“Be right back!” Piper sped off in the direction of the shop.
“She isn’t getting me coffee, is she?” Freya asked.
“She is.”
“Huh. What a sweet girl. You two match.”
I crossed my arms. “You’re as bad as my barista.”
“We both just have eyes, I guess.”
I was glad Freya wasn’t acting jealous like she could be. I didn’t come here with the intention of showing off anything with Piper, and Freya was taking it well.
Piper returned moments later, a drink in her hand.
“Here you go. Coffee to try.”
“You totally didn’t have to do that, but thank you. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Theo bought a cinnamon roll for me, and I’m paying that forward.”
“That logic is shaky at best.”
“Whatever.” Piper rolled her eyes and set down the cup. I watched as Freya tried it, just like I always did.
I put so much work into carefully making every single thing on the menu. I was still waiting for the one person who would hate it.
“Oh my God, this is great!” Freya said a moment later. “I see why you’re so busy now.”
“Right?” Piper replied with a grin. “It’s so good.”
“Amazing. I’ll be in soon. Now get through the rest of the market before people pack up. You don’t wanna miss anything.”
That was enough for Piper to remember where she was, and she told Freya she’d talk to her again before setting her sights on the next place she wanted to go.
Coincidentally, it was another one of my favorites—a homemade pasta booth. Once Piper got her feet wet with socializing, she dove in fully. She wanted to go to most of the booths.
But even though she appeared to be having a great time, I knew her fears weren’t erased. When we had to go around a group of people, she stuck closer to me, just like she always kept me in her sights. It was progress, but she still chose me to risk an accidental brush with, and no one else.
We ran into a few people from the town, and Piper was able to put some faces to names from the Facebook group. Word must have traveled about her aversion to touch, because everyone offered her a wave, not a handshake.
She needed that.
Finally, we ended up at the busiest booth in town—Mollie and Cain’s.
Ever since Mollie rejuvenated Bennie Grove Farm and brought the strawberry fields back, she’d been a staple of the farmers market. In true Mollie fashion, she’d not stopped at just strawberries, expanding to anything that she was interested in.
Strawberry season was dwindling, but she had loads of jams and frozen fruit from the year prior, plus the eggs Cain mainly worked on.
“How are you doing? I know you previously met Mollie in less-than-ideal circumstances.”
“That was her daughter, who’s just a kid.” Piper shook her head. “I want jam and to meet her in person. Then I’m done for the day.”
“She felt bad for the whole thing,” I said. “I have a feeling you’ll like her.”
“Me too,” Piper said. “So, let’s do it.”
I nodded and went first. Mollie waved while Cain was working on putting some of the goods into the truck. It was right at closing time, but Mollie would go forever if Cain allowed her.
