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“That’s a conversation for another day.” I cleared my throat and changed the topic. “So what cover are you thinking of?” I glanced at him when I felt his confusion. “Like my backstory is I was a travel companion for an older woman for many years, and when she couldn’t travel anymore, she made my dream come true.”
“That explains how you got the startup, but most wouldn’t push as it’s vague but close enough to the truth with Thora,” he muttered, bobbing his head. “Orphan your friend took in as a foster kid, but you needed help, and she thought this might be a good future for me? It’s the truth if you leave off the whole light witch network part.”
“Fair enough.”
We worked to fill over a dozen deep collection carts. It was funny how he was more confident on the height-adjusting people trolley cart but seemed at a loss when driving the front one-seater electric engine for the whole train. And I was just the opposite, plus I had the experience.
I was grateful he was fine with the heights because even though I was shorter and longed for more height when I was younger, I wasn’t a fan of ladders or lifts. He was a worker though. I meandamn, once he got the hang of what to do with a type of harvest, he was all over it.
I ran out of steam before him and brought the first load over to the brewhouse.
I unloaded and started washing jaboticabas thinking I should get a jump on making the jelly that I would blend later with the other fruits that went in Berry Naked Night. I got it all in the kettle and figured I’d been quick enough since he’d have a lot more harvest trays to load and put into the collection carts.
Oh no, the boy couldwork. He was out of trays and carts when I got back. I just blinked at him. Likedayumn.
“We should do a huge juice run if you’re this awesome,” I admitted. He just shrugged, and I ended up calling Sia to see if she could send another truck however she did that to get all my rinds. I needed some for peels, but I got those when I used the fruit. I used the juice as part of the natural pectin, but then I had a ton of rinds.
Or like pomegranate oil was made from pressing the seeds. But I just needed the juice to make jelly, so she could use all of that, right?
Turned out the answer was averyexcited yes. Yes, she could. Awesome.
We did so much work that day that it took a bit of weight off my shoulders and helped get me in a better place to go see Sarahthe next day. But in typical fashion, I was nervous and sort of overcompensated.
Like a lot.
Luckily, their cafeteria was outside by the parking lot, so she saw me pull up and came over with a group of teachers who were curious. She introduced me around, looking seconds from bursting out laughing.
I shrugged. “I’m mostly Wiccan, so I don’t really celebrate Easter.”
“Mostly?” one of the teachers asked, giving me a wry look.
I gave it right back. “If you can tell me you know all the answers and couldn’t be wrong, I’ll smack you for blaspheming every religion as we don’t know all the answers.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed, amusement dancing in his pretty eyes. “You’re hiring?”
I nodded. “I checked the law, and I can hire all the way to fourteen which seemed young without a permit, but I’m part-time anyways. If I can get some freshmen in the mix then maybe I’ll have them all through high school instead of training a bunch that just keep going off to college.”
“Smart,” Sarah praised, glancing around and waving a few people over. “Derrick, get some help and hand out treats and flyers. Ms. Gomes is hiring and we’ve got a bunch looking for summer jobs. Freshmen too and make sure people behave.”
“Good pay?” Derrick asked as she took what I handed over.
“I start at minimum wage, but those who work are kept on after the two-week trial and get raises. Those who don’t get taught a lesson that life isn’t easy and how to find a new job.” I smiled when several people snorted. “I train though and always need tasters and love to cook, so there are perks.”
“I’m in. Thanks. I could use a way to start saving for college.”
The flyers were basic, just a picture of the greenhouses, the address, my logo, and a few things I was focused on most alongwith times to come and apply. I was hoping for ten workers Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and that would be a huge help.
“So I had a good crop of citrus already,” I explained as I showed Sara the boxes of juice bottles. “I use citrus and apples for pectin so yeah, I needed it, but it’s really friggin’ good fresh pressed.”
“You have a juicer?” she asked.
I snorted. “I have a monster citrus juicer that even does pomegranates, and then I have a commercial cold press juicer that my investor got that I’m not sure what I’m going to do with.”
“So just one investor?” she asked, wincing when I raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, there were a lot of whispers when the greenhouses and everything started going up at that foreclosed development that went bankrupt. And then you made a huge splash at the farmers market and people put the address together and haven’t stopped talking.”
I sighed, knowing this was going to happen and figuring to get it out of the way. “On the record? Yes, I have one investor. Off the record, that investor is technically me as the money was owed to me.
“I went through some shit when I was young as a foster kid, but someone took me in, and she had her own issues I helped with. She wanted to travel, so she promised if I helped her do that, she’d make my dream come true as well. She went way over her promise in my mind, so it’s a lot.”
