waiting to happen. Absolutely. I have to run right now. Farm work never ends.
Lucy: I won’t have to like do farm work if I visit, will I?
I’m tempted to tell her I’m going to make her milk Sidney. Of course not.
Lucy: Are there any hot guys there?
A strange wave of jealousy and possessiveness curls through me. If you like the farmer type.
Lucy: Maybe I’ll come there and get…plowed. I mean, rumor has it, farmers come equipped.
Ugh. The last thing I need is for Lucy to be here hitting on all the farmers. She’s been known to get herself into trouble, and I can’t look after this farm and her, too. But I really don’t think she’ll fly here. Without dancing and shopping within a block, this is so not her scene. Haha. GTG.
Lucy: TTYL.
I shove my phone into the front pocket of my baggy sweatpants as I dart into the market, a young couple strolling in behind me. Another car pulls into the driveway as I serve the first customers of the day. A middle-aged woman who gives off a warm, motherly vibe strolls in and gives me a finger wave like she knows me as I finish up with the young family. Once they’re off, I turn my attention to her.
“So, you’re Alyson,” she says. “I’m Cindy.”
Ah, the soup lady and extra pair of hands around here. I exhale in relief. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I say and step around the counter to shake her hand.
“Sorry about your uncle. He was a kind man and will be missed by many.”
“Thank you,” I say, my heart warming to know he had such great people in his life.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” she asks as she looks me over.
“My luggage went missing.” I tap the clothes in my hand. “But Jay was kind enough to pick these up for me.”
“Was he now?” she says, her lips pursing as her head bobs in a strange way.
“Friendly people around here,” I say.
“Cute, too.”
“What?”
She chuckles. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice how cute Jay was.”
“He’s okay, I guess.” I shrug, and she continues to smile at me. My God, am I that transparent? “Let me get changed.” I dart to the back room and change clothes, much more comfortable in the T-shirt and coveralls, although I’ve never worn coveralls in my entire life. My friends would have the fashion police after me.
“I thought we’d get started with the pies and muffins.” Cindy says when I meet her in the kitchen. She tugs two aprons from the drawer and hands one to me.
“I’m not very good at any of this.”
“No worries. You look like a fast learner.”
I beam from the compliment and tie the apron around my lap. “Let’s do this.”
Before I know it, we’re cooking up a storm. Of course, when I say we, I mean Cindy. I’m just doing what I’m told and trying to learn. By lunchtime, the market is crowded, and Cindy and I are run off our feet, feeding hungry customers and ringing in orders. I’m sweaty and completely covered in flour by the time the last customer for the day leaves. I stifle a yawn and remove my apron.
“What a day,” I say.
“Just wait until it gets busy.”
My jaw drops. “Ah, are you saying today wasn’t busy?”
She laughs. “Far from it.”
“I’m dead on my feet as it is.”
“I heard talk that you’d be selling. Bryce—”
“I know,” I say, holding my hand up to stop her. “A few people told me about him wanting to buy.”
“He’d take the place as is, and you wouldn’t even have to paint or spruce it up or bother putting it on the market. He’s been after the property for quite some time. He nearly lost his mind when he found out it was going to a relative.” She clicks her tongue as we step outside. “He was spitting mad, actually.” I follow her gaze to the old farmhouse, which is truly in need of a fresh coat of yellow paint on those cedar slats and a good scrubbing. The windows are mud-splattered and hard to see out of.
“Why does he want it so badly?” I ask.
She cocks her head, like that idea had never crossed her mind. “Actually, I don’t know. He doesn’t really seem like the farming type. But he’s a developer, so maybe it’s an investment for him. Does it really matter to you, though?”
Oddly enough, it does matter. Jack left it to a family member, which tells me he wanted