“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” said Sabrina. “I’m hoping to get several endorsements from that party. It’ll be enough to keep me going for a while.” She glanced over at her table. “Oops, potential client. Gotta go.”
She flitted off.
“You good?” Sarah murmured, bumping her shoulder.
“Peachy,” Mia said. “Although if I had to listen to her tell me one more time about how well she was doing, I’d…”
She never got to finish. A customer stepped up to the table asking about the different scones, and Mia slid right back into work mode.
By noon, the crowds thinned. Mia sagged against the back of her chair. “This has been the longest morning.”
“Go home. You’ve done enough for the day. I’ll pack up whatever’s left and bring it to you along with the receipts.” She looked at the table. “There’s not much left anyway, so you might sell out.”
Mia didn’t argue. She nodded her head, gathered her purse, snagged a taco for the road and headed out.
No one was working at the new barn when she arrived home. For a tiny moment, she was disappointed. Talking to Caleb usually made her day. But she’d been abrupt this morning and would apologize next time she saw him.
As for Roy, he wasn’t around either, thank goodness, because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold her temper. Her patience with him was at an all-time low. He’d been forgetting lots of little things that he promised to do for her, and she was starting to wonder if she was asking too much or if he simply didn’t care anymore.
Mia unpacked the coolers from the van and carried them inside to wash. The barn still smelled of baked sugar and warm spice. She set her keys beside the landline, a relic left over from the property’s earlier days and still used for deliveries and inquiries. She let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The quiet was calming.
Footsteps crunched outside.
Her heart lifted. Mia hoped it was Caleb so they could talk.
“Mia?” Dana’s voice floated in.
Damn. Not Caleb.
Dana stepped inside, her sunglasses pushed up, wearing a concerned smile. Mia hoped she didn’t look as disappointed as she felt.
“Hi, Sarah told me what happened. You okay?”
Mia gave a small laugh. “Define okay.”
Dana winced in sympathy. “It’s a lot getting ready for the market. Heard about the coolers. I would have turned my car around and gone back to bed.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how you juggle everything. If it were me, I would have walked off by now.”
“Trust me. The thought crossed my mind.” Mia rubbed the back of her neck. “It was just … a lot this morning.”
Dana stepped closer. “You work too hard. People don’t see how much pressure you’re under.”
Her kindness was unexpected. “I’m fine. Really. Just overwhelmed.”
Mia walked over to the cabinet. “Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?”
Dana wandered instead, looking around the barn. “This is such a great space.” She turned back. “No, I just wanted to check up on you. I need to get going.”
“Thanks,” Mia said, meaning it.
Dana touched her arm, squeezed, then stepped past her toward the door. “Oh! Before I forget…” She pulled something from her pocket and set it on the counter near the sink. “A little good-luck charm. Figured you could use one today.”
When she left, the door clicked gently behind her.
Mia walked over to the sink, paused, spotting the small figurine on the counter. A tiny ceramic pig—plump, smiling and wearing a blue bow around its neck.
She huffed a laugh. “Well … aren’t you something.”
