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I’d been treading water for so long I’d never really thought of a dream. Was that why Klara had sent me here? Push me out of the nest I’d finally felt safe in when it was time to find a future?
That sounded like her and something I could wrap my mind around. I couldn’t even be miffed she didn’t explain that better as there wasn’t really a good way probably to explain it.
When we were back at the brewhouse and unloaded, I understood what she’d been saying earlier as she turned on the produce washer line and showed me how to use it. Everything went right in, and then she demonstrated how to prep it on the other end like chopping off the tops of the peppers and getting out the guts or peeling the onions. No big.
I could even handle the pineapple and papaya peeler. The chopper was a bit more intimidating, but she said even if she got help getting everything to that stage, it was huge.
Still, I watched her do it with ease and then lugged everything she said was ready to the kettle she pointed me to. That too was intimidating as it was huge and self-stirring and had more settings than an oven.
Once that was all done and going, she brought me to a different greenhouse and walked me through how to harvest loofah. If they felt heavy for their size, they were still wet and maturing.
Any turning yellow were drying out and would feel lighter and that was the sign. Other operations would wait until they dried out more, but Sia had a system and didn’t need that. Easy enough.
She told me how much room the truck would have and the amount of pallet-sized containers that it would load and then left me to work… Which was odd.
I mean, I’d driven a while to get there and had no clue what Klara was plotting. Now I was just mellow in a greenhouse doing something that was shockingly enjoyable and weirdly comforting.
Odd.
It took about an hour to get it done, and that was only because I was new since the size of them took up space fast. I wanted to make sure I didn’t mess them up and make them all end up rotting or something.
She’d left the key with me, so I locked up once all the full bins where they should be.
She’d said she’d probably be done with the brewhouse by then and the van was gone, so I drove the rental to the gate, getting out how she’d told me. It was a smart system of two separate entrances on the property, one for the brewhouse and a drive that led to the greenhouses.
And one just for her house. She’d given me the code to get in the gate and I put it in once I drove around.
I wasn’t shocked to find another mansion. Klara had one too. It seemed a witch thing and not the luxury or having money but making their home everything they wanted after having to run or so many troubles.
Klara said they felt tied to the land they claimed, and it just worked out that a witch wanted her place to be her castle.
I couldn’t argue with that.
I parked and grabbed my biggest bag just to bring some of it in. I didn’t have all that much since I felt weird spending Klara’s money.
Technically, she’d been my foster mom those last several months until I’d turned eighteen, but I’d barely known her. I knocked, but the door pushed open, and I wasn’t sure what to do or if I should worry.
“In the kitchen prepping meat,” she called out. “Sorry, I figured just to leave it a crack in case I was prepping meat and the timing worked out that way. Lock up behind you.”
I did, heading inside and following her voice. I glanced around at theswankkitchen with several ovens and just aboutanything someone who liked to cook could think of. “Well, Thora clearly knew how to spoil you.”
She smiled as she glanced up from what looked like pork. “Yeah, she used to say that the worst part of us having to travel was I wasn’t comfortable in kitchens that weren’t mine. I tried to remind her that her kitchen wasn’t mine either, but she’d just laugh and say it certainly wasn’t hers given she never cooked.”
“She sounds nice.”
“She is, dedicated to making sure we all make it. So, sometimes that’s a lot to deal with when you’re the sidekick but yeah, her heart is full of everything good.” She finished cutting things up and then loaded it all into a glass bowl that I assumed had her freshly made marinade in it. “How are you with dishes?”
“Good. Laundry still baffles me, but I got kitchen duty a lot at some of my foster homes.”
“I suck at it, so if I cook, you up for cleaning?”
“Yeah, I can handle the house or—”
“Naw, just the dishes and day to day. I have a charm from Meave that will do like a real clean and bathrooms and everything. I can put power into it every other week and we’re good. It’s what’s at the brewhouse and why I’ll cook alone.”
“Sure, I got the dishes.”
She smiled at me and my heart fluttered. Damn, she was beautiful. She finished up what she was doing and washed her hands.
