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“When you’re only open a few months a year, that would be a lot of pressure.”
“That’s a good way to describe it. Pressure. But if we can do something else that’s year-round, it would remove that.”
“I agree, and I think the movie nights will be a nice way to connect with the community. You build familiarity and goodwill, then they will want to buy their tree here in November and December.”
We walked down a path that led down the mountain. There were poles with lights strung. The only sound was the crunch of the gravel and leaves under our feet.
“Thank you for taking the time to talk to Ireland.”
“I enjoy talking business, especially with someone who’s excited about my ideas.” It was even nicer to talk to someone in person, instead of always being on a computer.
“There are so many things you could be doing; I appreciate you taking the time. When do you have to meet with the attorney?”
“Not until this afternoon.” I was appreciative he’d agreed to meet with me on the weekend. I was hoping to go home on Sunday, but now I wasn’t positive I wanted to leave.
“I’m sure the meeting will go smoothly. Then we can celebrate tonight.”
“That would be nice,” I said, positive that whatever we did tonight would be more interesting than what I’d do if I was home alone. I’d probably work, researching the next thing I should be doing and writing new content for the upcoming week.
Heath smiled over at me, and I resisted the urge to reach over and hold his hand or touch him in some way. Whenever we were together as teens, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. It was the memory of who we were that had me itching to touch him. It was a sense of nostalgia. At least that’s what I told myself.
We fell silent, enjoying the quiet and the sounds of nature. We passed Emmett’s house and a barn on the right.
Heath gestured toward the barn. “We use this one for family gatherings, like birthday parties or celebrations.”
The barn had a fire pit and a pavilion off to the side. “This place feels like a campground, except with more amenities.”
“I don’t know about that.”
I was positive people would pay to stay in a place like this, whether it was to rent a cabin or pitch a tent. There could be activities in the barns or the pavilions and gatherings around the fire pit. But his family didn’t want to open the farm in that way. It was too much. But I could see the appeal of staying here and ignoring your real-life problems for a while.
When we reached the main house and the red barn, he unlocked the door and led me inside. “This is the shop. It’s Mom’s favorite place, and Ireland’s now, too.”
It was a large open space with a counter at the front and areas to hang and display items for sale. There was a bakery case and even a bathroom toward the back. “We’ll bring in several trees to showcase the ornaments in November. We all help decorate and stock it. We have several artists who make ornaments and lawn decorations for us. Talon supplies a few items, as well. Although he’s been focused on the light display this year.”
“It’s cute. I can’t wait to see it decorated for the season.” It smelled like evergreen even though there weren’t any trees or garland inside. I could imagine working in a place like this, buzzing with shoppers and kids excited for Santa to come. “Do you offer sleigh or carriage rides?”
“We’ve done it as a onetime thing before. Our neighbors own a carriage we can borrow.”
“It would be a neat thing to offer.”
“We struggle with staffing. We have a few high school and college students, but otherwise, it’s just family, and now Ireland and sometimes Sarah. Our cousins have helped occasionally, too—mostly when they were younger, though.”
“It would be hard to find people who only need to work a couple months of the year.”
“If you have any solutions, I’d love to hear them.”
“I’ll think on it.”
The door opened, and Ireland came inside. “There you are.”
“I thought I’d show her the place before we met with you.”
“What do you think? It’s not decorated, but when it is, it’s so charming. I think I have some photos from last year.” Ireland searched her phone and then handed it to me.
I flipped through the pictures. It was filled with holiday décor but inviting at the same time. “It is gorgeous.”
Ireland beamed. “Want to go outside so we can talk about the options for movie night?”
