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I waved to Ramon, who had also finished setting up. He was the sort of friend who didn’t need to fill the air with unnecessary conversation. We bonded over our love of finding community through food.
“Damn, I can’t believe it’s your first year applying to the market, and you already got a first-row booth.”
“The luck of the draw and my twenty persuasive emails. Before I forget, these are for you. It’s our latest flavor, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.” I passed him a bag of cookies, and his eyes lit up. He fished a cookie out of the paper bag and took a bite, moaning with delight.
“This is fucking genius! It tastes exactly like Cinnamon Toast Crunch! God, this is fire.”
“Thank you! Jasmine came up with it.”
“Well, tell her she’s a genius. Before I forget, I have something for you, too.” He passed me a large Styrofoam cup and a straw.
“I don’t know if you like espresso, but this is our market special. It’s dirty horchata. Horchata with two shots of espresso over ice.”
I took a sip. The sweet, creamy horchata and hints of cinnamon undercut the espresso's bitterness. It was perfect.
“This is amazing! Thank you so much!” I gushed. The first customers were beginning to walk through the gates. The market opened to the public at eight.
The next hours were a rush of sales and bagging cookies. By two, I’d already sold out of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and all of my vegan options. There were still three hours left of the market, and it was already a record sales day for Cookie Cove.
Finally, it calmed down enough for me and Ramon to take a break.
Ramon passed me a chicken taco the way I liked it: corn tortilla, extra cilantro and onion, avocado, and a little bit of cheese.
“You’re the best,” I said. I shoved the taco into my mouth. I’d only had enough time to grab a granola bar for breakfast, and I was starving.
Ramon smiled and took a bite of his own taco.
“Anytime. Hey, I forgot to tell you! Ava’s coming to help out at three.” Ava was Ramon’s longtime girlfriend and his greatest culinary collaborator. Truthfully, watching them scheme together to come up with the perfect hangover burrito made me jealous. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a partner who saw me not only as an equal but as a collaborator. When I thought about it too hard, I became despondent.
“Oh, that’s wonderful! It’ll be great to see her!”
“Yeah, this weekend is her last weekend before finals. My baby’s about to be a therapist!” Ramon gushed. Ava was finishing up her master's degree in social work.
“Speaking of other halves, where’s that fiancé of yours? I’d love to see him again. He seemed nice.”
I sighed. “He’s busy.” Part of me ached to tell Ramon the truth. It wasn’t like he would go blabbing around town, but I couldn’t risk it.
“Well, tell him to come through next time. We could have a little double date!”
“Where we force our partners to work for free?”
Ramon laughed. “Exactly. Perks of dating a chef, you know?”
I forced a laugh and finished the rest of my taco. By the time the market closed at five, I was completely sold out of cookies and exhausted. I should have been elated. My only goal for the Farmer’s Market was to turn a profit. I’d done that three times over. But part of me couldn’t help but sulk that Sebastian would never be able to be my doting boyfriend at the Farmer’s Market.
The following Saturday, I met Jasmine at her apartment. The bridal boutique that was restoring my dress was located two blocks away. So, we decided to walk there together. It was a clear, sunny day but still chilly. Jasmine hugged her purple peacoat closer.
"You haven't seen him in two weeks," she said as we left her apartment.
"Nope. I told you; I had the Farmer’s Market last weekend. We attended a dinner party together Wednesday night, but that was it.”
“Well, how was the party?”
I shrugged. “Fine, I guess. I barely saw him. He was schmoozing the night away. I mostly did the old smile and nod.”
“Oh, so you hit them with Fancy Becks?” Jasmine asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Fancy Becks was my socialite persona, analogous to a distant cousin of Paris Hilton.
“I did literally everything. But Sebastian spent the entire night sulking when Mr. Mead didn’t immediately rush to greet him.”
