The long drive through the late-summer countryside was just what Layla needed. By the time she was driving into Red View, a quaint and picturesque town, there was a smile on her face that she hadn't felt in months. Brick sidewalks were lined with rowhouses that had been converted into businesses, while large trees and lush flowerbeds brought the Virginia nature right into town. By the looks of it, staying there for the next two weeks would be even more of a vacation than she thought.

Funny to consider it a vacation, when she was on the most important job of her life. But being away from New York City, away from her parents and her fiancé, all while getting to do the one thing she really loved? Yeah, she had a feeling she wasn't going to be happy when all this was over.

Layla's phone rang just as she pulled up to a stop sign, while a young mother and her toddler crossed in the crosswalk in front of her car, both holding ice cream cones. She willed the call to be spam—no such luck. The word Mom stared her in the face until she answered it, pulling over to the curb.

"Mom, hi. I just pulled into Red View."

"Oh, good," her mother's voice came through the car speakers that had been playing music from her phone. "Your father got antsy when you hadn't called yet. Kept going on about how we should've insisted you fly there."

Her mother said it as if she hadn't been droning on for the past week about how ridiculous it was to drive to Virginia when she could fly first class.

You'd think I was attempting to drive across the Atlantic, Layla thought with a silent, humorless laugh.

"Yeah, well, I'm running a little late." She checked her smartwatch, frowning at the time. It was already five, and she was supposed to head out to have dinner with her clients and the family of the bride. At this rate, she'd have to head over there first and check into the hotel after. "Besides, I told you guys I wanted to go for a drive. I mean, don't you ever miss driving? God knows you don't get to do any in the city."

"God knows I don't want to. No, Layla, I'm normal. I do not miss driving. I happen to like that there's no traffic in the sky."

"There isn't much traffic outside of New York City, relatively speaking." Even as she shook her head, there was a half-smile on her face, equal parts amusement and annoyance. "You'd book a flight for something that was thirty minutes away if you could."

"I just don't get it is all, but I'm happy you're enjoying yourself. We'll be happy when you're back home though—you know, it's a shame you left today. Jake Roberts had his first session today to bulk up for that superhero movie."

Layla's body relaxed at the unexpected topic—she'd been braced for another lecture about the "irresponsible" and "pointless" business venture she was "wasting everyone's time with." She welcomed the celebrity talk with open arms, even if it wasn't her favorite topic of conversation.

The name Jake Roberts would surely have given a normal twenty-four year old woman some kind of an emotional response—or physical, at least—but growing up as the heir for Foster Fitness had soured her opinion for celebrities. Especially the dreamy-looking ones, whose interiors didn't match their exteriors nine times out of ten.

"How'd it go?" she feigned interest as her eyes wandered Red View. Thanks to the map she'd looked at online, she knew the hotel was further into town, right on the river that divided the more lively side of Red View from the suburbs scattered along the water. But the pictures she'd seen hadn't been able to really capture the town's charm. The August sun filtered down through the thick canopies of the trees she was parked under, and the spots of light danced as a breeze rolled through. It was refreshing—a big change from skyscrapers and busy-bodies on their way to their next meeting.

"You'll never believe this. He comes in, very sweet, professional—handsome, I'll tell you. He was flirting with Alyssa the whole time, and all I could think was how lucky the girl is. She was star-struck, too, which I haven't seen from her before."

Layla wasn't surprised by the last part. Famous people were in and out of their gym every day—it got old after awhile. Alyssa had been a trainer for the stars for years, and Layla had seen the magic wear off for her overtime. "So what's the issue?"

"The issue is that an hour and a half later, when he's leaving, he picks up a call from his girlfriend. His girlfriend! You know, you're lucky you found Colin, Layla, I keep telling you. Not all men are as decent as he is."

The ring on her finger seemed to mock her as it glinted in the sunlight.

Colin, the fiancé who could do no wrong, according to her parents. It would be useless to correct her mother and remind her that Dad had found Colin and set them up. Layla didn't find anyone, and she hadn't tried to in a long, long time.

Speaking of useless, bringing up the fact that Colin wasn't exactly the poster-boy for loyalty wouldn't do anything but cause a lot of problems for a lot of people.

"Right," she said instead, running a hand through her red curls. "You know, I've got a dinner I'm supposed to be at soon, so I should probably go."

The sigh that came through the speakers of her car was grating enough to have her eyes rolling. "I still wish you hadn't signed up to waste your time like this, Layla."

She forced herself to take a breath, reminding herself that it would have been a miracle if the conversation had been able to end without a rehashing of that sentiment.

Foster Fitness Bride and Groom Bootcamp was Layla's big idea. She'd been sitting on it for years, working over the logistics in her head, and she knew it could be a hit. Her parents, however, as well as her fiancé and his parents—Foster Fitness' future business partners—did not share that feeling.

But she'd persevered, managed to convince everyone to give her a chance, and now she was on her way to prove herself. The bride and groom she'd be training for the next two weeks had been following a personalized Foster Fitness diet plan for the past two, and were already seeing success. As far as customers went, Layla felt lucky that Kenzie McAden and Marshall Clark were her first. From the few video calls they'd had she could tell they were bubbly, easygoing, and most importantly, responsible. They were taking this just as seriously as Layla, and that was all she could ask.

"Honey, all we're trying to say is that the money is here in New York. Or hell, there's money in LA if you want to go manage the West Coast branch for a change of pace. But wasting four weeks on country-bumpkin brides and grooms is just that—it's a waste of four weeks. The money isn't worth the manpower."

"Not at first, maybe, but—" She cut herself off, shaking her head. They'd already had this conversation a dozen times, and it never got them anywhere. The only way anyone would believe her was if she showed them the potential for growth, if she proved she was catering to an untapped market. Her parents were driven by numbers, and that's what she was going to give them.

"Look, I really have to go if I don't want to be late. Tell Dad I said hi and that I got here in one piece, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, Layla."

"Love you too."

The music she'd been playing before the call resumed, evaporating some of the tension from the car. Still, anger lingered—as if that was what she needed, the exact opposite of a pep-talk right before meeting Kenzie and Marshall in person for the first time.

It only got the doubts circling around her mind again. What if the whole thing really was a bad idea? What if she hadn't thought it through enough? What if everything was so poorly planned that her clients couldn't even take her seriously?

"Shut up, Layla," she mumbled to herself as she re-routed her GPS for McAden Orchard. "Just shut up."

She cranked her music and forced her mind to wander away from the doubts as she drove through Red View, continuing on the road that ran all the way to the orchard. Soon, the sight in front of her was so serene that Layla's thoughts tapered off into nothing but admiration for the scenery. Rolling hills of green grass went on as far as she could see, and continued on and on for the entire drive. She passed the odd house every now and then, as well as a winery and a cherry orchard before she spotted a large wooden sign in the ground with McAden Orchard written in gold, cursive letters.

She turned onto the sideroad, appreciating the buildings scattered among the hills and the endless rows of trees. The sky was so wide open, so big and blue that it didn't seem possible it was the same sky that hung over New York City. A few fluffy, pale white clouds traveled lazily above the pastures, completing the picture. She could get used to this for two weeks, that was for sure. She'd have to be careful not to get too used to it.

The road led right up to what she assumed was the main building: a bright red, classic-looking barn with wide-open doors. Gravel crunched underneath the tires of her car as pavement turned into pebbles. Wicker baskets piled high with apples hung along the siding of the barn, each with its own chalkboard sign boasting the strain and price. A place that was so gorgeous and so cute should not have been so intimidating, yet her pulse was twenty beats higher than normal.

Now or never, she reminded herself, taking another deep breath. Prove them wrong.

eeee here we go!!! I'M SO EXCITED 🤪Full steam ahead on my first ever romance book :'D

what are your guys' favorite romance tropes? 📖💞
personally I'm partial to mutual pining (especially when both people think it's unrequited😍😍😍😍)

do you prefer the city or the countryside? 🌆🏞
I grew up in the suburbs and haven't seen enough of either to really have an opinion LOL