AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s how I was raised, Blake. If my mom caught wind of me letting you pay at any point, she would reprimand me six ways from Sunday. Now, what’s in this? It doesn’t look like coffee.”
He turned the plastic cup in front of him, inspecting the drink.
“A world of deliciousness and probably enough sugar to bake a cake. But you’ll love it, I promise.”
He skeptically took a sip while locking his eyes on mine. His light eyes widened, and the moan that escaped him gave away that he loved it, like I knew he would. I shuddered at the sound.
“This is so good. It might give me diabetes, but it would be worth it.”
“Told you. I always keep my promises, Parker.”
He rolled his eyes at me and continued sipping. Before I could warn him, he took a bite of the quickly disintegrating muffin, and crumbs covered his shirt. I tried not to laugh. He pushed most of the crumbs off his shirt and laughed, being more careful with the muffin.
“Oh, you missed some,” I stepped toward him. A little mound of crumbs sat on his chest. My hand brushed him clean as we stood only inches from each other. He looked down at me, an intrigued look in his light eyes. I lingered in his space longer than intended before forcing myself to step back.
“Okay!” I broke us out of the trance. “Are you ready to meet everyone?”
“How well do you know these people?”
“Let’s get started.”
I waved at him to follow me and walked around the familiar tents. As we walked, I gave him all the fun facts I knew about the people I shopped from each week.
I introduced him to a small, smiling woman surrounded by mounds of aluminum-wrapped tamales and little plastic cups of salsa. Ms. Mabel was finally back after a two-week visit to Oklahoma. One of her daughters had moved out there for her husband’s job, and she visited her about once a year. I missed her Sunday lunch tamales, but the pictures of her newest grandson were incredibly adorable. Her character was lighter and happier than it had been in a while, so it seemed like her visit was a significant uplift for her mood. She had broken her leg a few months ago and wasn’t sure if she would go, so I was glad she made it work.
Parker was hesitant to try the free sample she offered him since he swore the best tamales were sold from a random back of a truck in an alley, but Ms. Mabel convinced him. He bought a dozen. No one could resist Ms. Mabel’s delicious food.
Three tents down from her, James and Adam were selling tubs of their mom’s gumbo. For some reason, there was a wide berth of Southern food here. I wasn't an expert, but people usually praised the market. To my dismay, they were sold out when we walked up.
“I’m sorry, Blake,” James scratched the back of his head. “We had more people than usual stop by a lot earlier. I guess people had somewhere to be this morning.”
“James! I am a creature of habit. What am I supposed to have for dinner tomorrow and lunch on Monday now?”
“I’ll save you one every morning from now on. We will not let it happen again, Blake,” Adam chimed in, trying to charm me with his smile.
“Next time your mom visits, I’ll make sure to tell her how you broke my heart and left me starving in the process.”
James rolled his eyes and laughed. “Aw, the poor princess can’t get what she wants today. Don’t be dramatic.”
“You’re damn right. I’m a princess,” I winked at Parker, who stifled a laugh. If he would call me that, I would own it.
“Next week, Blake. We’ll have more.”
“You better.”
Before I bought my first container of gumbo from them, I had never tried it. It quickly became a staple of my weekly meal plan.
I usually chatted more with James and Adam, but the market was crowded today, so we moved along.
James and Adam were brothers. James was almost ten years older and worked as a construction manager a few buildings from me. Adam was finishing his degree in computer science at the University of Maine. He wasn’t too far, but it wasn’t close enough to be here every week during the year. Their mom, Callie, lived in Louisiana, but I had been fortunate enough to meet her the last time she visited.
“You know… I can make you some gumbo, princess,” Parker dragged his speech on that last word, and we both chuckled. It was sweet of him to offer. “My grandma had a killer recipe for it, and I think I’m a pretty great cook.”
“It’s okay. I can pick up something else at the grocery store. They have a lot of those ready-made meals, and they’re usually pretty good.”
“Let me cook for you. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone to cook for. My best friend is a super picky eater, so she’s no fun to make anything for.”
My curiosity was peaked as to whether he was as good as he claimed. It had been a long time since someone other than Gabby cooked anything for me. Her encouraging voice crept into my thoughts again. Listening to Gabby’s advice could be a slippery slope to bad decisions, but I found him fascinating.
