When they get to the front, Lyra squeezes Ava as I hear her say, “That’s fantastic, Schmoopy. You’ll be the star of the show.”
“Who’s going to be a star?” I say playfully once they reach me.
“Hi Uncle Gagey! I found out this morning that I’m going to be in Annie at school. I’m playing Molly, her best friend!”
“You’ll be amazing, kiddo, congrats!” I exclaim, leaning over the counter to give her a high five.
“I’m going to be in it too, Uncle Gage,” Braden says a little shyly. “I’ll be one of the kids in Hooverville and other things. It’s called the ensemble.”
“Buddy, I’m so proud. You’ll have a blast,” I say, giving him a high five, too.
“Dad, can we play over there?” Ava asks, her attention already diverted by the kids in the bouncy house at the end of the little corridor we’re on.
“Sure, baby. Braden, you coming?”
“Yeah!”
Wayne and the kids trot off, while Taran, Gina and Lyra grab a round of margaritas for themselves.
“So I’m not hallucinating, right? That was Derek looking miserable passing us on our way in?” I hear Lyra ask Gina. Gina cackles.
“It definitely was. Babes, this man righthere is the biggest upgrade of your life,” Gina says, patting Taran’s shoulder.
“Yes he is,” Lyra says, smiling up at her husband.
“Thanks, wife,” Taran mumbles sheepishly, but he’s grinning back down at her as he loops an arm around her waist.
“Wait, you said Derek? Who was with a woman and a screaming baby?” I ask.
“Yeah, the cheating bastard was so checked out that he didn’t even notice his ex wife. Why?” Gina asks.
“I saw him pass by, he seems like a total asshat. Lyra, you definitely dodged a bullet, babes,” I tell her with a wink.
She shakes her head but looks at me gratefully. It must still be unsettling to see her ex, even though she’s now happily married to Taran. Taran is clearly on the same wavelength since he sticks close to her, his arm never leaving her waist in reassurance. With a flurry of goodbyes and promises to have a blast at the party later, they leave to join Wayne and the kids so that the line can move along.
The line for our booth stays steady for hours, Iggy and I almost unable to fill those little pouches fast enough while Diana handles the register. Everyone seems to be enjoying the crisp, sunny day at the market and it’s wonderful to see. When I check in with Diana, she shows me that we’ve accumulated hundreds more signups for our email list, which is fantastic for customer outreach. We send out coupons, promotions, and exclusives to people on that list, and it seems to work well for generating more business.
We barely end up having enough left by the time the market winds down and we start packing up.
“This needs to become a yearly tradition,” Diana remarks. “We’ve sold more here today than we sometimes do at the bar on a Saturday night. Pop-ups are amazing.”
I nod, and throw my arm around her shoulders to give her a squeeze.
“I definitely want to look into doing more of these, it’s a fantastic way to reach more people, ” I agree.
“You’re going to be great at owning the place. You know that, right? Tio Julio is leaving it in good hands.”
My cousin is the sweetest.
“I hope so,” I whisper, almost to myself.
A flash of red hair draws my attention. Celeste saunters toward me in a soft looking purple sweater, dark wash jeans, and those white sneakers that are somehow sexier than any heels. She had a shift this morning, so she promised to come after to help me pack up and go to the party with me. Tania and Carlo are with her, they picked her up on the way here.
“Hey!” I call, waving like a besotted idiot.
The genuine smile at seeing me that spreads across her face steals my breath, and reminds me why I’m such a besotted idiot.
“Hey yourself! How’s it going here?” she asks.
