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She lets out a light laugh. “Then I hope to keep surprising you, then, Hawk.”
“Maybe we should get together and do a hike together some time. I could take you on a guided tour of the area instead of letting you stumble into random people’s properties.”
“Tabitha told me that the best way to experience the Evergreen woods was to explore it yourself, though.”
“Tabitha also told you that shampoo is how they mind control people.”
She poked me through the stall. “Hey, I said she realized her mistake.”
“I’m just saying that maybe it might be worth experiencing the beauty of the forest in other ways. Her word isn’t law.”
Lavender plays with the thought in her head a bit, her eyes drifting across the sky. “Sure. Having a guide would be fun too.”
“We’ll do it in a few days, I think. Make sure the weather is nice before committing.”
“Yeah, as much as I love nature, I can enjoy it better without being drenched.”
It is at that moment I believe something clicked in Lavender’s head. “Uh... so, I’m technically supposed to be working right now.”
“Yeah,” I nod. “Usually not my style to bother girls who are on the clock.”
“But also, no one’s even bothered approaching me all this time. Seems like a slow day.”
“The market is every weekend; not every weekend is going to be pure hustle and bustle the whole time.”
“I do think I should be asking, though, if you want to buy something.”
I take another look at all the pastries she’s selling. “Everything you’re selling here does look pretty good, but I’ve honestly never been one for baked goods when it came to treating my sweet tooth.”
“What do you treat your sweet tooth with?” She gazes at my arms. “Nothing but whey protein smoothies?”
I flex for her playfully. “I’m no bodybuilder. This is all natural, babe.”
“And I like what I see; don’t get me wrong.”
I grin. “What I do think I would rather get is some ice cream. And there’s a damn good parlor not far from here. Would you care to join me?”
“Uhm, do you mean join you right now?”
“Yeah, if you can.”
She glances around, and at her stall. She seems unsure. “Uh, I think I’m supposed to be here until six o’clock, and it’s only five thirty-six now.”
I join her in taking stock of the area. “This place is dead. I don’t think your boss is going to hold it against you for calling it early. You might miss one entire sale, and if you do, I will gladly take the heat for you.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to do anything wrong. This is my first job.”
I raise an eyebrow. I’m slightly confused. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-one?”
She looks all woman, yes. Nothing about her struck me as her being sixteen until she said this is her first job, with the enthusiasm, suggesting that it’s her first job and she just got this job a week ago.
“Is something the matter?”
“Nothing. Look, you’ll be fine. I’m assuming you need to put all this stuff away?”
She nods. “We got cases for it. Everything I don’t sell I’m to drop off at the local shelter. Hannah doesn’t want to sell day-old products, so it’s a nice way to get rid of it.”
