“I am.” I return her smile with one of my own.
“I’m so pleased to meet you! Bernie has said such wonderful things about you! And so has Donna. She’s so happy to have Fridays off! She’s been wanting to take some recreational courses the next town over, and now she can.”
“She told me about that! I’ve seen some of her stained glass projects, and they’re beautiful.”
“They are, aren’t they? It’s so lovely that she finally has the opportunity to pursue some of her own interests. Not that she hasn’t been a big help for Bernie, but I’m sure you know how it is. It’s nice to be able to focus on the things we love more as we get older.”
“Absolutely. I think it’s great that she’s taking time to try new things.”
“Exactly! You’re never too old to find a new hobby. And she’s even sold a couple of pieces, so her hobby is paying for itself. She’s been invited to a craft fair in the fall, so she’s planning on making all kinds of fall-inspired stained glass to sell.”
“That’s great! And it’s actually part of the reason I’m here today.”
She offers me a seat in her office, and I share my idea with her. The main street in downtown Pearl Lake is short, and often busy in the summer with all the vacationers. The street leading to South Beach isn’t as high traffic, since it’s mostly locals who use that beach, but it could be the perfect place for a farmers’ market.
“We used to have one years ago, but they can be expensive to run, and not everyone can afford the table fees. They started letting out-of-towners participate, and it stopped being about the community, so the locals didn’t want to be part of it anymore. Plus, there’s cleanup after the event, and you’d need to have enough vendor interest for it to be worthwhile.”
“I agree. I’m thinking twenty or so vendors, and maybe we could poll the community at the next town council meeting to gauge interest? I can write up a proposal and present it. I’d also be more than happy to organize everything. I think it would be a great way to help bolster the small businesses. We could start with an end-of-summer event and see how it goes?”
“I don’t think it hurts to see if people would be interested. It’s a big project, though; are you sure you want to take it on all by yourself?”
“I used to do some event organization when I worked in the city, so this isn’t too outside the realm of what I’m used to.”
“Well, if you’re up for it, then I say go for it. The next town council meeting is a week from Monday.”
“That’s perfect. I’ll have a proposal ready, and if it’s okay, I’ll send it to you first?”
“Of course. You can bring it in, and we can talk it over and make any necessary tweaks before the council meets.”
She walks me out and shakes my hand. “Your grandmother would be proud of you and your brother.”
My heart squeezes at the compliment. I didn’t get to spend as much time with Grammy Bee as Van did, but I know she was an active and well-loved member of this community. “Thank you, that means a lot.”
My shift at the Town Pub starts in an hour, so I jump back in my car and head in that direction. I fish around in my purse for the energy drink I tossed in there. Despite waking up late, I’m still tired from the broken sleep. I crack the tab and gulp down half of it in the parking lot.
It doesn’t hurt to show up early, and if I sit around in my car, waiting for four, I’m liable to fall asleep. Louis calls me behind the bar as soon as I walk through the door, the afternoon rush having already started, and tosses me an apron.
The usual suspects begin filtering in. By four thirty the bar is lined with locals, chatting about the weather, weekend plans, and how they can’t wait for the buggy season to be over. At seven thirty, Aaron takes his seat at the bar, and I make him a root beer float and order him the special.
I don’t expect him to hang around, since he was up late last night and still has to work tomorrow, but like last night, he hangs out with a few of the local guys, playing pool and alternating between soda water and root beer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him order a beer that didn’t have root attached to it, and the story Allie told me last night sort of explains why.
The crowd starts to dissipate around eleven, and instead of keeping me until close tonight, Louis has Audrey stay, since there are still at least half a dozen tables open and the bar has quieted.
Aaron is still hanging around when I cash out, so he walks me to my car. I can’t decide if I want to invite him back to my place again or if I should wait to see if he brings it up. I frown when I notice one side of my car sits lower than the other.
“That doesn’t look right,” I mutter.
“Oh shit. You’ve got a flat.” Aaron rounds the side of my car and bends to look at the driver’s side tire. He has to use the flashlight on his phone since the lights in the parking lot aren’t that bright. “That tire is going to need replacing.”
“Do you think someone did this on purpose?” I bite my fingernail. My car stands out in this lot. Mostly it’s work trucks and older cars. There aren’t a lot of BMW convertibles on this side of the lake.
Aaron arches a brow. “Not likely. It’s probably a nail or something. That kinda thing happens all the time around here.”
“You’re sure? You don’t think I made someone mad? Maybe I need to trade in my car for something less”—I motion to the convertible—“pretentious.”
“You’re literally the friendliest person on the face of the earth. Everyone here loves you,” Aaron says.
“Right. Okay.” I blow out a breath and drop it. This isn’t the city, where people slash tires because they don’t like the make of your car. Or the fact that your younger brother is a convicted felon. “I have a spare. It’s in the trunk. Should we put it on?”
“I can do that for you,” Aaron offers.
“Maybe you could show me how?” I’d like to be able to change my own tires.
“Yeah, for sure I can, but it’d probably be better in the morning, when we can see what we’re doing.”
“That makes sense.” I’ll either have to call a cab in the morning or have Dillion drop me off, and walk here after my shift at Bernie’s to pick up my car.
“You wanna stay at my place tonight? It’s real close by. We could come back before I go to work, and I’ll show you how to change the tire. You’ll still have plenty of time to go home and shower before you need to be at Bernie’s, if we get up early enough.”
“Are you sure?” This is the first time Aaron has invited me back to his place in the weeks that we’ve been seeing each other. I don’t want to pass up the opportunity, but I also don’t want to make this his problem.
“Yup. It’s right on my way to work.”
“Let me check to make sure I have what I need.” I pull the rolled-up pants and shirt I always carry around in my purse out and hand them to Aaron.