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“Hello there, my good sir, I wasn’t aware I had ordered anything to be delivered,” Annie smiled.
“Good morning, Annie,” Chris beamed. “I came to see if you wanted to walk to the town brunch together. I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye last night and wanted to apologize. I had to cut down over twenty trees and deliver them. It’s such a blessing for my family. It may save the business, if you can believe it.”
“Congratulations,” Annie smiled, still beyond confused about how their entire business model operated. “Thanks for taking the time to pick me up, I’m ready when you are,” Annie said, boldly linking her arm through Chris’s until they had reached the gazebo. She hoped that Chris showing up for her this morning was enough to get more momentum between them. If she was going to almost kiss him, she needed to push things in the right direction once and for all.
Annie’s eyes were immediately lasered in on Grant, and she let out a small gasp, trying to take in him and his ensemble. He looked like Santa and a cowboy stripper had come together to make a masterpiece and plaster it over his body, wearing a red bedazzled cowboy hat and boots over form-fitting black leather pants. On top was a red and white jacket with black buttons covered in sparkly embellishments, and cutting the look in half was a black leather belt with a gemstone-shaped outline of the state of Connecticut. Only a few feet away, Annie could see Perry gazing toward Grant with genuine affection.
“Howdy, y’all!” Grant said, his face lit up into a full smile that seemed to extend past the tall hat. “Welcome to the annual A Very Merry Munch and Mingle Till You Jingle Basket Brunch Auction Social!” Grant gushed, his cheeks turning rosier with each word. “Fellas, if you want to place your baskets on our table, you can do so now. I promise I won’t tell if you want to slip your lady a sneak peek so she can plan her bid accordingly,” Grant winked.
Annie saw Nick and Bailey walk by together, and she gave them a small wave. Nick was holding a small basket. After Nick had dropped his own basket with Grant, he made his way closer to Annie, as Bailey said hello to Chris.
“This is like that scene in Oklahoma!, right? But with switched gender expectations?” Annie asked him.
“I think so,” Nick nodded.
“So feminist,” Annie sighed, grabbing a complimentary candy cane and ripping it open with her teeth before loudly chomping off the hook.
“Take it easy there, Ado Annie,” Nick advised. Noelle caught sight of Annie and gave her two enthusiastic thumbs-up, and Annie returned them.
“Why, I’m only getting prepared, I’m jist a girl who ‘cain’t say no’ after all,” Annie said with a western twang. “In case I end up under some mistletoe with my basket boy.”
“Basket boy?” Nick asked, the corners of his mouth perking into a smile, and Annie shrugged.
“Yeah, it sounds pretty gross out loud, never mind. So you put together a basket this morning?” Annie asked.
“Well, I tried. There were things around the kitchen I assumed were meant to go in there,” Nick explained.
“Here are your Simsbury Bucks!” Grant sang out, handing Annie her bunch. In the middle of each bill was Felix’s friendly face. “Blessed by Mayor Felix,” Grant explained.
“Obviously,” Annie said. There was no end to what Felix could do, and why shouldn’t the man have his own currency? “What can I get with these?” Annie asked Grant.
“Oh, Annie,” Grant laughed. “She’s hilarious!” Grant said to Nick, shaking his head.
“I don’t get it. Why don’t they raise money for the businesses that are all clamoring for the play’s proceeds instead of spending it on printing currency? All it gets me is Chris’s basket of nonsense,” Annie complained.
“You’re not planning to bid on my basket?” Nick asked her.
“Um, no, I assumed Bailey had it in the bag. Or in the basket, I guess,” Annie answered. When Nick didn’t say anything, she asked, “Wait. Do you want me to bid on your basket?” But why wouldn’t he want Bailey to get it?
Before she could ask him to clarify, Grant’s voice sang out again. “Please follow me to the gazebo, the festivities are about to begin!” he exclaimed, shimmying his shoulders in excitement.
It all started easy enough, without a lot of fanfare. The first few baskets were auctioned off to rosy-cheeked women, happy to support their classically burly man’s creation. Perry seemed to serve as Grant’s personal hype man, and Grant’s shimmy somehow grew as the auction unfolded.
“Hopefully, you gals still have some appetite left! Next up, we have this beauty! Though she be but little, she is fierce,” Grant’s voice sang out, waving around a modest basket with a simple red bow on its handle. Annie saw Nick scratch the back of his neck and run a hand through his hair. It looked voluminous in the morning light of the gazebo. Annie tugged on his jacket and gave him an inquiring look with her eyebrows. Nick gave the slightest nod, and Annie made a production of counting her Simsbury Bucks. Maybe Nick was worried Bailey wouldn’t know to bid or that he’d get a low bid, and perhaps he simply needed Annie to help; she could do that, right? She was happy to stir up a little more competition and low-stakes drama. “Now I don’t want to give too much away,” Grant teased the audience, taking a look inside, “but this little basket sure packs a punch that ‘walnut’ disappoint!”
“The puns are punning!” Annie cheered, attracting the scrutinizing gaze of a few nearby neighbors who were taking this event quite seriously.
“Can we start the bidding at twenty Simsbury Bucks?” Grant asked. “Remember, y’all, it goes to a great cause!”
“How?” Annie asked Nick. “Is Felix the great cause? Is there some kind of exchange rate for these?”
“I’ll bid twenty!” Bailey’s voice called out. There was a small round of polite applause, which she graciously accepted and beamed out.
“I think we can do better than that, folks, can’t we?” Grant asked.
“I’ll bid twenty-two!” Annie yelled proudly.
“Um, sure, okay, I don’t think our bills come in anything less than twenty-dollar notes, but you know what, we’ll figure something out!” Grant said. Nick gave Annie an exasperated eye roll.
