Chapter 4 #2
“Stop babying the man,” Kitto chided, waggling his brows at his sister. “He’s old enough and ugly enough to pace himself. It’s not like he’s heading off for days of hard physical slog.”
“Yeah.” Cadan slung his arm around Liam’s shoulders. “Your sharp tongue will send him fleeing.”
Sienna paled.
“Sorry. Liam is a smart man to choose our favorite sister. He has superior taste.”
“I’m your only sister,” Sienna said dryly. “Stop making trouble. Honestly, you open your mouth, and crap comes out.”
Liam watched the siblings bicker, envious of their close relationship. They stood up for one another, and that was a good thing. Sienna, particularly, was protective of her brothers. Liam tucked the bit of information away to add to his jigsaw puzzle of knowledge.
Later that morning, Liam joined Tamsin for the walk to the market. When they arrived, he helped unload cups, saucers, and platters from the handcart they’d pushed from the cottage.
“Please don’t over-exert yourself,” she begged. “I don’t need another lecture from my daughter.”
“She stands up for those she loves,” Liam said.
Tamsin hesitated, her gaze searching his.
“The locals don’t respect Hedrek and my boys.
Sienna—well, let’s say the local lads saw one thing in her, never a partner.
They were terrified a Teague would pollute their bloodlines.
” Her eyes shone with emotion. “I’m thankful she met someone like you who sees her as a treasure. ”
“Tamsin!” a sharp voice interrupted. “You’re here. I gave your regular position to Alfred.”
“But we’re only five minutes late. We come to the market every week.”
The woman shrugged helplessly, but her expression told Liam she wouldn’t budge. She didn’t care what Tamsin said or how much she protested.
“Where have you put us?” Liam asked.
“Over by the car park.”
Tamsin bristled. “I paid for my spot last week before I packed up and left.”
The woman made a tsking sound and pulled a ten-pound note from her pocket, offering it to Tamsin.
“I paid twenty-five pounds. You can’t shove us to the back of the market and charge us fifteen pounds.” Tamsin stuck out her chin, reminding Liam of Sienna. His mate had inherited her mother’s feistiness.
“Give us a full refund, and we’ll go quietly,” Liam said.
“No, we won’t go quietly,” Tamsin snapped. “You can’t treat us like this.”
“You’re abominations. We don’t want you here.”
“A refund,” Liam repeated.
The woman glanced over her shoulder and saw they’d attracted an audience. “Oh, very well.” She thrust money at Liam and stomped off.
Liam handed the cash to Tamsin, and the tears in her eyes alarmed him.
“What’s our next move?” she whispered. “We must sell our pottery today. It’s been tough lately… I don’t enjoy seeing my men go hungry.”
“We’ll set up where she said and figure out a plan. Don’t worry—I have cash. It was in my jacket pocket. Enough to buy food to take home.”
“But you and Sienna will need that money—”
“We’re family,” Liam said, then paused. The words had come automatically, even though he didn’t remember choosing these people. Was he overcompensating, or was he naturally generous? He shook off his doubts. “We can argue later. Right now, we need a place to set up.”
“All right.” But the life had gone out of Tamsin. She seemed smaller. Crushed.
Liam helped her load the boxes back onto the trolley, noting the whispers and not-so-quiet laughter from those who’d witnessed the confrontation.
“Good job. We don’t want them here,” a woman said.
“Who is he?” another asked.
Tamsin flinched, and Liam stepped closer, wanting to protect her from the callous remarks.
Once they’d finished, he wheeled the trolley toward the car park.
Tamsin followed, her shoulders hunched, and her head slumped.
It made him wonder how often this woman got the stuffing knocked out of her because the locals considered her family monstrosities.
“What about over there by the oak tree in the shade?”
“People like to sit there with their picnic lunches after the market finishes.”
“But no signs say we can’t.”
Tamsin hesitated. “Sometimes, a man selling lemonade sets up there.”
“We’ll leave room for him, and maybe we could sell our tumblers to fill with lemonade, and both get sales.”
Tamsin shrugged.
Liam unloaded the trolley again and set up the table they’d brought with them. “Do you have price tickets?”
“Yes.” Tamsin showed them to Liam.
“You need to increase your prices,” he said.
“It’s the only way we can sell anything. We sold out last week. One man purchased the lot.”
Because he was reselling them elsewhere and making a profit. The words popped into Liam’s mind, catching him off guard. His memory flip-flopped like a fish out of water, and it bugged the hell out of him.
“Why don’t I take care of the selling, and you do the wrapping? If that’s all right with you.”
“Yes.”
Liam scowled, his head aching again. He couldn’t tell if it was the exertion or something else. No time for self-pity. Tamsin needed help, and he wanted to do this for Sienna and her family. He pushed the pain aside and rapidly repriced the items.
Cars arrived, pulling into the car park, and many people stopped to browse the cups and other items on the table. They chattered, clearly familiar with each other.
“Where’s your hubby?” a blonde asked while picking up a blue and white platter.
“Harold has an appointment to see the mayor. Some business thing,” a dark-haired woman said. “I hope his mood improves. We have a Hunt Ball tonight, and it won’t be any fun if he’s in a grump.”
“Ply him with a few drinks first,” the blonde advised. “I’ll take this platter, please.” She handed it to Tamsin while Liam took care of the payment.
That was the start of their sales, and trade was brisk for the plates, cups, and saucers. The tumblers didn’t sell as well, but if the lemonade vendor arrived, he had a plan and a proposition for the man.
“We’re selling at the higher price,” Tamsin whispered, sounding more animated. “We’re doing better here than in the main market.”
“It’s because people can nip back to their cars and put away their purchases instead of carrying them around.”
“Maybe,” Tamsin said. “Uh-oh. Here comes the lemonade seller. He does not look happy.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with him. What’s his name?”
“Tony,” Tamsin said.
Liam steeled himself and prepared to sell his scheme. “Hello, I’m Liam. I hope you don’t mind sharing your spot. They oversold the market spaces, and we had nowhere to go. I have a plan to help both of us sell more. Perhaps we could discuss it while I help you set up?”