Page 9 of A Fowl Match

“Wait, are you Violet?” Grumpy says, a line appears between his brows.

I nod in reply. He lets out a long audible sigh of frustration.

My eyes widen in horror.

“I’m guessing your name is Dustin then?” I ask, although I already have a strong suspicion. He scruffs his hair and stares at me with those enticing blue eyes that I could let myself be lost in. I don’t want to fall into them, but a part of me does at the same time. It’s a conflicting battle.

His head sags in defeat and he nods.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I yell in protest.

The whole bar quiets to hushed whispers. They stare at us in question. Constance speaks into her microphone, “Shhh, you two. Meet me after if you have questions.”

She continues to call names, but I don’t hear anything. I am boiling. I set my head on the counter on top of my crossed arms.Time passes by and after a while a tap on my shoulder breaks me from my reverie. I look up and see Olive grinning at me. The bar has since thinned out and most people are gone.

“So, I can tell we both got the short end of the straw this year. At least your partner’s attractive,” she says.

I scoff. Spotting Dustin making his way to Constance, I follow quickly. “Wait for me!” I call over my shoulder to Olive as she shrugs and leans back against the bar.

I make it to them as they start to talk. Huffing and puffing from running to the stage, I try to catch my breath.

“Why am I in the drawing? I'm not a business owner,” his deep guttural voice rumbles.

“Well, honey you are now. You took over the farm from your grandparents yesterday. Did you not?” Constance flips through a clipboard absentmindedly, seeming the least bit concerned over Dustin’s reaction.

“Ummm, yes. I guess I did.”

“Then, there's your answer hun. You are now a business owner and if you want to split a part of the profit, you need to participate. Don’t forget to start practicing. Starting Saturday, the first event is the chicken race. Good luck.”

And with that she makes eye contact with me and winks. Her short gray hair spins and is gone as fast as she made it here.

What was that wink about?I wonder.

“See you Saturday, Grumpy.” I tap him on the arm and walk away.

Olive meets me at the door. “I can’t stand him,” I say as we leave.

“Youobviouslylike him, but believe what you want!” She chuckles.

Absolutely not.

If we are stuck together, I am not going down without a fight. We might be partners, but I’m not making this easy on him.

Chapter 5

Violet

“Knock.Knock.Packageincoming!”

I scurry to the front of the shop sporting a huge grin. “Laura! You are a lifesaver! I was so worried it wouldn’t come today.”

“You know it, I never disappoint. You were my last stop for the day.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” I gush as I grab the package she places in my arms.

“No problem, Violet. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!”

“You too!”

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