Page 29 of Sugar & Shadows

“Of course,” Gabe agreed easily. “But Maplewood is convenient for folks from both Boston and New York. We’ve got highway access and lodging. Fine dining as well as casual. And the kind of local infrastructure that can handle tens of thousands of tourists. That’s why the town was chosen decades ago.”

Tom’s eyes darted to one side. “Things change.”

“Of course,” he assured him. “But we all know attendance isn’t the issue.”

The air shifted then, and Tom exhaled slowly. “After the incident last year, folks were concerned.”

“Who’s concerned?” I asked.

He hesitated, eyeing the other man, who had been introduced as Mike, then sighed. “State tourism board. Others too. The state is filled with maple producers, many of whom don’t get opportunities like this.”

“Birch Hollow pushed hard for the change,” Tom admitted.

Tom shrugged. “They’ve wanted it for years.”

“They had powerful backers.” Mike admitted.

The moment those words left his mouth, the two of them clammed up, their eyes drifting from us, their expressions turning hesitant.

Gabe leaned forward slowly, placing his forearms on the table. “Mind sharing more?”

“Corporate,” Tom said eventually, his face screwing up like the word left a bad taste in his mouth.

Corporate? I wasn’t following.

Gabe, though, seemed to understand. His nostrils flared and his jaw tightened.

But rather than pressing for more information, he leaned back in his chair.

“I’d love to pick your brains,” he murmured. “As you probably know, I’m in a lot of hot water back home. We’ll do everything we can to get the festival back. But in the meantime, what else can I do to support my local farmers? Not just my family, but all the others?”

Tom and Mike let out matching relieved breaths.

They dove into a conversation about weather, yields, resale, storage, and other maple-related terms. While I barely understood, I took notes and tried to appear supportive.

“The biggest factor is the unpredictable weather,” Tom said. “Not to mention the soaring costs.”

“And the new additive everyone’s talking about? X-9?” Mike turned to Tom.

“BGX-9,” Tom corrected. “Supposed to boost production. More big agro bullshit, if you ask me.”

Mike laced his fingers on the table between us. “People are experimenting.”

That caught my attention, not that I knew anything about additives.

“Heard the McKays in Birch Hollow are using it,” he went on.

All three men chuckled, as if they weren’t surprised.

They continued to chat, but Gabe never once attempted to circle back to the topic of who might be actively working against Maplewood.

Dammit. How was I supposed to formulate a proper opposition strategy if I didn’t know who the opposition was?

After we left their office, we met with economic development, then power walked with the state senator. By the time we were finished, it was dark and I was feeling unsteady.

Mostly because Gabe had been strangely effective.

He didn’t push. Didn’t corner. But he asked lots of questions.