Chapter Seven
“Hey, hey, the gang’s all here,” I muttered when I pulled into the parking lot at Evergreen Acres.
Cameron had owned the tree farm for years, but the school-to-work program had only been in operation for about four or five years.
The program continued to grow and had been a resounding success.
It had become a blueprint of sorts for other communities that wanted to start a similar program.
Bells Pass was fortunate to have a private benefactor to bankroll it, which most communities didn’t have.
However, those communities had found creative ways to fund their programs.
There was a knock on the window, and I jumped, hitting the horn by accident while Ivy bent over, laughing and slapping her leg. Because, of course, she thought it was hilarious. I pushed the door open and gave her a stink eye.
“I was worried you’d died in there,” she said when I straightened. “Turns out you were just lost in thought.”
“You could say I was aligning my chakras before I went into a meeting that I didn’t have the agenda for.”
She shoulder-bumped me as we walked toward the farm store and test kitchen. “Eden came to me this morning and said she’d told you last night that Lance was leaving. When she learned you didn’t know, she was worried you were hurt, and I was going to be mad.”
“I told her it was fine,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m happy for Lance.”
“But you were still hurt that you didn’t know before everyone else,” Ivy said, pulling me up short. “I didn’t think you’d hear before our meeting today, but I should have known better in Bells Pass.”
“Don’t think another thing of it,” I said, wanting to move on with the day. “You know I’ve got your back, so anything you need, I’m here to help with no matter what.”
Ivy put her arm around me and squeezed. Once inside the farm store, it smelled of cinnamon and evergreens. It always felt like home the moment you walked in. I stopped by the store’s checkout counter when I noticed the new display. “Where did these gorgeous mums come from?”
“The Poinsettia Parlor,” Ivy answered while bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Turning to her, I lifted a brow. “How? They closed last year after Scarlet passed away.”
Ivy held up her finger. “It was a temporary shuttering until the new owner could get a handle on everything. The property had become rather run-down, so Brailynn spent the last year repairing the greenhouses and growing her first crop of plants.”
“Brailynn? Wait, Brailynn Adams?”
“Yes!” Ivy said enthusiastically. “Scarlet was her aunt. She worked in Saginaw as a florist for years because the public transportation system made it easier for her to get around. When Scarlet got sick, she moved here to help care for her.”
“She lives alone?” I asked, and she nodded. “Is that safe? Not to state the obvious, but she’s blind. The Poinsettia Parlor isn’t too far from here, which is still a long way from town.”
“She’s got Lily,” Ivy answered, and I snorted.
“Yes, because that love bug of a golden retriever is going to hurt a flea.”
“Lily might be her guide dog, but around the farm, she’s also her early warning system.
However, to put your mind at ease, she has a security system and has hired a handyman to do the repairs.
She’s made the greenhouse accessible for the blind and those with visual disabilities, so we’re considering asking her if she’d like to be part of the school-to-work program once she has a few crops under her belt.
She has some beautiful arrangements at the greenhouse, and I hope everyone supports her.
Cameron and Becca have been helping her get into town since they’re always running back and forth with the van. ”
“That’s true,” I said, biting my lip. “Let her know if she ever needs anything, I’m always happy to swing by now that I know she’s back in business. Lord knows I’m out here enough, too.”
Ivy smiled her, ‘I have a secret’ smile. “And you don’t even know the half of it,” she said, motioning me down the hallway.
“Where is everyone?” The space was void of voices or people.
When I walked into the meeting room, I wasn’t surprised to see Lance, Cameron, and Stephan, the farm store’s manager.
I was surprised to see Indigo. “Good morning,” I said, hugging Indie before accepting a hug from Stephan.
He pressed a cup of coffee into my hands with a wide grin.
Stephan had been the first school-to-work participant at the farm and the reason the program exists today.
Cameron had seen his potential and nurtured his skills into a career.
Stephan was truly a joy, and the main reason people returned to the farm year after year. We all knew it.
“Now that we’re all here, we may as well jump right in,” Cameron said, and heads nodded around the group.
“I’m sure you’re all aware by now that I’m leaving the diner,” Lance said to another round of head nodding. “There are multiple reasons for that decision. Do you want to hear them, or should we skip over that part?”
We all laughed, and I noticed Indie shoved him playfully in the arm. It was Ivy who spoke. “Share them. That's why we're here.”
“Well,” Lance said, motioning out the door of the room.
“The training kitchen here has become a full-time job in itself, but I’m still working several shifts every week at the diner as a trainer for the new cooks.
Even with flexibility for those shifts, it’s challenging to schedule events and classes when the kids can also be here.
Couple that with the need to get rides back and forth because I can’t drive, and it has become a hindrance to everyone. ”
Lance was in an accident as a child, and the subsequent traumatic brain injury resulted in the inability to read or write.
While he could before the accident, the part of his brain that would help him learn again was too damaged.
He wears special glasses that Cameron bought for him, which will read books and recipes aloud, but they aren’t for driving.
That was one of the reasons he’d worked at the diner for so many years.
He could walk or bike to work. The diner had a complete system in place for the menu, allowing him to read orders with a special pen he had at the time.
As technology evolved, it became easier for him to advance in his career; however, transportation would always be a hurdle in a smaller town without buses or cabs.
“You’re not a hindrance,” I said immediately. “But I’ve noticed that things have gotten considerably more complicated over the summer.”
“Which is partly your fault,” Stephan said with a grin.
“My fault? What did I do?” I asked, feigning horror, but secretly I was a bit worried. What had I done?
“You came up with the Spanish Rooster, and now we can’t make tortillas fast enough,” Lance said as he laughed. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back!”
“He’s kidding,” Indie said. “The straw that broke the camel’s back wasn’t straw or camel. It was two lines.”
“Two lines?” I asked in confusion until I noticed Ivy and Becca smirking. “Oh my God, two lines!”
Ivy’s squeal was followed by at least five whole minutes of hugging and crying before everyone could find their seats again. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? When are you due?” Ivy asked.
“I’m due in April, but we waited until I was further along to tell people. It’s been tough working at the bakery with the morning sickness.”
“Trust me when I say I understand that on the deepest level. Working at the diner with morning sickness? Yeah, there were a few days I didn’t think I’d make it!” Ivy said, laughter spilling from her lips. “I’m so happy for you guys! Tell us what we can do to help, and we’ll do it.”
“You’re already doing it,” Lance said, motioning around the room. “This will simplify our lives. Once the baby is born, we can alternate shifts, and that will keep us from needing daycare.”
“You’re always welcome to bring the baby,” Becca said. “I’m here with Hope and can help you.”
“Thank you, Becca, but that’s above and beyond,” Indie said, to which Becca and Cameron both shook their heads.
“It’s what family does, and we’re all family,” Cameron said.
“And I excel at rocking babies!” Stephan said enthusiastically.
We all laughed because he wasn’t wrong. He’d tamed more than one fussy baby during Saturday family time at the farm.
“That’s our way of saying we’ve got your back. All of that said, I’m not sure why I’m here other than to be reprimanded for selling too many tacos?”
Cameron chuckled. “That’s Jaelyn’s way of getting the show back on the road, so let’s do that. Speaking of the road, we’ve put a lot of miles on that truck already this season.”
“Have we?” I asked, surprised. “We haven’t taken it out of Bells Pass. Is that why it broke down?”
“No,” Ivy said, waving her hand. “You noticed the temp was running hot, and it turns out the thermostat was going, so we replaced it. While it was there, they gave it a full tune-up, but said otherwise it’s in great shape.”
“What I meant was,” Cameron said, “we got some time under our belt with it and discovered how successful a food truck can be here.”
“Oh,” I said, nodding at how much sense that made. “We have done that. I’m sad that it’s over for the season. The kids and their mentors really hit their groove with it, but now it’s time to wrap for the year. We had a great time with the social media account as well.”
“What if we said it wasn’t over?” Ivy asked, and I blinked in confusion.
“It’s going to be a bit cold in another month for people to eat outside. Not to mention, for those of us inside the truck.”
“Unless the truck is parked here and used for the tree farm,” Cameron said.