Chapter 16
Sixteen
With the store open – and slowly gaining more traction as Mira spent countless hours perfecting her basic recipes and attempting to learn new ones – Mira found herself on a schedule that was both familiar and wholly new.
Back in Willow Harbour, she had always worked around other people’s schedules; whether that was watching Paul after school, or coming in for an extra shift after receiving an early-morning telegram from Mr. Lewis that left no room to argue.
Whatever she had wanted to do, she’d have to fit it in whenever nobody else had any requests.
Now, she still had little free time to spare.
When she wasn’t at the till, she was in the back at the stove, and when she wasn’t dodging scalding drops of a failed experiment from the pot, she was maintaining her house and garden, or trying to work on her stories.
The next time she met up with Yoni for a walk seemed like a veritable escape.
Even if Mira nearly fell asleep in the shade of a large oak tree while Yoni was gathering her latchweed sprouts nearby.
It also meant that she had to fit in her shopping whenever she had a few hours to make the walk into town, usually in the afternoon.
As the year went on and summer was in full swing, every grocery run became a battle with the midday sun, and came with a promise to herself that she would figure out a better system, which she promptly forgot about as soon as she closed the door behind herself and poured herself a large glass of ice tea.
One day, at long last, she managed to make the trip early, right after breakfast. She’d woken at the crack of dawn, and with her shelves fully stocked from a long afternoon the day before, she had nothing to do to get the shop ready.
So she put up a sign in the shop window announcing that she’d be opening late today, grabbed her basket and grocery list, and gone off to do her weekend shopping, so she would actually be able to fully enjoy said weekend come closing time.
With the day crisp and clear, the walk into town went by much faster than it did when Mira dragged herself through a muggy afternoon.
She’d be a little early for the general store to be open, too.
Not too early for the town to be waking up though.
She passed by a lively group of children heading for the village green to enjoy the summer holiday, and a group of tired-looking adults waiting for the first carriage to Heartfield.
Kian was outside, decorating his display case while his daughter gave helpful suggestions.
And when she approached the main square, a deep rumbling announced a large waggon coming up the street.
When it turned the corner, Mira noticed the flash of golden yellow with disdain, wondering what kind of superfluous knick-knacks and gadgets Golden River would be selling this week.
Every time she saw one of those deliveries, she wondered where it all went.
The warehouse at the edge of town sure seemed too small to hold it all.
“…see what they are doing!”
When Mira turned onto the square, Harper’s voice cut across from where she was standing in front of her store next to a harried-looking man her age; Mayor Lloyd.
Harper was gesticulating sharply in Mira’s direction, who instinctively wondered what she had done wrong, before she realised with the next sentence that Harper was probably not talking about her.
“Anything that store might be doing for the town is temporary at best!”
“You can’t know that,” Mayor Lloyd replied. “It’s only been a little over a year, you of all people should know that you cannot get a business off the ground so quickly.”
“They’re Golden River, not Mira and her potions!”
Well, perhaps she had done something, though Harper had not noticed her yet. Mira probably wasn’t even supposed to hear this. Yet, she could not help but stop, half hidden by the still empty fountain, and listen.
“They have plenty of resources to deliver on those promises, and so far, I’m not seeing any of it.” Harper’s cheeks were flecked with red. “Matter of fact, did you notice how much worse many of us have been doing, incidentally, this past year?”
“Oh, please!” Lloyd huffed. “This town has been on the decline for much longer than Golden River has been here. If anything, they have brought the town some more employment opportunities.”
“People who would have otherwise worked for me, or Cassia, or at the inn.”
“Which you have told me yourself you cannot even afford.”
“Because they undercut all of us at every turn and take business they have no right to take!” Harper inched a little closer, and the Mayor flinched – almost retreating, but not quite.
“You have seen their prices. Oh, don’t look like you don’t know, I’ve seen you come out of that store!
There is simply no way they are making a profit at those prices, not with everything factored in.
They’re being subsidised, and you and I both know there’s only one reason for that. ”
“It’s a new store-”
“It’s soon going to be the only store! That’s what they do.
They make themselves so cheap that every store around them looks like they’re overcharging to the moon and back, and once all the customers have jumped ship to Golden River and they’re the only place left to shop at, prices oh so mysteriously have to be raised for business reasons. ”
Mayor Lloyd’s impressive moustache trembled. “Please. You cannot possibly know that this is going to happen.”
“I can, and you know that. Do you think I don’t have anyone to talk shop with? I’ve heard enough to know that I don’t want this store here another day.” Harper exhaled sharply and took a step back. “I know I can’t make you do anything, Milton, but at least I can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“That you have, many times,” Lloyd grumbled. “And I am telling you, things will be fine. We’ll soon get more opportunities, and a rising tide lifts all ships. You’ll see.”
“I hope for all our sakes that I will, but I’m not holding my breath, and frankly I don’t think anyone else is, either.”
With that, she turned and stalked away, back into her shop.
Mayor Lloyd looked after her for a moment.
With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand across his tightly braided salt-and-pepper hair and trotted off towards the town hall.
Mira waited until he was clear of the square before she cautiously approached More by Moore’s front door.
It was open, signalling free entry for customers, but she stopped and knocked anyway.
“Harper? Are you open?”
There was an oomph from behind the counter, and Harper’s curly head appeared from behind.
“Yes, as much as I would prefer drowning my sorrows in wine right now.”
Mira made her way over to her. “I thought you’d be more of a cider kind of person.”
“I like to look sophisticated while I lament the state of the world, dear.”
“Lamenting the yellow parrot?”
Harper made a noise that vaguely sounded like an angry dog. “That thing is an eyesore, and I wouldn’t mind if someone took it down and tossed it on the bonfire during the fair.” She eyed Mira. “I assume you heard?”
Mira toed at the floor. “The tail-end of it, I think. Can’t say I disagree.”
“Good to know that someone in this town still has some sense left, even if it’s not the people making decisions.”
“I heard you’d like to be the one making decisions next election.”
“Hah!” Harper’s grin was feral. “I’d love to, but I already lost last time, I don’t know how much of a chance I’ll have next time.”
“If it wasn’t a popular decision to give Golden River a business permit in town, maybe.”
Harper shrugged. “Might be. But a lot of the people who were really mad about that have left. You’ve seen the empty houses. The farms where nothing’s growing but weeds. Just a matter of time until they buy up the land, too, and then where do we go?”
“Have they been doing that?”
“I’ve heard they were knocking on doors not too long ago, but I haven’t seen it myself.
” Another grin. “Cassia said she’s considering getting a nice, big dog to chase them off if they ever come around again.
She even asked Kayden to borrow Poppy, but he just said she’d probably just corner the poor representative to play instead. ”
Mira snickered. “I think the only reason Poppy would chase anyone is to beg them for food.” She put both her basket and her list on the counter. “Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but I need to get back to the store, can I put down an order?”
“Sure, what do you need?” Harper studied the list and pulled out her notebook. “So the shop is going well?”
“Ah.” Mira tried not to feel too embarrassed. Compared to Harper’s shop, hers was a fledgling operation at best. “It’s going fine. For what it is.”
“What it is is one more place to shop that isn’t that infernal Golden River store,” Harper said, “and as far as I’m concerned, that is good news either way.”
With her basket full and a delicious flaky pastry already half gone by the time Mira left the square, she didn’t have it in her to hurry back.
Five more minutes wouldn’t matter, would they.
Besides, she still needed to stop by Kian’s for a honey restock.
Whatever it was about the local honey, it did make every potion come out just a little bit better.
Maybe the flowers were just that good. Though that also meant she went through a downright absurd amount of it, now that business was picking up a little.
“There you go.” He came out with a stack of five jars. “That’s thirty.”
Mira blinked rapidly. “What? Last week it was twenty-five.”
“Ah. I know.” He sighed. “My bees haven’t been as productive this year. Until I can figure out why, I’ve got to raise my prices. I hope it’s not forever,” he added quickly, “but I have some repairs coming up, so…”
“No, no, I understand.” With a groan, Mira dug through her purse. “I’ll live. Here.”
“Thanks. And I really am sorry.”
With a nod, Mira left him to his daughter, who was calling from somewhere inside the house.
Well. That wasn’t the worst financial hit, but if everything else followed suit, she’d have to do a whole new expense calculation, and perhaps raise her own prices, and if people thought she hadn’t earned that yet…
Mira laid her head back and sighed towards the heavens. Why couldn’t things just go smoothly at least for a little while?