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“You miss him, don’t you?” I questioned then realized how intrusive that was. “Shit, I’m just hellbent on asking and saying shit I shouldn’t today. Sorry. Don’t answer that.”
“I do,” he answered anyway. “My dad hates it. It’s one of those things that’s gone on long enough I’m not even sure how to fix it. But he was and always has been my best friend.”
“Sounds like he’s worth fighting for,” I said before gasping and nearly making him swerve. “There it is!”
“Woman,” he growled as he tried to calm his breathing. “We’re going to need to work on your enthusiasm in the car.”
“You’ll be alright,” I teased as he pulled in.
The shop was really more of a log cabin mixed with a cottage. It had a huge garden that surrounded it and was fenced off with an adorable picket fence.
The sign looks like it was handcrafted from raw wood and painted with little flowers. When it said nursery and herb market, I assumed it would be a business in the middle of town.
I had a feeling that this was much better. Whatever I got from here would be of good quality. The garden was amazing and just from the care she put into the shop I knew that this was exactly what I needed.
Dean barely parked before I was climbing out. The air out here was laced with rich, floral notes. I kind of wanted to go frolic in the flowers or nap in a hammock nearby.
Note to self, future pack must provide me with vast gardens and hammocks.
“You’re drooling,” Dean joked as he joined me. “Does this rival your school’s gardens?”
“Those were gardens in the middle of the city. They’d kill for something this size,” I said. “But I’d say we’ve come to the right place.”
As we approached the door an older omega burst out, holding it open for us.
“Welcome, welcome,” she called out excitedly. She had long, wavy, gray hair that was tied back with a bandana. Her overalls were stained green-and-brown like she’d spent most of her day kneeling in the gardens.
The fact she was so excited likely meant she didn’t get many customers out here, which was a shame.
“Your garden is gorgeous,” I told her. “I love this place already.”
She beamed at me. “Thank you. I’m very proud of it. I’m Poppy, let me know if there’s anything I can help you find.”
“Actually, can you help me find these?” I showed her the recipe on my screen.
“Bring it over to the counter and I’ll write them down, then I can just gather it up for you,” she said. From the way she was practically skipping to the desk it was as if I gave her the best news ever.
Poppy pulled out a little notepad and started writing down the ingredients. She tapped her pen to her chin as if she was thinking for a moment when she finished.
“Is this by chance to help ease breathing and coughing?” A smile bloomed on my face. Yup, this was the right place to go. It was, honestly, nice to know I had a place nearby.
“It is,” I confirmed, glancing at Dean in time to see his surprise.
“You know what you’re doing,” she praised. “Now I don’t have much thyme, but I’ll give you what I have. I’d also encourage you to add in a bit of fenugreek and sage. Even if you want to do smaller amounts to try it out, it will help heal as well as soothe, which I have a feeling you might need.”
“That would be great, actually,” I said, making a note at the bottom of my recipe so I remembered later why she suggested the changes.
Poppy grabbed a small basket before heading off.
Now that I had a chance I took in the store. All of her herbs were stored in small barrels, shelves of them lined up against the wall. They had glass tops and a scoop to keep them from being contaminated.
They made up most of the store’s indoor inventory, though I spotted a sign by the back door telling customers what live plants she had out back.
Twine hung from the walls and bundles of herbs hung drying. She even had a shaded corner for those that didn’t do well in direct sunlight.
The entire place just felt homey, from the earthy smell to all the wood and greens of the plants, to the murals of a forest painted on the front counter. I loved it all.
Poppy hummed while she worked, pulling the tops of the barrels off and scooping them into little mesh bags. I felt a little bad not getting it myself but she was a woman on a mission, checking one thing after the other off the list with ease.
