“Did you have to say the S word?” I teased. “I was hoping to get through next Friday before it hits.”
Ivy slid a caramel roll and a cup of coffee onto the booth before she scootched me closer to Mel and sat next to me. “I literally just heard a rumor from Becca.”
Of course, she had. The question was, which rumor?
“You’re the tree lighter this year!” she exclaimed, clapping giddily.
Oh, thank God. I plastered a happy smile on my face as the rest of the table started talking at once. After motioning with my hands for them to chill, I spoke. “The rumor is true. Mayor Tottle asked me this morning, and while I still think it’s silly to ask me, considering what my business is, I did agree to do it.”
“Your business isn’t silly!” Addie said, pounding her fist on the table and making everyone’s coffee slosh precariously. “Your order total should also tell you that.”
“She’s right,” Heather said. “Though, if it makes you feel any better, all of us around this table have lit the tree, and I think we all felt that way to a degree.”
Ivy pointed at her as I cut into the roll and took a bite. It smelled so good, and all that fresh farm air made me hungry. The farm. The kiss. I grimaced while chewing, washing it down with a sip of coffee. Why did I let him kiss me like that? Better question, why did I kiss him back?
“It’s a ton of fun and with all the parents in attendance, the free advertising you’ll get will be exceptional,” Ivy said. “All you have to do is give a short little speech and flip the switch.”
“A speech?” I asked as my fork clattered onto the table. “I totally forgot about the speech. I was distracted this morning, and it didn’t cross my mind until just now,” I admitted, jamming more caramel roll in my mouth to avoid explaining that statement.
“Because you were with Major?” Ivy asked, and I almost choked.
Coughing, Ivy banged on my back a couple of times until I could speak. The other girls had smirks on their faces, darting their eyes between each other as though they were being stealthy when they were anything but. “No, because I was thinking about getting to the farm for my meeting.”
Ivy’s snort was comical, and if it hadn’t been aimed at me, I would have laughed.
“Just take Major up on stage with you,” Heather suggested slyly. Well, she thought she was being sly, but honestly, could they be more transparent?
“Whatever for?” I asked, feigning innocence. “It’s bad enough that now I have to give a speech. What is this speech supposed to be about?” I asked, hoping to distract them into answering the second question instead of the first. Besides, I did need to know what the speech was supposed to be about.
“Usually, the speech is about your business and how it applies to the people of Bells Pass.”
“Great,” I said, my eyes rolling around in my head. “That’s not going to be hard or anything.”
It’s really not,” Mel said with a shrug. "Open with how important it is to teach kids about different customs and traditions around the world, and by making them the main character in the book, they become invested in the story. Not only does it teach kids to read, but it also fosters a love of literature and helps them become lifelong readers.”
Holding up my finger, I grabbed my phone. “Could you repeat that?” I asked, holding it out to her as if it were a microphone. They all laughed, but I took a moment to jot down the main idea on the phone before putting it away. “That was fabulous. I’ll credit you when I give the speech.” The promise was made with a shoulder bump that made everyone laugh again.
“How did your meeting go at the farm?” Ivy asked as I pushed the rest of the roll away from me to sip my coffee.
“Great. Stephan is on top of things and has ordered what we’ll need for the snack shack. I promised to swing by after our meeting to do more planning for the season.” Since I didn’t know how much everyone else knew about the changes ahead, I didn’t want to say too much.
“It’s a great idea,” Mel said, telling me they knew what I was talking about, so I heaved a sigh of relief. “Sure, the store is open when people are there to pick out trees, but it’s hard to take the kids inside and not have to buy them all the cute merchandise.” Heads nodded around the table as they alllaughed at a joke I couldn’t relate to, though it was easy to understand. The Evergreen Acres store was packed with a wide selection of cute toys, clothes, winter items, books, and food. “Having the shack outside will be welcomed when they are there to grab a tree and a treat and head out.”
“Hopefully,” I agreed. “If it doesn’t do well, then we aren’t out much. The shack can be repurposed for many things on the farm, so I think it’s worth experimenting.”
“Considering how you turned an old food truck into a raging success, I have no doubts,” Addie said.
“Maybe I spilled the beans about your new position. I hope that’s not presumptuous.” Ivy said.
“We’re so excited for you!” Mel squealed as Addie and Heather nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling. “I wasn’t expecting any of this, to be honest. It came as a total surprise, but I’m so grateful for the chance. I’ve loved working with the kids on the food truck this past year, so to get to do it full-time will be a joy.”
“You earned it,” Ivy said with conviction. “You’ve helped grow the business so much over the past few years by nurturing the waitstaff to communicate better with customers. Not to mention teaching the bakers new recipes that have become huge successes.”
“Yeah, look at the tortillas. Man, we can’t keep those on the shelves at the bakery,” Mel said, and I snapped my fingers.
“That’s why I came in. I was looking for a few tortillas. Are you sold out here, too?”
