Page 45 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
‘What pumpkin patch?’ I asked miserably. ‘How can I fix it all before Monday? And even if I can, only ten people have booked to come. I keep checking but no one else has bought tickets.’
‘I have!’
‘So, three of the ticket sales are you guys.’ I shook my head. This was worse than I had even thought. ‘What if no one in Birchbrook gives a shit about pumpkins?’ I wailed, probably too loudly as all heads swivelled in our direction.
Female Pat came over with a concerned look on her face. ‘I don’t mean to eavesdrop but I’ve known you both your whole lives. Has something happened? Can I help?’
‘I think I might have to give up on the pumpkin patch and sell the farm,’ I said dully. I shook my head. ‘I can’t believe all that work was for nothing. Well, I’m not selling to Dylan and his brother. I’ll find someone else, then I’ll have to leave Birchbrook and?—’
‘Willow!’ Sabrina interrupted in such a sharp tone, I shut up instantly. ‘You need to stop catastrophising for a second, okay? You’re jumping to the worst possible outcome. Why don’t I come to the farm with you and assess the damage? Surely, with a few of us helping out, we can fix it so you can still open on Monday. And we can brainstorm about how we get people to come along. This is Birchbrook! We always help each other out. Everyone will help you if you need it, I’m sure of it.’
Pat nodded along with what Sabrina said. ‘I’ll come too; we will sort it all out, I have no doubt about it.’ She saw me open my mouth. ‘If you are about to argue with us, Willow Connor, then you really are out of sorts because when has that ever worked?’
‘Good point,’ I mumbled. Sabrina had been a force of nature since we were kids and Pat was a Birchbrook institution. The two women were kind of scary right now but my heart swelled with gratitude that they cared enough to give me this tough love, and to offer immediately to help us at the farm. ‘I don’t know if we can make it work, though,’ I added nervously.
‘We won’t know until we get there.’ Sabrina drained her coffee dry and turned to Pat. ‘Can we get the food to go, please?’
‘Definitely.’ She grabbed our plates and called over her shoulder, ‘Pat, man the café, darling. Paul, you need to drive us to the farm and you can help out too.’ She spoke in such a tone, they didn’t dare argue. I knew exactly how they felt.
Sabrina reached over the table to give my hand a squeeze while Pat rushed off to get ready. ‘What will you do if Dylan is there when we get back?’ she asked quietly so any still prying ears couldn’t hear.
‘I told him to go,’ I said, knowing that had been for the best but my heart still ached to think about him not being there. ‘So, he won’t be.’
She looked sceptical but I knew things were over between us.
For good.
35
Paul drove us back to the farm in the Birchbrook Café van and kept quiet, thankfully. Sabrina threw me worried looks but I stared out of the window, not up to chatting to her or Pat. It felt like I had been running on adrenaline ever since Dad showed me the letter from Henderson Homes, desperate to save the farm, and I’d thrown myself into it, but now all the energy and enthusiasm had been sucked out of me. It felt like there was no point in trying any more. It seemed like I’d already lost the farm. As well as Dylan. Although I knew I hadn’t really had him to begin with. He’d been playing me all along. I just hoped Dad and I could find someone, anyone else really, to sell to. I didn’t want Dylan to have Birch Tree Farm. And I sure as hell didn’t want his brother to get his grubby hands on it.
We passed through the gate then and I saw Dad was in the pumpkin-patch field. Dad was pushing the wheelbarrow and I felt guilty for having left him here with all the mess. He shouldn’t be trying to clear it up by himself. He stopped to look at the van, smiling when he saw me climb out even though I knew I didn’t deserve it.
‘There you are,’ Dad said as Maple galloped over to see him and he waved at Pat, Sabrina and Paul who followed me over to the field. He peered at my face and saw that I’d been crying. ‘Oh, love.’ He slung an arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.
‘Don’t, Dad, I don’t deserve it,’ I said, shaking my head at his affection.
‘This wasn’t your fault.’
‘I should have checked on everything. I could have secured the coverings. I might have seen the tree was close to falling down too. I should have kept on checking… but I fell asleep.’
‘With Dylan,’ Dad said softly before the others joined us. It wasn’t a question. He knew we’d been together. I nodded miserably. ‘He took off in his car. I’ve never seen a man look quite so broken.’
‘That tree is a nightmare in itself,’ Paul said without preamble as the three of them stood beside us and surveyed the damage. ‘Gonna be a big clear-up job.’
‘But doable,’ Pat said, giving her son a stern look.
He just shrugged.
‘And we can patch up the tunnel, right?’
‘With all of us working, we can clear that tree by the end of the day, I bet,’ Sabrina said, her hands on her hips as she stared at it.
‘What about the pumpkins? They are likely ruined,’ I said with a sigh.
‘Let’s move them into the barn to dry out. You could contact the farmer you got them from, see if he can come up with any ideas to save them,’ Dad said. ‘There are two broken crates, but we don’t need them. And your sign, Sabrina…’
‘I can easily make a new one,’ she said eagerly.
