Chapter 27
Steve arrived with the hay bales from Brian later the next day so along with Dylan, we stacked them all in the field and then the long process of laying the hay down as a floor inside the polytunnels began.
Thankfully, the weather was dry so we didn’t need to worry about the hay getting wet.
Steve left at the end of the day, promising to return when we opened to help out and run the tractor rides around the farm.
‘You need to think about publicity now,’ Dylan said as the day faded into twilight. He’d vanished for about an hour and I assumed he’d been doing something for his brother. I hated that I’d missed his presence around me as I worked.
I had placed the scarecrow couple in the autumn tunnel, stacking up hay bales so people could sit on them with a scarecrow on either side.
I took a picture to send to Sabrina because I was hoping she could create another painted wooden Pumpkin Hollow sign for me to hang in between so we were publicising the patch.
I would also add pumpkins to the scene – when they were delivered – which would look cool.
‘I really don’t know how to do that,’ I admitted.
I had been so focused on making this patch look great and be fun to visit but Dylan was right; I needed to think about how to get people through the doors.
‘The two Pats said they’d put leaflets and a poster up in the café.
Sabrina is designing them and I found a local printer who’s offering me a reasonable deal to print them. ’
Dylan nodded. ‘Great. But you need to be online nowadays. We can’t rely on local word of mouth. And you said Steve’s sister is coming to show the patch off on Instagram and TikTok. You need to encourage everyone to do that.’
‘Okay, I’ll look into that…’ I said, turning away to hide my furrowed brow.
If I was honest, social media by and large had passed me by.
Everyone I knew and wanted to spend time with lived in the same town, and work days were long and hard on the farm; I rarely used my phone in the evenings as I was so tired.
I had social media accounts but rarely posted on them and I definitely had no idea what was trending or how to go viral on there.
And I only knew those terms in the first place from hearing Sabrina use them!
‘Willow, you have a problem asking people to help, don’t you?’
I spun around. ‘You don’t even know me!’
‘No?’ he taunted. ‘How many people in Birchbrook did you tell that the farm was having problems? How many people have had to offer help instead of you asking for it?’
‘I asked Brian for his hay,’ I disputed.
‘You’re getting a bit better because you realise how much this needs to work.’ Dylan gestured around us. ‘But you still don’t like it, right?’
I shrugged. ‘So what if I prefer to do things myself?’
‘Now is not the time for that though, is it?’
I folded my arms across my chest. ‘You really are irritating.’
‘Take our pact – you knew you needed my help but you couldn’t ask me so you challenged me instead.’
He looked so smug, I wanted to throw some hay at him. I stalked off. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t ask you for any more help…’
Dylan hurried after me and gently took my arm, encouraging me to slow down. I stopped. ‘Look at me, please.’ Reluctantly, I lifted my face and met his eyes. ‘Have I ever once said I don’t want you to ask me for help?’
‘But you shouldn’t be helping; you don’t want this to work,’ I said, wondering why I suddenly felt on the verge of tears.
My mind flashed back to his lips on mine but I stubbornly pushed the image away from my mind.
I couldn’t ever think about that again. Dylan was here to get me to sell the farm. He wanted me to give up, right?
Dylan shook his head. ‘It’s a complicated situation, for sure.
But I like helping you. I can’t seem to stop myself.
’ His hand was still on my arm and he gave me an almost fond smile.
It was so confusing. ‘Come and see…’ He let go and my body instantly missed his touch although I tried desperately to ignore that.
I followed him out of the tunnel and across to the cottage where his laptop was open, as usual, on the kitchen table. ‘I started to make this…’
I stared at the screen. He had created a website for Pumpkin Hollow at Birch Tree Farm : a dazzling orange and cream themed page with space for pictures of the pumpkin patch and the ability to book online for a slot to visit.
He then showed me new social media accounts he’d set up and ideas for hashtags we could ask people to use when sharing their pictures.
‘I had a look at the nearest pumpkin patches to here and what they charge and I think this is fitting for your first year. Then this is what the farmer wants us to charge for his pumpkins and then this is the cost for the smaller ones you ordered. You could reduce the price per pumpkin if people buy more so it would look like this…’ He showed me the spreadsheet he’d created with the prices, which I looked at in awe.
I guessed I could have come up with this with time and research, but he had really made my life a whole lot easier by doing this himself.
I struggled for what to say. I felt grateful but was anxious about being obliged to him.
‘I get worried when you’re quiet,’ Dylan said after a moment, frowning as he looked at me. It was as if he was trying to work out what was going on inside my head. Which made two of us.
‘Are you doing this so I feel like I need to sell to you?’ I blurted out.
‘How does helping you make the patch successful do that exactly?’ he asked slowly, his voice tight like I’d upset him.
I sighed. ‘I don’t know, Dylan. This is confusing. Things between us are confusing after…’ I abruptly stopped myself. Neither of us had said any more about our night together. I took a breath. ‘Sorry, this is just really nice of you; it’s making me feel a little bit discombobulated.’
Dylan nodded. ‘It’s okay. I know we want different things here. But I also like helping you. That’s all this was, I swear.’ He sounded sincere.
‘What would your brother say though about you going above and beyond for me?’
‘He doesn’t get what I’m doing here, that’s for sure.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘But to be honest, I’m not sure he ever really gets me.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said softly. ‘Sometimes, my dad has made me feel like he wished I was different, that I’d change, that I’m too much of a dreamer.’
‘Yeah, Nate thinks I should be more like him, I know that.’
I thought back to him speaking to Nate on the phone and how different he had sounded.
‘Maybe you shouldn’t help the pumpkin patch so much then,’ I suggested.
I knew that wasn’t good for me but I also hated the hurt look in his eyes when he talked about his brother not believing in him.
I knew that feeling well. I was worried I’d let my dad down, and my mother too.
‘He doesn’t know what I’m doing here,’ Dylan said with a shrug. ‘You want to post on social media about the patch?’
‘Saying what?’ I asked, panicked by the idea.
‘You took a good picture yesterday of Sabrina’s sign once we fixed it up by the gate to show her.’
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at it.
It showed the Pumpkin Hollow sign with the farm behind it, the birch trees in shot looking beautiful as they were now almost completely golden in colour and you could also just make out Maple by the farmhouse door.
It was a pretty picture if I did say so myself.
‘It would be a good start,’ I agreed. I sank into the chair at the kitchen table and put my phone on the table.
I added Dylan’s Birch Tree Farm accounts to my phone and I created my first posts using the caption:
Pumpkin Hollow: Birch Tree Farm’s Pumpkin Patch is opening 1 October.
With shaky fingers, I shared the post everywhere and then both Dylan and I reposted it from our personal accounts.
I asked Sabrina to do so as well and I would ask the café too when I went in next.
I sucked in a breath. ‘I guess there’s no going back now, is there?
’ I glanced at Dylan and he was giving me a pleased smile.
I smiled back and had a crazy thought that I wished we’d met under completely different circumstances so there were no complications between us.
But life wasn’t that simple.