Chapter 17
Seventeen
The following week, after successfully integrating a hair growth tonic into her selection, which she had tested with great and annoyingly persistent success on a spot on her left leg, Mira finally got around to putting together the large batch of tree fertiliser Eren had asked for.
She finally felt confident that not only would it not kill any trees in the Baker orchard, but it would, in fact, be beneficial to their growth.
A pannier strapped to her back holding a large jug of the bright orange liquid – this time a completely normal colour, as she had confirmed with both her recipe book and Yoni – Mira headed for the Baker property in the late afternoon.
If she didn’t dawdle, she’d make it just in time for Friday dinner at the Peckish Pelican with Kayden and Yoni.
There was a roast special on the menu, with caramelised carrots and gravy, and it sounded positively divine.
When she approached the house, there was barking somewhere nearby. A moment later, Poppy shot out from behind the greenhouse, bounding in circles around Mira until she grabbed the dog by the ears and began scratching, much to Poppy’s delight.
“There you go, you terrible bother,” Mira cooed. “Will you let me drop this off now, it’s disgustingly heavy, and I don’t think you’re going to help me carry it.”
“Oh, she is helping.” Mira looked up when Eren left the greenhouse. “She’s providing moral support.”
“Of course,” Mira said dryly. She put the pannier down with a relieved sigh. “That’s your tree juice, by the way.”
“My… oh!” He hurried over, wiping his hands on his apron. “You brought that here? Cassia was supposed to pick that up this week after she delivered the produce to Harper.”
“If she was, nobody told me about it,” Mira replied. “This has been sitting in my store room for a week, and frankly I got tired of tripping over it.”
“Sorry. I should’ve left her a note. She’s so busy with the cherries and the peaches right now, we barely talk until late at night.”
“It’s fine.” Grimacing, Mira rubbed her shoulders, trying to ignore Poppy’s whining. “Mostly. She can definitely come pick up the next one though.”
Eren hefted the jug. “I’ll remind her.”
He disappeared behind the house, presumably to store the fertiliser until they needed it. Mira watched him go when something persistently bumped into her knees.
“Woof!”
Mira bent down and began scratching Poppy’s ears again. “Yes, yes. I haven’t forgotten about you.”
Poppy was insistent enough that Mira was still petting her when Kayden appeared around the corner of the house. He had black stains on his hands and a sour expression on his face that lifted a little when he spotted Mira.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
“Delivering something.” Mira grinned sheepishly. “Don’t worry, it’s a one-off, I’m not taking away your job.”
“You don’t know how much of a relief that is to hear,” he said, but the humour in his tone seemed half-hearted at best. “Seems that I’m not as good at repairs as I thought I was, so I might need those delivery jobs.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I think it’s not the pump, but a problem with the well.” He sighed wearily. “I’d give you a ride back to dinner, but I’m afraid this will take a while. You and Yoni go ahead and eat, I don’t know if I can make it tonight.”
“Oh. That’s a bummer.”
Mira couldn’t help but notice the strained undertone. She badly wanted to ask more, because between this and the ever-lowering water line at the spring, she was beginning to worry. But he looked so tired that she didn’t want to hold him up any more than she already had.
“I suppose at least Cassia and Eren won’t let you starve.”
He chuckled weakly. “No, there’s always pie to be had here.”
“Figures.” Mira picked up her empty pannier and slung it back on her shoulders. “See you later, I hope.”
“Fingers crossed.”
The way back into town seemed longer, even with the weight off.
Probably on account of Mira being hungry enough to bite the table by the time she arrived at the Pelican.
She was a little early, but even so, she’d barely sat down and shoved the pannier under the table when she saw Yoni come through the door and look around.
“Over here!”
Superfluous, seeing as they almost always sat at the same table. But Yoni smiled – thinly, but she did – and came over, sitting down opposite Mira.
“I didn’t think you’d ever be the first.”
Mira chuckled sheepishly. “I came from the Baker orchard, dropped something off.” She sighed. “I met Kayden there, he’s fighting the broken pump again. He said not to wait for him and just eat without him.”
“Oh.” Yoni seemed a little tense all of a sudden. “Is everything all right? He said something about that, but…”
“He seems to know where the problem lies,” Mira replied cautiously. Unsure whether she should blurt out his suspicions about the water levels in public. “Might have something to do with what we saw at the spring.”
“I see.” Yoni’s brows sharply pulled together. “Maybe it’s time to see the mayor during business hours.” She sighed. “Ah. Not like we can do anything about that now.” Her smile, as pointed as everything about her, was a little thin. “Do you still want to have dinner?”
“Why not?” Mira tapped the paper on the table, Emilia’s handwriting decorated with flourishes. “Matteo made a roast tonight, and I am not leaving here without trying it.”
“Fair enough, the roast is always worth it.”
Which meant that they both ordered it as soon as Emilia stopped by their table, looking equal parts cheerful and tired.
Mira tried not to envy her. For everything that was going wrong in Emberglen, the inn seemed to be doing just fine.
The optimist in her wanted to attribute that to the quality of the food.
The realist wondered if it had anything to do with people trying to ignore reality and find some solace at the bottom of a glass.
“You should ask him to do your deliveries.”
“Hm?” Mira glanced back at Yoni. “Who?”
“Kayden, I mean. Seems like it would take up a lot of time to do that all yourself.”
“Well, this time, apparently Cassia was supposed to come by and pick it up, which neither I nor Cassia were told about, it seems.”
Yoni snorted. “That sounds about right.” She traced the rim of her glass. “Still, Kayden would be happy to do it, and I promise his fees are fair.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Mira felt a little warmth rising into her cheeks. “I just sort of. Didn’t think about it.”
Which once again showed why she had been much better off working for someone else’s business rather than managing her own.
Well. Live and learn. She dug through her pocket and pulled out the small, battered notebook she’d taken to carrying around and made a quick note.
When she put it away, she found Yoni staring at her.
“What?”
“Do you just have that in your pocket?”
“Of course. How do you think I manage to remember anything?”
“I don’t know. Memory?”
Mira tapped her head. “Not enough space up there to hold it all, I’m afraid.” She rested her elbows on the table. “Besides, sometimes I need to write down a quick paragraph for later.”
“Right, you write.”
For a moment, Yoni seemed to wrestle with something. Couldn’t quite look Mira in the eye when she spoke again.
“Would you mind if I found a book of yours and read it?”
Mira blinked owlishly. “What do you mean, book? And why would I mind?”
Now Yoni did look up. “Don’t you write books?”
Mira laughed. “Flattering assumption, but no. I write shorter stories, mostly for magazines, and sometimes a serial for a paper. A book…” She snapped her teeth shut, a bout of self-consciousness making her face hot. “I’m working on one. It’ll be a while.”
“Oh. I see.” Yoni cleared her throat. “Where would I find those magazines?”
“Around here? Maybe Harper can order them, but they’re mostly based in Willow Harbour, I’ve only ever seen one at a news stand at the train station in Heartfield.” It took a little effort to continue. “I usually get a copy from the editor. If you want to borrow one some time.”
“Yes,” Yoni replied, somewhat abruptly. “I’d like to.”
Something exceedingly awkward hung in the air between them. Before Mira could examine it further and try to diffuse whatever it was, she was saved by the arrival of Emilia and – more importantly – their dinner.
“Here you go.” She put down a small plate with fluffy white bread. “For the gravy. Enjoy!”
She hurried away to answer a call from a neighbouring table, leaving Mira with the most delicious looking roast she had ever seen.
A thick slice of perfectly cooked meat with a side of equally perfect vegetables, drizzled in the thickest, smoothest gravy she had ever seen.
No, the optimist was probably right, whatever happened to Emberglen, the inn would outlast them all.
“Mhm, this looks amazing.”
Mira bent down to inhale deeply, and it smelled just as good as it looked. Opposite her, Yoni huffed out a laugh.
“You don’t have to stick your whole face into it.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Just because Poppy does it doesn’t mean it’s acceptable table manners.”
Mira rolled her eyes in mock offence. “Next you’ll be telling me I can’t eat the roast in two bites.”
“You’re welcome to try,” Yoni said dryly. “You’ll be happy to hear that I know exactly what to do when somebody chokes on their food. I hear it’s incredibly unpleasant to receive.”
Mira sighed deeply. “Fine, I’ll behave.”
“Trust me, it’s much better for your own enjoyment.”