Page 48 of The Woman in the Hollow
“You okay?” Hazel asked sometime later, reaching to wipe the back of her hand across her damp brow.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure? You look really serious.”
“Just wondering who the fuck would do something like this,” I admitted as I raked the last of the pumpkin guts into a pile, then used one of the snow shovels to drop it into the wheelbarrow.
“People suck,” she said, exhaling hard. “But we did pretty good.”
“What are you doing?” I asked as she shoved her hands into the wheelbarrow, digging around.
“I’m saving some of the pumpkin seeds. Those green and white pumpkins are kind of expensive. I figure it would be smart to save our own for the planting season.”
She shook her guts-covered hand into a five-gallon bucket I’d missed before. She had it mostly full of seeds.
“Good thinking.Though that looks like a lot of work still.”
“It’s fine. I have no plans for the rest of the day. Looks like reinforcements are here,” she said, nodding her head toward where my brothers were making their way down to the field.
Not far behind them was my mother.
“Let your brothers take over for a while,” my mom said. “I brought dinner for you two.”
Hazel shot me a smirk.
“That’s so thoughtful, Giulia,” she said, reaching down for her bucket of seeds and slop. “I hope you’re joining us.”
“Oh, no. I have to pick up two of my grand babies for a sleepover.”
I had a feeling she’d set that upaftershe heard what was going on just so she had an excuse not to hang around with us.
When we finally made it to the picnic tables, I saw her vision really coming into focus.
Because she’d not only draped one in a tablecloth, set up nice dinnerware, and lit two hurricane lamps I was pretty sure came from the stockroom of the shop.
“Giulia! You should open a restaurant,” Hazel gushed before making her exit to go wash her hands.
“Mom, this is as subtle as a brick.”
“Oh, hush. Every woman loves a little romance.”
“Ma…”
“It never hurts to share a meal with a beautiful woman. Now go wash your hands then come back and be your charming self. Oh, and remind Hazel that she is invited to Sunday dinner again.”
“Mom—”
“Dante, she is all alone in the world.”
“She has a family.”
“In Florida! She’s all alone inthisworld. She needs us.”
She was laying it on thick, even for her.
“Is Dr. Sheldon coming?” I asked.
“Well, I have to get going!”
