Bette took a deep breath and tried to nerve herself up. She looked at the tractor and the huge sign in its attached trailer and giggled spontaneously. Was she really going to do this?

She shook her arms slightly, as if to free them from nerves, and the tractor’s keys jangled in her hand like an alarm.

She climbed onto the seat behind the wheel and put the key into the ignition. Well, this was the huge romantic gesture that was supposedly necessary to get Jodi to give her another chance. And that was what Bette wanted – another try at a relationship. So why did she feel like she was about to make a huge mistake?

Bette took another deep breath – I’m just nervous, she thought – and turned the ignition. The tractor roared to life and Bette winced and yelped at the sudden noise, cutting the ignition back off.

“Okay,” she muttered to herself. “I can do this. Jodi will love it. At least, I think she will. And then we’ll be together. And I will be happy. Feeling a little ridiculous bit is worth it. Here we go.” Bette’s hand reached for the keys again but her hand stopped in mid-air, and she dropped it with an annoyed sigh.

This isn’t me. This was all Tina’s idea. She’s the one who– Bette stilled her mind, exhaled slowly and covered her eyes with the heels of her hands.  It wouldn’t do to start thinking of Tina again. Tina was going to be with Kate. And I’m going to be with Jodi. That’s the end of it.

But was it? Bette had been thinking of Tina the whole way up here. She had been thinking of the time they’d spent together, the awkwardness at first dissolving into the old warmth and comfort. She had missed the old closeness with Tina and it was nice to have it back. But that didn’t mean that her feelings were still there, did it?

Of course not. She was here for Jodi. Now was not the time to be wrestling with these questions or second-guessing herself.

Bette took another breath and turned on the tractor, gritting her teeth as the vibrations seemed to rattle her bones. She put it in gear and eased it forward, trying out the vehicle. She hadn’t gone more than twenty feet when she shut off the ignition again. She couldn’t bear it. How did farmers stand these things? She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. She felt eyes on her and turned to see that the farmer and his son who had helped her get the sign on the tractor were watching her from a distance with bemused expressions.