Page 35 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
‘Okay? They look great,’ Dylan said, stepping forward to look. ‘How did you learn to do things like this?’
‘A lot of it was from my dad, watching him, learning from him, working with him… As he struggled more and more with his arthritis, I’ve had to step in around the farm. They certainly aren’t works of art but they are sturdy and will show off the pumpkins well, I think.’
‘Don’t sell yourself short,’ Dylan said, giving me a serious look. ‘They are amazing. I couldn’t make anything like this. Most people couldn’t either. You just set your mind to something then do it, don’t you?’
‘My dad always said I’m a dreamer and I am; I can get lost in my head and not want to deal with bad shit. If I think I can’t fix or solve it, I’d rather run away then but if I know I can do it, then I get stuck in.’
‘You’re not running away right now, though.’
‘It was a wake-up call getting your letter and Dad saying he was actually considering selling. I had been avoiding how tight things had got,’ I admitted. I finished my coffee, set the mug down then picked up the hammer again, eager to do something with my hands while we talked about serious stuff. ‘I feel bad that I kept hiding from it for as long as I did. I was just scared, though. I really want to be able to stay and make a success of this place. I lost my way for a couple of years and I feel terrible about it but I can’t go back and change it now, can I? I’ll just do my best from here on out.’
‘That’s how I feel,’ Dylan said with a nod. ‘I fucked up and made mistakes and got lost on the way but I want to do better now.’
‘Well, you are. You’re working hard for your brother. And around here, even if I forced you into it.’ I looked up and gave him a quick, teasing smile.
Dylan shook his head. ‘I like helping you guys. This place gets under your skin, doesn’t it? It’s hard out here but it’s beautiful and the work is rewarding. I didn’t understand when I walked onto the farm. I didn’t get how you could be passionate about this place. But I get it now,’ he said quietly.
I looked up in surprise. Our eyes met and understanding floated between us. Suddenly, we didn’t feel quite on such opposite sides any more.
Dylan’s phone rang and we looked way from each other. ‘My brother,’ he said. ‘I better…’ I gave him a nod and watched as he walked out of the barn. ‘Hey, Nate, yes, I saw your email… Give me a chance; you only sent it half an hour ago. I was just having a coffee… I told you, I can keep up with the work…’
His voice faded away but he sounded different when he spoke to his brother to how he was when he was talking to me. He seemed frustrated but also smaller somehow. I shook my head and went back to my work. It was none of my business but I definitely got the feeling his brother and him had issues they still needed to work on.
27
Steve arrived with the hay bales from Brian later the next day so along with Dylan, we stacked them all in the field and then the long process of laying the hay down as a floor inside the polytunnels began. Thankfully, the weather was dry so we didn’t need to worry about the hay getting wet. Steve left at the end of the day, promising to return when we opened to help out and run the tractor rides around the farm.
Now that was done, the more fun part of arranging the props I had bought and creating areas for kids and photo opportunities could begin. The large, orange pumpkins were due to be delivered at the end of the week and the smaller, fancier pumpkins at the weekend and then Monday was 1 October so things were getting scarily real.
‘You need to think about publicity now,’ Dylan said as the day faded into twilight. He’d vanished for about an hour and I assumed he’d been doing something for his brother. I hated that I’d missed his presence around me as I worked.
I had placed the scarecrow couple in the autumn tunnel, stacking up hay bales so people could sit on them with a scarecrow on either side. I took a picture to send to Sabrina because I was hoping she could create another painted wooden Pumpkin Hollow sign for me to hang in between so we were publicising the patch. I would also add pumpkins to the scene – when they were delivered – which would look cool.
‘I really don’t know how to do that,’ I admitted. I had been so focused on making this patch look great and be fun to visit but Dylan was right; I needed to think about how to get people through the doors. ‘The two Pats said they’d put leaflets and a poster up in the café. Sabrina is designing them and I found a local printer who’s offering me a reasonable deal to print them.’
Dylan nodded. ‘Great. But you need to be online nowadays. We can’t rely on local word of mouth. And you said Steve’s sister is coming to show the patch off on Instagram and TikTok. You need to encourage everyone to do that.’
‘Okay, I’ll look into that…’ I said, turning away to hide my furrowed brow. If I was honest, social media by and large had passed me by. Everyone I knew and wanted to spend time with lived in the same town, and work days were long and hard on the farm; I rarely used my phone in the evenings as I was so tired. I had social media accounts but rarely posted on them and I definitely had no idea what was trending or how to go viral on there. And I only knew those terms in the first place from hearing Sabrina use them!
‘Willow, you have a problem asking people to help, don’t you?’
I spun around. ‘You don’t even know me!’
‘No?’ he taunted. ‘How many people in Birchbrook did you tell that the farm was having problems? How many people have had to offer help instead of you asking for it?’
‘I asked Brian for his hay,’ I disputed.
‘You’re getting a bit better because you realise how much this needs to work.’ Dylan gestured around us. ‘But you still don’t like it, right?’
I shrugged. ‘So what if I prefer to do things myself?’
‘Now is not the time for that though, is it?’
I folded my arms across my chest. ‘You really are irritating.’
‘Take our pact – you knew you needed my help but you couldn’t ask me so you challenged me instead.’
He looked so smug, I wanted to throw some hay at him. I stalked off. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t ask you for any more help…’
