“I did,” Quinn confirmed.
The woman pointed to the sign Quinn had hung at the back of the tent with her shop’s logo. “Where are you located? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of North Star Sculptures.”
“A little town in northern Minnesota,” Quinn explained. “I’m just out here for the holiday market.”
“Oh, well…” The woman’s voice trailed off as she picked up a hollowed-out wooden ball with a treescape nestled inside. “I love this.” A wistful look crossed her face as she gently touched one of the little trees. “How much?”
Quinn smiled. The ornament style that had caught the woman’s eyes was her favorite to make, even though it was a much more involved process than the others on display.
“Those are forty.” When the woman’s eyes widened a touch, Quinn hastened to explain, “That one took me—”
“You should charge more.” The woman pulled a slim wallet from her little black cross-body bag. “I mean, it’s your business and all, and feel free to do what you want, but these aregorgeous,” she said as she extracted a credit card from her wallet. “Do you take cards? I’m afraid I don’t have any cash on me.”
“Yeah, it’ll just take me a second to log into Square.” Quinn pulled her phone from her pocket as she took the woman’s card. And then, figuring the woman knew the area better than she did, asked, “Do you have any suggestions for price points, then?” as she unlocked the phone and logged into the credit app.
“Mom! Look! A doggy!” Bethany held up a wooden malamute in a Santa hat that was a replica of the ornament Quinn had given Emerson the year before.
“Would you like to get that one to add to our tree, too?”
Bethany nodded enthusiastically, and the woman smiled at her indulgently before turning her attention to Quinn’s display. After a moment’s consideration, she suggested, “I mean, it’s probably best to stick to multiples of twenty just because that’s what you get out of an ATM, so if people are paying cash, you don’t have to worry about making change.” When Quinn nodded, she said, “Honestly? I’d go twenty for the flat ones, forty for the little animals and half-balls”—she gestured to the collection on a steel display stand—“and maybe sixty for the balls like this.” She held up the one she’d chosen. “Or were you thinking more for the animal ones?” she asked as she studied the ornament Bethany had chosen. “Because you could. The detail is incredible.”
Quinn arched a brow. She’d been planning on charging ten for the flat discs and twenty for the animals and halved balls. “You’re sure that’s not too much?”
“Not at all.” The woman laughed and pointed to a yacht moored in the nearby harbor. “Trust me, the people who can afford boats likethatcan afford these prices. They’ll probably consider them a steal.”
“Why do you have a broken tree?” Bethany interjected, pointing to the six-foot length of oak Quinn had secured to a base for that night’s carving demonstration.
“Because I’m going to carve it into something special with my chainsaw here in a bit,” Quinn told her. She arched a brow at Bethany’s mom. “Is one hundred for the two ornaments okay, then?” When the woman nodded, Quinn ran the card for the agreed-upon amount and handed it back to her with her phone. “If you’ll just sign and then enter the email address you’d like the receipt sent to, that’ll be it.”
“Of course.”
While Bethany’s mom was finishing the transaction, Quinn told Bethany, “If you guys are still around in a little while, you should come by and watch. It’d be nice to have a familiar face in the crowd.”
“That sounds like fun, doesn’t it, Beth?” The woman handed Quinn her phone and put her card and wallet away. “We can take our new ornaments home, hang them up, and then come back with daddy and watch? Whattaya say?”
“Yay! Can I get a hot chocolate with a candy cane? And lotsa whipped cream?”
“Sure, Sweetie.”
Quinn chuckled at the way Bethany hopped and clapped with excitement. “Would you like a bag for your ornaments?”
“That’d be wonderful. Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Quinn insisted as she wrapped the pair’s selected ornaments in tissue paper and carefully set them in the bottom of a small navy blue paper bag stamped with her shop’s logo and website information. She held her hand out for a high five from Bethany as she handed the bag to the little girl’s mom. “I hope you enjoy the carving demonstration later.”
“What’s your name?” Bethany asked as she slapped her hand to Quinn’s.
“Quinn.”
“Woof!” a familiar bark echoed across the park
Bethany’s head was on an instant swivel. When she spotted the source of the bark, she let out a delighted, “Mommy! That’s like the doggy I asked Santa for!” She offered Quinn a distracted wave and an even more distracted, “Bye, Quinn!” as she took off at a skip that was half-jog, half-hop.
Quinn laughed as she turned to see the dog in question, and her eyes widened when she saw Fort trotting merrily across the park.
No way…
Her gaze jumped from the pup to Nora, and her heart leapt into her throat at the smile she found shining back at her. Even though she’d last seen Nora not far from here, she hadn’t expected to ever actually see her again.
