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“Answer’s no,” he said firmly. “We handle all of this. You’re the one helping us out, remember?”
Before I had a chance to retort, he put the hundred back in his wallet, taking out a pair of twenties instead.
“Alright, you two – you’re buying lunch. You think you both can handle that?”
“Of course!” Hattie said, taking the money.
“Be careful with that, money is big kid stuff. I’m testing you two here.”
I loved how he spoke to the twins, stern and loving all at the same time. He may not have planned to be the kids’ guardian, but he was a damn natural at the job as far as I was concerned.
“Alright, I’m going to head over,” he said. “Don’t eat all the pizza before I get there, alright?”
The kids grinned. “OK!” Henry agreed.
Mac gave me one last look, a glance of muted warmth, before turning and heading in the opposite direction. The man was so big that I was able to see the top of his head as he melted into the crowd.
“Hey, dudes!” I said, turning my attention to the kids. “You want to go visit Miss Aggie? I bet she wants some pizza too!”
The kids let out happy noises of agreement. They were both crazy about Aggie.
Together, we set off. The farmer’s market was packed and lively, everyone dressed in their winter gear with thick coats and caps and gloves. The dozens and dozens of booths sold goods of all kinds—from food to crops to handmade crafts. And no matter where you went, the Christmas tree in the town center rose high above it all.
“Aubrey?” Hattie asked. A twin was on each side of me, each holding one of my hands.
“What’s up, Hats?”
“Can we get a tree?”
“I’m sure your uncles will get you one.” After I said the words, however, I realized that we were a week into December and the guys still hadn’t put up so much as a bough of holly. That was no good at all – especially with kids. I was certain it was because they’d been so busy with the farm and planning for the mission, it must have just slipped their minds. All the same, Christmas decorations were a must when kids were around.
“In fact,” I said. “I think I’ve got an idea…”
A smile formed as I hatched a scheme. The timing was perfect – at that moment we were walking by Merry Way, the town’s holiday décor shop. I set the idea aside for the time being, spotting Aggie at our booth.
“There she is!” I said, pointing to Aggie up ahead. “Let’s go!”
We hurried through the crowd, making our way to Aggie’s booth. She was there with a pair of workers from town she’d hired to help, a small line of customers looking over the booth’s wares. Her eyes lit up as she saw us coming.
“Hey!” she shouted. “What’re you three doing here?”
Aggie placed her hand on her assistant’s shoulder, saying something into her ear. The assistant smiled and nodded, taking over the line as Aggie came over to greet us.
“What’s up, party animals?” she asked, squatting down to give the kids hugs.
“We’re getting pizza!” Henry said.
“Yeah! Come with us!” Hattie added.
“Gosh, some pizza really does sound good… and Ididskip lunch.” She rose and called over her shoulder to her assistant. “Yo, Jenn! Mind holding down the fort for thirty minutes while I take lunch? There are a couple slices of extra cheese from Sam’s in it if you can!”
Her assistant gave her a thumbs-up. With that, we were off.
“How’s business?” I asked, the four of us making our way through the crowd over to the sidewalks on the far side of the street.
“Not bad at all. I just about off-loaded the rest of the wool. Between that and what you’re making at Thousand Acres, things are looking pretty good for the winter. Oh! And Jenn hooked me up with this crew from Vermont that’s going to be in the area in a few months, and they soundperfectfor the staff we’ll need come planting season. With the money we’re making, we should be able to afford them.”
“And if we can afford staff, that means we stand a chance of making a profit this upcoming year.”
