Page 83 of Not Part of the Plan
“What did I tell you? A perfect match,” Willa said slyly.
He paid a fraction of what he would have for the same shoes in the city and thanked Willa profusely.
“It’s what we do for our neighbors,” she said waving away his thanks. “Have a lovely Blue Moon day.”
He caught up with Emma at the Pierces’ stand.
“I bring you to a farmers market, and you buy shoes?” she snickered at his bag.
“Don’t knock Willa’s stuff,” Summer warned Emma. “That’s where I got those sandals that you slobber over every time you see them.”
Suddenly interested, Emma gripped Summer’s arm. “Does she have any more?”
“Only one way to find out!” Summer shoved Niko behind the stand. “Help Phoebe. Emma and I have important shoe business.”
Niko didn’t have a chance to get his bearings as Mrs. Nordemann was demanding parsley, lettuce, beet greens, and a pound of asparagus. He juggled, bagged, and chatted. And when there was a pause in the action, he shot the scenes he saw from behind the Pierce Acres stand.
As far as Niko was concerned, Phoebe had the “flow.” She’d perfected the art of gossiping and upselling. She remembered the names of everyone’s children and pets, knew who was recovering from surgery, who was visiting colleges.
“You love this don’t you?” Niko asked, lifting a rubber-banded bunch of fresh dill to his nose.
Phoebe grinned. “This is the highlight of living in Blue Moon. Everyone coming out every Sunday to support their local farmers and artisans, kids running free while their parents catch up, and you know that something that you grew with your own two hands is going to end up on a neighbor’s table for dinner tonight.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
“It’s like a giant co-op,” Niko winked.
“It takes a village,” Phoebe laughed. “A crazy, nosey, complicated village.”
Niko watched as her face lit up and had the presence of mind to snap the picture. “There’s part of my village now!”
Jax and Joey wandered up with Reva and Caleb in tow, and Niko thought that the world would be a better place if all parents and grandparents greeted their offspring with that sense of excitement. His mother had done the same. Every time he walked in a room, she looked at him as if he were bringing the light with him.
“Who’s ready for lunch?” Phoebe asked, doling out hugs.
“I am,” Caleb piped up. “Joey says you’re taking us for Italian?”
Phoebe ruffled his hair. “That’s right. Franklin’s joining the three of us for lunch at his restaurant while these two goofballs man the stand.”
Joey sauntered behind the stand, tugging at the hem of her Pierce Acres shirt. “Let’s get this over with,” she grumbled.
Jax pressed a kiss to her head. “Excuse Jojo the Grump. She doesn’t like leaving Eclipse yet.”
“Not when the freaking three of us are here,” she said gesturing between herself, Jax, and Reva, “and he’s all by himself.”
“Colby’s there,” Reva reminded her. “He said he’d keep an eye on him.”
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Joey grumbled.
“Quit your whining and go sell some eggs and asparagus,” Jax suggested. “If you’re a good girl, I’ll buy you a funnel cake.”
“With extra powdered sugar?” Joey asked hopefully.
“Anything you want.” He kissed her, and Caleb made gagging sounds.
“Just you wait, Cale. Someday you’re going to be real excited about kissing girls,” Jax warned him.
“That’s disgusting,” Caleb announced.
“Well, let’s leave them here to be disgusting, and we’ll go have ourselves a feast,” Phoebe suggested.
