David nodded. “Should we head home early though? Just to avoid any more sandy wind? I’d hate for something else to irritate her.”
“Yeah, good thinking. Why don’t you two go to the car,” Callie suggested. “I just have to stop at one more booth before I go, but I swear, I won’t be long.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” David said, laughing.
“I’m serious!” Callie clicked her tongue. “I’m just going to grab a few more veggies for this recipe I want to try. I’ll meet you all back at the car in five minutes.”
“Alright, but I’m timing you.”
Callie rolled her eyes and then dashed back into the crowd.
Chapter 2
Joshua’s graying black hair was tied back in a braid like always. His tanned skin contrasted beautifully against the crisp white shirt he wore at every market. It had the logo of his small, local farm on the front—Joshua’s Veggies.It was not only Callie’s favorite booth, but he was also her favorite vendor. Joshua always had the most delicious, most fresh vegetables to offer, and it didn’t hurt that he was quick with a smile.
“Callie!” He waved her over when he saw her approaching, flashing his white, charmingly crooked teeth. “I was hoping I’d see you today.”
“Hey, Joshua,” she said, smiling back—as if she could do anything else when a man as handsome as him looked at her that way. “I was just on my way back to the car, actually, but I couldn’t leave without stopping in and saying hello!”
“I’m glad you did. I put these aside just in case.” He bent down and grabbed a little wooden crate from underneath one of the tables. Inside, there were bright red tomatoes, shiny cucumbers, and multiple bushels of various herbs. She grinned when she saw them.
“Wow! Looks delicious! How’d you know I needed tomatoesandcucumbers for my recipe?”
Joshua winked. “Lucky guess.” He handed her the entire box without any mention of price, as always.
“No, I think you have a sixth sense about these things. I swear, every week I come by, you’ve got exactly what I need.”
“Be careful,” he said playfully. “Don’t go telling a man something like that unless you mean it.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I’ll take it to heart, and then one day, you’ll stop coming to the market. Then what am I going to do?”
“Never,” she assured him. “You’re stuck with me until… well, not to sound morbid, but I guess, until I die.”
“A true honor,” he said, before dropping his hand and sliding them both effortlessly into his pockets. “Is there anything else you need? I’ve got a few avocados left, but I can’t promise they’re any good. It’s a little late in the day and most things are picked over. I meant to snag a few earlier on, but it totally slipped my mind.”
“That’s alright.” Callie looked around even though she was on a time crunch. “I think I’m good. But I’m glad you’ve had a lot of buyers today. Seems like the market is pretty busy, even with it closing in thirty minutes.”
“Yeah, it’s great. This late in the season, a lot of people just assume the market is a bust and don’t come, but I think since the weather was so nice today, we got more than usual.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. “Anyway, how have things been with you?”
She smiled and tucked the box under one arm. “They’ve been good. I don’t know if you heard anyone talking about it around town, but David and I have a new house guest. Two. A young mom and her nine-month-old baby.”
He shook his head. “No, I must’ve missed that piece of gossip. Although, it always takes twice as long for news to get all the way out to the reservation.”
Joshua, who was Native American, lived part time in Ferndale and part time on the Hoopa reservation about two hours from town. His farm was located closer to Ferndale andhis only son had moved there with his wife and kids a few years back. Thus, Joshua stayed a few nights a week in the guest room of his son’s house and spent the rest of his time at the reservation. Callie had asked him once why he went back and forth, and he explained that he didn’t want to abandon his people just because his business started booming elsewhere.
Joshua cared deeply about his community, just like Callie did. It was one of the reasons they got along so well from the very first day they met.
“Are they family friends or what?” Joshua asked about Sasha and the baby.
“Oh, no.” Callie shook her head. “Up until a few weeks ago, they were complete strangers.”
He frowned at her. Callie laughed and then explained, “We’re sponsoring them. At least, that’s the word the social worker used, but I’m not sure if that has any official definition or anything. I’ve been using it to describe the situation, but sometimes it feels a little… weird. It reminds me of when you’d sponsor someone running a 5k or something.” She shrugged. “Anyway, she and her baby were living in a women’s shelter, but they needed something more stable, something safer, so we offered to take them in.”
“Oh, wow, that’s so nice of you,” he said.
She knew her smile was widening, but that always happened when she was around Joshua. He just had a way of making her feel…seen.
“It’s the least we could do, honestly,” she said, shyly looking down at the box full of vegetables. “We’ve got all those extra rooms and it’s stupid for them to just sit empty when there are people who could really use a place. Not to mention, Sasha and the baby are perfect houseguests. It’s been wonderful having them around.”
“That’s great! Does that mean David’s put some of his travel plans on hold, or…?”
