call you back—”
“You better call me right back because if I don’t hear from you in five minutes, I’m calling the cops.”
I huffed a laugh. “Bye, Presley.”
I was pulling my AirPods from my ear and returning them to the case when the farmer drew closer.
He asked, “What are you doing?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Right to the point. Okay…”
His eyes. They were beautiful. Dark brown that looked like golden disks under the afternoon sun. Especially when he smiled and they slanted.
“So, this looks some kind of way,” I started. “I get that. But there’s a good reason I’m here.”
He folded his arms over his chest, muscles shifting beneath his shirt like rolling hills. “Mmm-hmm…?”
I pointed at the gate. “This farm is nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before, and while I haven’t been on many farms, I am sure this farm stands above the rest.”
“Flattery,” he said easily. “I’m intrigued. Go on.”
I scoffed a laugh.
He folded his bottom lip into his mouth when I kept the smile on my face.
And lawd, did a surge of energy flood me so fast.
“Uh…” I shook my head. “I just… I just wanted to see some things. Admire from a distance. Just a little.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He gestured with his chin at the binoculars in my hand. “Hence why you’re here with those this time?”
I giggled nervously, trying to hide the binoculars behind my back, which made him laugh.
“How about this?” His big hands were in his pockets now. “How about you come in with me and I give you a brief tour? That way you don’t have to trespass or spy.”
My jaw slacked only for a moment. “Oh, we don’t have to give what I was doing a name, you know? That’s not necessary.”
That made him bark a laugh.
His smile was beautiful. Made him appear more handsome than just standing there doing nothing, which worked for him too.
Sheesh.
I bit at my bottom lip, mulling his invite in my mind. Just being in his presence was making my heart do some very unfamiliar things. But I did want to see that farm. A tour would help with that, no matter how brief it would be. It would be something.
“As for your invitation,” I continued, “I would really love that. Thank you.”
At his instruction, I got into my car and followed him through the gates as they opened, watching as the scene in front of me transformed the closer we got to the estate and farm.
Just as I saw from outside of the property, there were no farmhands in sight. Just land, lots of it, and the main house in the distance.
I parked my car and stepped out, meeting him a few feet up.
“So this is the time you guys wrap things up, huh?” I asked when I was close to him.
“Yeah,” he answered with a nod. “Sundays are quieter. Less people around.”
“Except for you, huh?”
He smiled. “I don’t think we’ve exchanged names yet. I’m Isaiah.”
“Corrine.” I extended a hand, which he accepted. “But you can call me Cori.”
“Cori,” he whispered as he shook my hand, letting it go gently. “All right. Follow me.”
We walked the land, some moments speaking, others in silence. When he did speak, it was to share what certain things were and why they were there.
“These are our fleet of trucks,” he said, gesturing at the more than twenty tractor trailers diagonally parked like dominoes. Though there were so many, they were neatly assembled like toy cars. “We use them to transport produce all over the city.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I think I saw you dropping some off at that market a few days ago?”
He nodded, only something I could see from behind him. Which, by the way, his back? Whew. What a wonderful sight it was to behold, trailing behind him in his tour.
“Yeah, I deliver produce to the main market every so often.”
“And other times you’re just here, doing…?”
He stopped to turn to face me, smiled, and said, “Farm things.”
I smiled back, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Farm things. Of course.”
In the tour, Isaiah showed me their crops, the barn that had a very modernized setup where feeders and water were dispersed by an automated system.
Everything was as organized as I expected it to be.
It even smelled better out here. Like fresh earth, clean hay, and crisp air, with slight traces of wood and smoke from a distance.
This place was really magical.
“And that’s it,” he said as our tour left us off near where I parked. Everything was laid out so smoothly that it didn’t feel like we’d been walking for so long, looking at everything.
It was amazing.
I was starting to feel a little… jealous.
“Wow,” I exhaled, my eyes moving around us again. “What your boss has done here… it has me feeling like a hater… just a little bit. I can’t even lie.”
He chuckled. “No need to. All of this was many years in the making. A lot of mistakes, risks that worked and didn’t work.”
“Hmph,” I huffed. “You know a lot about this stuff, huh?”
All he did was nod slowly.
Hmm… tight-lipped.
His boss likely had Isaiah sign an NDA to protect intellectual property. Smart. I’d do that if I had a well-oiled machine running like this farm.
“You’re not just here to look…” he asked, folding his arms again. “Are you?”
I parted my lips, then quickly closed my mouth, clearing my throat.
That made him chuckle softly.
“I’m…” I sighed. “I’m going to be very transparent with you, you stranger you.”
He laughed.
“Because you allowed me here and I understand doing so could get you in trouble,” I added. “If you worked for me, we’d be having a very long talk about your choices today.”
He licked his lips. “Okay…”
“I cannot shake wanting to learn this world,” I revealed. “Farming. I love days that never look the same. Routine that’s stable but subject to change for reason. Farming seems to be that. I was born and raised in Manhattan. I know nothingabout anything rural. But I’m going to be here for a year and I want to submerge myself in this experience to really see what it’s about. I know I sound crazy—”
“Not at all,” he interjected. “You want to see if this fits. I get it.”
“Yeah. Exactly.” I furrowed my brows.
How did he know that?
“How about I give you my phone number,” he said next.
And that sent my brows soaring over my eyes.
He snickered in reaction. “For you to call the next time you want to get some insight on the farm. That way you don’t have to show up here unannounced or gawk from outside of the gate?”
I inhaled a deep breath and released it through my nose.
That would make things easier, taking his number.
But then I’d have to call it. Maybe even get to know him. And to me that was dangerous territory because he was just a farmer, which there was nothing wrong with that. But I was attracted to him, couldn’t lie about that, and really did not need to get close to anyone right now… especially not a farmer.
But…
This was for the farm. He was offering me his phone number so I could stop by without needing to be a sneak.
If for nothing else, it would be to have something to do while out here and not feel like boredom would take me out.
“Okay, yeah,” I said, bobbing my head. “Sure. That’s a good idea. I’ll take it.”
After he entered his number into my phone, I was on my way, making my way to my car and peeking over my shoulder like Gloria in Waiting to Exhale to see him watching me walk away.
And dammit, did it not feel good to know I had his attention.
Stop it, Cori!
I waved one final time before climbing in behind the wheel in my car, starting it up, and backing away.
“You are only to use that number to get details about farming,” I said, trying to ignore the pooling of heat in my stomach at the thought of his eyes on me. “Nothing else.”
If only it was that easy.
