Chapter 30
‘Look what I found!’ Sabrina came over on the way home from picking her daughter up from her grandparents.
Work had finished for her for the week. Daylight was diming outside so I’d come into the farmhouse, exhausted from another long day.
She pulled out pumpkin mugs from her bag.
‘I got two sets of four – four for us, four for you.’ They were large, deep-orange, pumpkin-shaped mugs with pretty, white, autumn leaves on them. ‘How could I resist them?’
‘They are so cute. I’d love to sell autumn merch like this at the patch.
Sometimes, I think my ideas are too big, though,’ I mused as I picked up one of the mugs and smiled at it.
‘Like I wish I could build a straw maze. I have to reign myself in; we open on Monday and everything needs to be perfect.’
‘You can save those ideas for next year then,’ Sabrina suggested. ‘Have two for the farmhouse, and two for the cottage so Dylan can use them. Where is he?’
‘Getting ready to have dinner with a potential client. Dad is walking Maple. I’m just checking on the slow-cooker beef he made and then I need a shower. I’m knackered but the patch is really coming together now.’
‘I’ll be over on Monday as soon as school finishes for the day. Oh, Paul came by to see if you guys could borrow our benches; I think Miss Walker has let him have a few,’ she said, referring to the headmistress.
‘Great,’ I said. I gestured to Dylan’s open laptop on the kitchen table. ‘Ticket sales aren’t really going that well, though. There’s only been a few today and I’m not sure what to do over the weekend to get more people to book.’
‘Maybe people want to wait for it to open; they might not be in the full autumn spirit yet but once October arrives, they will be.’ She saw me bite my lip. ‘I’ll rally everyone at work, don’t worry. I need to get home. You look tired; are you going to rest tonight?’
‘I’ll try. It’s hard to switch my mind off. There’s only two days to go…’
‘Don’t stress, it’s going to be great. I’ll drop these two mugs in for Dylan on my way out. Has anything more happened between you two?’
I shook my head and she looked disappointed.
‘Maybe we can have breakfast tomorrow in town to start the weekend off?’ she said. ‘The four of us?’ she added hopefully.
‘There’s too much to do,’ I replied regretfully.
‘Okay, well, we could come by afterwards and help out. I’ll message you.
’ She gave me a big hug and I found myself clinging to her for a second.
I was trying to be optimistic and when Dylan told me we had sold ten tickets earlier, I’d been thrilled but that was all we had sold.
Ten tickets wouldn’t make me any profit.
What if I ended up losing money on this idea?
Sabrina left and I saw Dylan drive off for his dinner so I had a shower and got changed then sat down to eat with Dad. Outside, it was dark and the earlier breeze was stronger now. I could hear the wind blowing down the chimney.
I pulled out my phone, feeling a bit worried.
‘It doesn’t say there’s any bad weather on the way but that wind is really getting up.’
Dad looked out of the window. ‘Yeah, and it feels like rain is in the air. I’ll secure the chickens after dinner and check on the crops.’
‘I’ll check on the pumpkin patch too,’ I agreed. ‘Better to be safe than sorry. I thought we would have sold a few more tickets by now. Do you think it’s too expensive? Is that putting people off?’
‘It’s probably too early to tell. Word needs to spread. What has Dylan said about it all?’
‘Dad, I can do this by myself.’
‘You said yourself – he’s good at business and all that online, social media stuff… I think I hear his car.’
We saw a pair of headlights coming up the drive. I relaxed in my chair. Maybe I had been listening out for his return.
‘I need to take him back his laptop,’ I said.
I had looked at the budget and I was maxed out.
I would have to try to be happy with what I had bought for the patch so far.
I couldn’t justify using any more money when we’d only sold ten tickets.
I needed to see how the opening week went and then maybe make tweaks accordingly if people still weren’t coming to the farm.
My hopes were high for the penultimate week of October, which was half-term, but that would only be successful if people who did come by beforehand enjoyed it and spread the word.
I worried there wasn’t enough going on. It was hard to know.
I couldn’t put myself in a visitor’s shoes.
I had created it all. ‘I could see if Dylan does have any ideas to increase ticket sales, I guess. I just don’t want to rely on him, Dad. ’
‘I don’t know, he seems happy for you to do that.’
‘Why, though? He wants us to sell. I made this crazy pact with him but he’s still here, helping us, and his brother definitely seems pissed off about it.
I can’t say I blame him. Dylan’s not focused on their business while he’s here.
And if I keep asking for help, relying on him, it’s going to make things really hard once we reach the end of the six weeks and we have to decide whether to sell to him or not.
Either way, one of us gets hurt. And then after it all, we won’t see each other again. ’
Dad leaned on his elbow. ‘I did wonder why he agreed to stay for six weeks. You don’t do something like make the pact you two made if you’re happy with your life. He’s looking for something, Willow. Maybe you both are.’
A tiny bit of hope sprung up inside my chest. I let myself imagine for a second that I could rely on Dylan, that I could ask for his help and not worry about it, that after the end of these six weeks, we wouldn’t get hurt or have to go our separate ways forever.
It all seemed too unbelievable, though. Even if Dad was right and Dylan didn’t like his life, I liked mine.
Didn’t I?
Maple barked as a gust of wind whipped around the house.
I sighed and looked out of the window. ‘We better check on things, I guess. My phone still says no sign of a storm but I’m not sure.’
‘Okay, you go and take Dylan his laptop and I’ll check on the farm; you look at the patch before you come back for the night. Stay here, Maple; the wind will upset you, girl.’
I headed for Dylan’s cottage first, glancing at the pumpkin patch as I went.
It seemed all fine as far as I could make out but I knew I better check everything was secure and properly covered just in case.
The farm was pitch-black and the stars were hidden by the clouds that had crept over the sky.
The wind was noisy and it blew my hair around my face, which I’d left down, still slightly damp from my shower before dinner.
There was no sign of rain, though so I was hopeful the breeze would dissipate before morning.
It would be a long weekend ahead of trying to get ready for Monday and I was feeling more stressed than I’d admitted to Sabrina and Dad.
Everything was riding on this and the pressure was building.
I knocked on the cottage door and wondered if I could be honest with Dylan.
‘I brought your laptop back,’ I said lamely, when he opened the door.
‘Come in,’ he said, with an inviting smile.
I hesitated, knowing that I needed to check on the pumpkin patch but I also wanted his advice so when he stood back, I walked inside.