Bridget mock-gasped and clutched her nonexistent pearls. “I knew you wanted that certification, but sleeping with the auditor for it seems a little low, even for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know I would never.”
She laughed. “I do. It’s still strange someone’s caught your eye. That’s never happened; she must be special.”
A light smile touched my lips. “Yeah. She is.”
“And what’s with Grandpa?” she asked. “He’s been chasing around her co-worker just as much as you have Sydney it seems. I saw them sharing a candy apple earlier.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me, I have no idea, and I don’t wanna know.”
“I think it’s cute,” she said. “Grandpa seems… happy.”
“Yeah,” and I did like to see that. I just didn’t want to think too hard about it.
A few minutes later, Sydney returned. “Bailey shooed me away and told me to take a break.” She looked at Bridget as if she hadn’t noticed she was there earlier. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Sydney.”
She held her hand out, and my sister took it. “Bridget. This one’s much cooler older sister.”
I bumped her once again. “She wishes.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.”
“You too. You know what, I was just telling Brooks he needed a break as well. Why don’t you guys go take a walk? We got it here.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. I didn’t normally leave the table at all.
“Yeah. Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you don’t get a break.”
I smiled, knowing exactly what she was doing. “Sure. We’ll be back soon. Holler if you need anything.”
She waved me off, and I stood, reaching instinctually for Sydney’s hand, and we began walking through the festival. I hardly ever got to see the rest of the stalls.
Almost everyone in town attended. Cool Beans always had a stand for coffee, The Bookstore came to buy and trade for new books, and the ski lodge came down to sell their iced hot chocolate and advertise the year-round ice-skating rink.
We walked hand in hand, starting down Artist’s Alley. This was where all the craftsmen were. Everything from pottery to handmade jewelry to fiber arts was here. Before I ran the farm and could sneak away, I would always end up here. I loved seeing all the things people brought and made.
Sydney paused at one specific booth. It was a photographer selling their photos on large canvases. They were a bit darker, pictures of abandoned castles and dark woods, and she examined each one.
“Did you take all these yourself?” I asked, and the selkie who ran the booth nodded.
“Each and every one. I travel all around the world to find these abandoned places.”
“It’s beautiful,” Sydney said, looking wistfully at the photos, I assumed thinking about her own ruined camera. “Can I ask what settings you used to achieve such a dark black?”
The two of them chatted about camera and editing settings for a little while. I’d never seen Sydney actually talk about photography this way. She knew a lot and spoke about it so passionately it was endearing, and she ended up purchasing one of the smaller prints of the night sky before we continued.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked. We’d been talking about ourselves over the last few days, but this was something I always felt weird mentioning. But now I couldn’t help it.
“You just did,” she snarked.
“Ha-ha.”
She laughed genuinely. “Sure.”
“Why are you an organic certifier?”
She paused. “What do you mean?”
