Thirty-Seven
Ameila
W ith a groan, I push my plate away. “No more. I’m so full I’ll have to be rolled out of here.”
“Nonsense, dear, you look amazing as always,” Ann tells me as she walks out of the kitchen with dessert.
Ann is exactly who you picture when you hear small-town grandmother. She wants to cook you all the food, and everything she makes is from scratch and so good you just can’t stop eating.
“How’s the construction coming along for the new section of the farm?” Joe asks.
“Good. I’m thankful that when I originally showed Wayne my plans, he came up with the idea to do it in sections. So we have this and two more expansions pretty much preplanned.”
“Yeah, he’s a good architect. We were lucky he came to town one day and decided to stay. He does good quality work without overcharging like other people.”
“Don’t I know it.”
I’m so happy he was willing to learn the best way to build these greenhouses with me. I gave him an idea and budget, and he ran with it.
“You’re doing good things for the city too. I was talking to the mayor about how tourism is up from pre-COVID times, and he said the farmers’ market is a huge part of that. Plus, this co-op idea between the cities will make us probably one of the biggest markets and co-ops in the state.”
A blush creeps up my neck at his words.
I didn’t come here to bring cities together or bring tourists to town to learn about farming techniques. I just wanted to bring fresh produce to people at affordable prices.
“Don’t give us that look, dear. You are doing big things. I wouldn’t be shocked if you opened a second farm in the next five years. We’re so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished,” Ann says as she pats my shoulder and sits down next to me.
“While that wasn’t the original goal, I wouldn’t be mad. I’m happy with how things are going, and I love that our little town is growing,” I tell them honestly.
“We know,” Joe says.
“I do have one favor to ask you before I head out.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, I don’t know how much you know about Luna’s life before she came here, but she didn’t have a . . . normal upbringing, and I want to get the whole town to go big this year for Halloween and Christmas decorations. Do you guys think we could get the businesses and homes on Main Street to participate?”
“You know our answer is yes! We don’t know much, but we can tell she hasn’t had it easy. Even if someone gives us a hard time, Joe and I will take care of it,” Ann says proudly, and I believe her because she knows everyone and isn’t afraid to leverage her status in the community.
“Perfect! Well, I’m going to head out. I have to let Penny out and feed her and Ginny. Thank you for dinner. Oh, and Joe, if you hear from the people we reached out to about the co-op before I do, just let me know.”
“You know I will. We’ll talk soon about everything going on and make an action plan on how we want to move forward around the holidays.”
“I can’t believe it’s August already. Where has the year gone?” I stand and push my chair in before walking toward the door.
“Drive safe. We’ll talk tomorrow,” Ann says as I hug her and squeeze her a little tighter.
Her hugs make me miss my mom. I love these two people for filling that void without trying.
“Next time we do dinner, bring that young man around. We want to make sure he’s treating you well.” Joe pulls me into a hug.
“You got it, boss,” I say and walk to my Jeep.
I shiver as a breeze brushes over my skin and regret not wearing a hoodie. Originally, I mistakenly thought it would be warm all year because this is a southern state, but it isn’t. It gets really hot during the day in the summer, but at night, it cools down quite a bit.
I open the door and climb in, quickly turning the Jeep on and cranking the heat up.
My phone vibrates, and a notification from the alarm system is on the screen. The sensor for the door on the construction side of the building keeps alerting, like it isn’t closed all the way.
Huh, I swear I checked all the doors.
I open my texts and shoot one off to Pam and Luke, letting them know I’m running back to the farm.
Pam: Cool. Do you need me to run to let Penny out?
Me: You’re a lifesaver
Also if you want, I have enchiladas in the fridge. You can throw them in the oven so you don’t have to worry about dinner.
Pam: Even better
see you soon
Luke is working, so I’m not worried that he hasn’t responded yet. Checking the backup cam, I back out of the driveway and headed back to the farm.
Fifteen minutes later, I pull into the parking lot and look around. To my left, I see the only light in the lot flicker out and mentally add that to my to-do list for tomorrow.
After everything that’s happened, I always feel like someone is going to jump out and scare me. Which is stupid. This is a small town. The worst that happens here is Farmer Joe’s cow, Lucinda, getting out and causing a traffic backup.
I unplug my phone and slide it into my back pocket. Stepping out of the Jeep, I hear a coyote howl in the distance before heading inside. I grab a sweater from the back seat and throw it on.
Hitting the lock button on the fob twice, I walk to the side door and open it, rushing in and turning the alarm off.
With the alarm turned off, I take a breath and let the smell of the wood mixed with herbs settle my nerves. Turning to the right, I walk to the front door because I might as well check them all, and the front door is a good place to start.
When I get to the door that set off the sensors, I notice that the mechanism isn’t latched. I lean down to make sure nothing is blocking it since the workers were here today when I hear a crunching sound to my right.
What the fuck.
I barely move to look when a loud crack is followed by pain exploding in my head, and everything goes black.