Teaberry Farmers Market

by R A Wallace

  “Yes, I am. I just came from the florist shop and thought I’d look around. You?”

  “I’ve been trying to get my bearings around town. It looked interesting, so I thought I’d walk around and see what they have.” Ross glanced around, realizing that they were blocking foot traffic. “Mind if I walk with you?”

  “Not at all. I was going that way,” Susan said, pointing down an aisle.

  “I just got here, so any direction you want to go is fine with me.” Ross fell in step with Susan and they wove around other people as they continued navigating the rows. Periodically, Ross would use his arm to shield Susan from the jostling of the crowd or put his hand at the small of her back to guide her around another knot of people. They discovered that they were attracted to similar things. Both seemed to pause to look at things at the same time.

  “So, did you find out everything you wanted to know about the building you were looking at?” Susan asked.

  “Not yet. The real estate agent did his homework before he met with me and was able to answer most of my questions but said he’d meet with me again this afternoon to give responses to my most difficult questions,” Ross said as they paused waiting for the group in front of them to move away from one of the vendors.

  “That’s Stan for you. He was that way in school too. Always willing to go the extra mile.”

  Ross glanced at Susan. “You two went to school together?” Ross asked.

  Susan nodded as she picked up a bar of homemade soap. “And his wife too.”

  “I thought he looked older than you,” Ross said without thinking as he glanced at another bar of soap. It said it was pear and honey. He looked over at Susan and saw she was blushing. He thought back to what he’d said and grinned. “Well, he does.”

  Susan shook her head and smiled back at him. “So, are you thinking of buying the building? Or is that something you’d rather not discuss. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “Oh, it won’t be a secret. I still need to check on some facts, but once I make my decision, I’ll let you know. Would my decision about buying the building or not affect your answer if I asked you to dinner tonight?” Ross asked as they began walking again.

  Susan looked up at Ross surprised and shook her head. “Dinner sounds nice. Buying the building is a business decision. I was a business woman for decades. I understand how it works.”

  “I’ll let you pick the place. I’ve already had some good food at a barbeque place here so I know there are some good restaurants.”

  “That sounds like the Station Pub & Grill. One of the owners is dating my daughter,” Susan said.

  Ross pulled out his phone, keyed in his security code, and pulled up his contact list then handed it to Susan. “Here, type in your phone number so I have it.” He pocketed his phone when she handed it back to him. “Thanks for letting me tag along and I’m looking forward to tonight. I need to go meet Stan now.”

  Susan watched him walk away into the crowd. When she turned to walk down the last aisle of the farmers market, she saw Bev Dempsey and waved to get her attention.

  “Hey, fancy meeting you here,” Susan greeted Bev with a smile. “Where’s Vince?”

  “Oh, he went fishing with some buddies. I’ll be seeing him tonight for dinner though.” They fell into step together and walked down the aisle slowly.

  Susan looked closely at her friend. She was wearing a fashionable top and matching capris. Her blonde hair had silver shot through it and was fashionably styled. Susan suddenly thought of her own short black hair now showing streaks of gray. Both Susan and Bev were in their mid-fifties and both were widowed. Bev had been dating Vince for quite some time now.

  “What’s it like, dating at our age?” Susan asked her friend.

  Bev looked at Susan quickly. “This sounds like a serious question. Is there someone you’re thinking of dating?”

  Susan nodded. “We have plans for dinner tonight. At least, we agreed to have dinner. We haven’t made the plans yet. He’s going to call me for the details.”

  “Is this someone you just met?” Bev asked.

  Susan nodded.

  “Well, Vince and I can change our plans if you need us to. You decide. If you want us to join you for dinner or just drinks, to help you with your first date, we can do that.” Bev stopped and looked at her friend. “I really mean that. If you think you would be more comfortable with more people around, that’s what you should do. We’ll be in town and can just meet you wherever you are.”

  Susan thought about it. It was a generous offer. Then she thought about the comfortable morning she’d just spent shopping with Ross. “I appreciate the offer, and I would like to have you meet him. But I think I’ll be okay on my own tonight.”

  “If not, you have my number,” Bev said as they got to the end of the aisle.

  Susan smiled her thanks and headed home. She needed to figure out what she was going to wear.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Megan worked her way up and down each aisle at the farmers market, taking pictures and speaking with people along the way that she encountered about Cybil Lacey. She saw a lot of people that she knew as she walked around. She was just rounding the end of another row when she ran into Jessilyn with her son Evan.

  “Hey, doing a little shopping?” Megan asked. She smiled down at Evan who offered her a toothless grin in return.

  “I’ve decided that we need to have real family time together at meals and that we need to eat a little healthier. I want to take advantage of the farmers market that I spend hours during the week working on to get some fresh produce for the Brewer family,” Jessilyn said. “We’re going to have more sit down dinners from now on, right buddy?”

  Megan smiled at Evan’s vigorous nodding. “I know what you mean. I have struggled with the same situation. I often cook for just one and it’s tempting to even skip meals sometimes.”

  “I’m ashamed to say that I often eat standing up,” Jessilyn said with a rueful smile. She glanced down at Megan’s camera. “Are you taking pictures for the web site?”

  “I am.” Megan looked up at Jessilyn’s hair. “Who usually does your hair?”

  Jessilyn chuckled as she reached down and wrapped her hand around Evan’s head, pulling him gently toward her to get him out of the way of a group of people that wanted to walk by. “You’re sleuthing again, right? I go to Irlene.”

  “Did you know Cybil?”

  Jessilyn glanced down at Evan before answering. “I did, but we didn’t hit it off.” Jessilyn’s eyed telegraphed more.

  “Did she ever cut your hair?” Megan asked.

  “No, I just didn’t think we would be a good fit for each other. She seemed to have a lot of ideas for changing my style and she was always asking a lot of questions about my personal life.” Jessilyn looked back down at Evan. “She certainly seemed interested in Evan and the fact that I was single.”

  Megan wondered if Cybil was hoping for more blackmail material. “She wanted to change my style too. I probably should do that but this one fits my lifestyle.” Megan noticed that Evan was getting fidgety. “I’ll let you two go. I have one more aisle to go through.”

  Her next stop was with a guy that sold ceramic artwork. He introduced himself as Earl Foster. He was probably in his fifties, Megan guessed. His artwork was pretty interesting. Megan thought he probably did pretty well selling his work at the farmers market. Several people slowed when they walked past his tent. Others stopped and picked things up to look at them more closely or to find the price on them. She waited until there was a break in the crowd around her and then asked him questions as she took some pictures of his work. “Were you here last week during the hair cutting competition?”

  “Oh, sure. I’m here all summer. They tried to talk me into a haircut, but I do it myself.” Earl ran his hand over his buzz cut. “I have one of those electric razors at home. I just run it around my head.”

  Megan looked at Earl’s cut. “Well, you do a good job. I do mine too,
but I don’t use a razor.” Megan smiled her thanks as she moved out of the way of another group that wanted to look at Earl’s art and continued on her way.

  A tent with a table that had homemade signs everywhere was next. There were signs hanging from the tent and signs on the table. Most had short funny statements, others were more romantic. The female vendor was around Megan’s age, or maybe a little older. Her dark hair was cut short and she was dressed for summer in shorts and a tee.

  There didn’t appear to be as much interest in her work. There weren’t as many people crowding around to get closer to her tent. Megan walked up to the table and held her camera up to the vendor. “Hi, I’m Megan. Mind if I take a few pictures for the town web site?”

  “Hi, I’m Janine Taylor. You can definitely put my stuff online. Anything that would help it to sell better.” Janine looked around. “This crowd doesn’t seem to be buying.”

  “Were you here last weekend?” Megan asked.

  “Yeah, I did a little better last weekend,” Janine said as she positioned a sign to make it easier for Megan to photograph it, holding it up so the words were visible. “I’m not sure this is the right market for my stuff.”

  “Have you been at the farmers market in other years?” Megan asked.

  “Not this one. I move around a lot. At least this place has trees for shade here and there. I’ve been in some towns where you’re out in the heat of the sun all day. I mean, the tents help, but still.” Janine looked around at the people walking past her table as she spoke.

  “Yes, I like our town square. I’ve always loved the water fountain,” Megan said.

  Janine snorted. “It’s way better than the stupid one where I grew up. They had a peace sign for a water fountain. Can you believe it?” Janine shook her head.

  Megan wasn’t sure why that would be a bad thing. “Do you know anyone in Teaberry?”

  Janine shook her head. “No, I just travel around, selling my things. I read about the farmers market here online and thought I’d test out the area.”

  “Were you involved with the contest last week?” Megan asked.

  “That hair cutting thing? No. I stayed away from that.” Janine put a ‘Be Right Back’ sign up on her table. “Sorry, gotta go find a restroom.”

  Megan watched her walk away. She’d been gone from Lauren for a long time. Although Lauren hadn’t texted Megan to say that she needed help, Megan still felt guilty for leaving her cousin alone for so long. She quickly made her way back to their tent.

  “Did you get enough pictures for the town web site?” Lauren asked after finishing a transaction with an older couple.

  “I did. Jessilyn will be happy with what I have, I’m sure. I’ll edit the photos and upload them tomorrow. Were you okay here?” Megan asked.

  “I was busy but that’s a good thing. We’ve sold quite a bit today. It’s a great crowd. Did you find any more pieces to your puzzle of Cybil’s death?” Lauren asked as she sat down on her chair.

  Megan thought about everything she’d learned as she spoke to people. Something was tugging at her brain, but she wasn’t sure yet what it was. “Maybe.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The cool shower when Megan got home from the farmers market felt great. She thought about her conversation with Jessilyn about taking the time to make sure there were healthy options for dinner and that she wanted family time. Megan realized that having Dan come over for dinner was giving her the feeling of a family meal.

  She enjoyed working with him in the kitchen. He seemed to enjoy cooking and cleaning with her. Megan had taken some pork chops out to thaw before she’d left for the farmers market. They had already made a large salad the night before. She had some cabbage from the garden for slaw. And, there was no shortage of zucchini. It would be great on the grill with the chops.

  Which got Megan thinking. Applesauce always goes great with chops too. She went down into the basement and got some frozen apples out that she had cleaned and cut in the fall for pies, cakes, or sauce. She opened the zippered bag and took the frozen apple slices out. After putting them in a heavy saucepan, she poured some water in the bottom of the pan so that the apples wouldn’t burn. Then she turned the burner on low. The apple slices would thaw soon enough, and Megan could mash them with the cooking spoon and add a little sugar.

  The applesauce was cooling in the fridge by the time Dan pulled in to the driveway. He let himself into the front door and greeted Megan in the kitchen. “Is your guest out tonight?”

  Megan leaned in for a kiss. “He called me earlier and said he has a dinner date. He seems like a nice man.”

  “From what I’ve seen of him so far, he does. I brought my overnight bag with me. Are you okay with me staying again?” Dan asked.

  Megan didn’t want to get interrupted this time. “How about we sit on the back porch with some wine. I’ll leave my phone in here.”

  “This sounds serious,” Dan said as he followed Megan out to the porch.

  She took a seat on the thickly cushioned rattan sofa and patted the space next to her. “It is serious. I think we should talk about what we both have in mind for our future.” Megan had been spending a lot of time thinking about her future. She knew that she wanted Dan to be a part of it. But only if they were going to be a team. A team that had the same goals. A team that supported each other in those goals.

  Dan sat with his wine glass between his hands. “I want a future together. I thought I’ve made that clear.”

  Megan nodded. “You have. But what I’m not sure about is what does that future together look like to you?”

  Dan looked at Megan in confusion. “What do you mean? I want marriage. You know that, right?”

  “I do,” Megan nodded, then saw Dan’s hopeful look. “But what about this farm?”

  Dan looked confused again. “The farm? I’d help you, of course. Like with the oscillating sprayer in the garden. I have a lot of ideas.”

  “But you see us being here?” Megan asked, unwilling to make any assumptions on her own.

  Understanding showed on Dan’s face. “Ah, honey.” He took Megan’s wine glass from her hands and set both glasses on the table next to him before taking Megan’s hands in his. “I never thought you’d question that. I know how much you love this place. I just assumed I’d live here and help you.”

  Megan took a deep breath. That sounded good, but she still wasn’t one hundred percent certain. “With the farm?”

  Dan nodded, watching Megan’s face. “The farm, the B&B, the farmers market, even finding your puzzle pieces. Whatever you want to do. We’ll do it together. How does that sound to you?”

  Finally, Megan allowed herself to smile. “Pretty close to perfect.”

  “So, that’s a yes on me staying here tonight?” Dan asked with a grin.

  Megan grinned back and nodded before kissing Dan. Later, he handed back her wine glass. “How are you doing with your puzzle?”

  Megan sighed and sat back in the sofa, snuggling next to Dan. “I think I learned something important today but I’m not sure what. I talked to a lot of different people. Some of them knew Cybil. Most who knew her didn’t seem to like her. She needed ammunition against them, so she was always asking people personal questions. That put a lot of them off.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “Most of the vendors from out of town said they didn’t know her.” Something pulled at Megan again.

  “Where was Cybil from anyway? I don’t think I ever heard,” Dan said.

  Megan thought back to the previous weekend. “She told me that she was from someplace called Halcyon. Do you know it?” Megan asked.

  “I get some supplies from a town near there, I think.” Dan pulled his phone out and turned it back on, holding it up so Megan could see. “I turned it off so we wouldn’t be interrupted.”

  Megan smiled as he pulled up his map app and typed in Halcyon. “Yeah, that looks right,” Dan said.

  Megan looked over at his phone.
“Cybil said it was a stupid name for a town. I always rather liked that word. I’m pretty sure the word means calm.”

  “Really? Me too. I always liked it. I wonder how the town got its name?” Dan entered the name into his search engine. He held up his phone so they could both read the results.

  Megan read from the page. “It says Halcyon means calm or peaceful. That is nice and I was right about the name meaning.” Then she drew her eyes together in concentration. That fragment of a thought that had been pulling at her brain suddenly made sense. She had the piece to the puzzle that she’d been looking for.

  “It looks nice,” Dan agreed, enlarging the image on his phone. “Look, they have a picture of their town square on their web site.”

  Megan looked at the picture of the Halcyon town square with the peace sign water fountain and stood up. “I need to call Erica.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Caitlyn and Doug arrived early to help Megan and Dan get ready for the party. They’d finally found a day that everyone was available to celebrate Erica and Brad’s marriage. The fact that they were now expecting only added to the celebration. Caitlyn brought balloons filled with helium and situated them in various places on the porch. They were attractively grouped and were tied to a festively-wrapped weight to keep them in place.

  Megan covered the table under the canvas canopy tent near the grill with a table cover that said Congratulations. The side dishes and desserts were all prepared. The meat would be grilled once everyone had arrived. There was a large tub filled with ice and beer near the grill. Megan glanced over at Dan and Doug as they discussed their plan of attack for grilling the meat. Dan had been true to his word when they had discussed their future together as a team. They had prepared for this party as a team from the original planning down to the execution.

  Lauren and Justin arrived first with Mia and Noah. The children barely acknowledged the adults as they ran straight to the chicken coop first and then to the paddock fence to get a look at the miniature donkeys and sheep in the field. They were thrilled when the curious donkeys left the field and entered the paddock, walking over to thrust their muzzles out through the fence toward tiny eager hands.