Page 29 of Small Town Boy

“Good morning! Looking for anything special?” the middle-aged man behind the table asks.

“No, just admiring these beauties.”

I lean in, pressing my nose to the big, full pink bloom, inhaling the scent. It’s mild and sweet, tickling my nostrils.

“It was a good year for dahlias. We had a colder winter and a wet spring, both things they thrive off of. Which should also make for an interesting camellia season this year.”

“Camellia?”

“Yup. That’s these.” He points to a bush to my left. Right now it just looks like your standard greenery, but my black thumb and I are not the ones to ask about anything plant related. “They’re a good evergreen shrub. They’ll bloom all winter, giving your garden a good pop of color while everything else is dormant.”

“I’ll file that away should I ever decide to take up gardening. Although, admittedly, I kill pretty much every plant I ever take on so…”

“Rookie errors, I’m sure. We’ll have to get you by the nursery sometime, We can walk you through pretty much anything you wish to take on. I’m Jack, by the way. Jack Keller.”

Keller. Nursery.

The puzzle pieces snap together. Keller Nursery, literally parents to Keller Landscaping. This is Noel and Nash’s father.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Bronwyn Ainsworth. I just moved to town⁠—”

“Right, the new Hayes exec!” He turns slightly and yells over his shoulder. “Lucy, this is Bronwyn, the new gal.”

How does he…oh, right. Small town. Everyone knows everything. Good to know they weren’t kidding about that.

“Hi!” A beautiful blonde woman greets me, a bright smile on her face. She looks as though she wants to hug me, the table in between us the only thing stopping her. Looking at both Mr. and Mrs. Keller, I can see where the twins got their looks. “It’s so nice to meet you! I was hoping we’d get a chance to pop by this week and welcome you to town, but it took on a life of its own and just didn’t happen.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It was a pretty wild week.”

“Well, with that old jalopy they gave you to drive, I’m a little surprised you didn’t have even more of an adventure than you did.”

Oh, for the love. They really do know everything. Then again, it was their son who came to my aid, so maybe my breakdown wasn’t fully public knowledge. Yeah, let’s go with that.

“Here,” Mr. Keller says, gathering a bouquet of dahlias. “Take these. As our way of saying welcome to Hickory Hills.”

“Oh, thank you. How much?”

I reach for my wallet, but Mrs. Keller’s arm shoots out, grabbing my hand. “No, no. It’s on the house.”

“I couldn’t⁠—”

“Your money’s no good here. And I meant what I said—you’re welcome at the nursery any time. We’ll turn that thumb green!”

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Keller. That’s so sweet!”

“Please, I’m Mama K, and he’s just Jack. That’s what the whole gang calls us.”

The whole gang. A knot forms in my stomach, unsure how to take this comment. Telling myself it’s a good sign that they are so welcoming and automatically assume I’m part of the “gang,” I nod. Because it is a good thing. I know it is. It’s also not something I’m used to. It’s been a long time since I had a set of parents in my life—mine or a friend’s—and being welcomed with open arms by a set is weird. Comforting, but weird.

I hold up the bouquet, starting my exit. “Thank you, Mama K and Jack. I appreciate it.”

“Call if you need anything!” she shouts after me, in true mom fashion.

It’s a simple statement, but one that makes my insides melt all the same. Emotion rises in me, and tears prick at the corner of my eyes. Part of me wants to turn around and rush back to give Mama K that hug she so clearly wanted. It sounds silly, I know. Still, the urge is there.

Maybe small-town life isn’t so bad.

I continue to walk up and down the aisles, taking it all in, one booth at a time. For such a small community, this market is big and has an amazing variety. You name it, it’s here. Produce, pre-made food, arts, crafts, gifts, everything. I’ve made what seems like a million mental notes about which booths to hit up again next week when I have my basket. Without a doubt, this is going to be my new Saturday morning ritual.