“Yeah. Classic. You depend upon someone and they let you down,” she huffed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“No problem,” Sarah replied. “The market doesn’t open for another half an hour, and some vendors are nowhere near ready.”
Mia hung up, took care of the coolers and ice and was just bringing out the last tray of muffins when Caleb’s truck rolled down the drive. He climbed out, looking far too awake for this hour, and strode over.
“Morning,” he said. “We’ve hit a snag, and I need a moment to…”
“Not today, Caleb.” She lifted a hand. “I’m drowning, and I’m late.” The words came out sharper than she had meant.
He blinked, taken aback. “I can help…”
“I’m fine, thanks.” She walked around to the driver’s side. “Let’s talk later, okay?”
His jaw tightened, but he stepped back.
The look on his face tugged at her, but she had no time to unpack it.
By the time Mia finally pulled into the farmers’ market and parked, her pulse was racing. The lot was filling up, and she managed to grab the closest spot to her table, which wasn’tclose enough. She opened the back doors and lifted a tray. Sarah noticed her and raced over to help.
“You look frazzled,” she said.
“Humph.” Mia slid a tray onto the table. “Probably because I am. This has been a morning.”
Customers were already drifting closer, drawn by the scent of cinnamon and maple and crisp autumn air. Mia smiled, shaking off the morning chaos, while Sarah continued to unload the trays.
Today, their spot was wedged between Benny Rodriquez’s Taco Mama and a nature-themed vendor selling handmade wreaths, beeswax candles and dried herbs. The air smelled of cilantro, pine and sizzling spice, and her stomach growled loud enough that Sarah side-eyed her. She promised herself a taco before she left.
Mia glanced around. Will’s booth was several vendors down, Sabrina’s right next to his, and where was Dana?
Oh, there she was. At the end of the aisle, already entertaining a group of women.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sabrina hovering nearby, pretending to be interested in a basket of gourds. She wandered around a couple more booths, chatting with the vendors. Not doing anything wrong, not even looking at Mia.
She just lingered.
And Mia’s neck prickled in warning. Could be something or not. After all the whispered comments she’d heard, Mia didn’t trust her. Not completely. Maybe not at all. She hated that it even crossed her mind.
Sabrina finally glanced over, gave her a wave and polite smile, then turned away.
Mia rang up several quiches, handed out a few samples of a spiced apple cake she was perfecting. Sarah was taking care ofother customers. Still, every so often, Mia felt eyes on her. Each time she looked around, nothing was out of the ordinary.
Which somehow made it worse.
“Hey.”
Mia turned. Sabrina hovered in front of her table. “It’s quiet on my end, so I thought I’d come on over and say hello. See what’s new?”
“Nothing really,” Mia replied. “How about you?”
“Oh, you know, same ol’, same ol’.” Sabrina let out a small laugh. “I just signed up a couple of new clients, so I’m taking a break.” She launched into updates about a new yoga class, holiday events, and the weather.
Mia lost interest somewhere around hot yoga with goats. She smiled anyway. Polite. Professional.
“Great,” Mia replied when she sensed a pause.
“Yeah. I snagged the Overton account. Big party coming up.” Sabrina’s eyes sharpened. “But I’m sure you know that. Mrs. Overton said she’d spoken to several other caterers in the area before deciding on mine.”
Mia mentally sighed. Yes, she did know that. Mrs. Overton was very specific about what she wanted and the date. Unfortunately, Mia had a commitment that day, so she had to pass. It would have been a solid payday, not to mention great publicity.
