Page 81 of Prayers for the Prickly

Chapter 31

Gregor

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” I asked as I sat across the table from August while we finished our breakfast.

He’d opted for the work from home three days a week plan, meaning we only went into our shops on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It was a good plan actually, and one that had allowed us to spend a great deal of time together over the last few weeks.

“Cotton candy balls,” August said. “With the rodeo coming, along with the carnival, kids are going to get a taste, then crave it after they leave town. That would be the perfect time to launch a colorful line of flavors they didn’t have the chance to experience. The small spinner I ordered should be in one of the boxes you brought in this morning. If so, I’ll need it taken to the kitchen, please. I’ve given some thought to size and number of balls in each package, now it’s time to lounge on the couch, put theUltimate Baking Challengeon in the background, and work out the flavor profiles.”

“Sounds good, is there anything you need me to pick up from your shop while I’m out, besides your quality control samples?”

“Yes, please. Gracie will have a box of cotton candy syrups waiting on the counter for you when you get there,” I said. “Along with any purchase orders and invoices she needs me to look at and sign.”

“Perfect, I’ll check with her to make sure I have everything before I bring it back here. I’ve got a few supplies I need to grab at the hardware store, and some ingredients to pick up, too. Seafood order arrived while you were in the shower, we’ve got seven pounds of crab legs to boil this afternoon, and Uncle Curtis sent fresh butter over, too, along with a batch of clams Aunt May and her boys dug up this morning.”

“Ohh, nice, I love them for that. I love your whole family’s willingness to indulge my seafood obsession.”

“The sea is in our blood,” I explained. “That you crave it so much tells them that our love of it has been passed down to the whelplets.”

He grinned at that and blew me a kiss from his seat as I collected our dishes.

“I’ve got to use the big saw at the shop for a few pieces I’ve got in the back of the SUV so I might be there awhile. Part of the seafood delivery included your cocktail shrimp and the crab and seafood salads you fell in love with. Aunt May sent a new variety along with your usual. This one has scallops, lobster and tiny pasta shells in it.”

“Ohh that sounds decadent, I swear she outdoes herself every week.”

“She’s been developing her signature dishes out of that stand since before I was born,” I explained. “Takes home the ingredients fresh off the boat in the morning, brings back the products in the afternoon ready to go home with people. She never sells day-old stuff. What, if anything is left, and it’s never a lot, just goes home with someone in the family for their table that night.”

“That’s how we are at the bakery, too. Nothing day-old gets sold, ever. We take home the leftovers and drop some off on the way home to other family members who couldn’t make it to the shop during the day. It’s never wasted and now Aunty Eunice has started a meal in waiting option, where someone can come in and pay for an extra meal, and post the receipt on the corkboard in the entryway. If someone comes in who needs a meal and can’t afford one, they can just bring the receipt to the counter and give it to whoever is working there, pick their sandwich, baked good, and drink, and enjoy it without any worry.”

Floored, I could only stand there for a moment while I rinsed the dishes.

“That’s an awesome practice,” I said as I loaded them in the dishwasher. “I’ll be sure to pay for a bonus meal when I drop in. Would you like pastries or bread today?”

“Bread, please, and you know Aunty Eunice isn’t going to let you pay for it.”

“True, but I bet she’ll let me pay for the extra meal.”

“Fair.”

We didn’t have many homeless individuals move through our community, but from time to time they appeared, looking for odd jobs and a place to stay. Someone always found something for them, both in the way of work and accommodation, and several had stayed, becoming a permanent part of the community. But we all knew that the carnivals didn’t always pay their people well, and some of them just might need those meals in waiting while they were in town.

“Okay, if you’re all setup here, I’m going to take off,” I said, turning the dishwasher on before crossing the room to give him a kiss.

“I think I’m good. I’ve got my notebook and pens set up on the coffee table, I’m just gonna grab my water bottle out of the fridge and I’ll be all set.”

“Awesome. If you think of anything else you need, just text me. I’ll be back in time for lunch.”

“Oh, perfect, I should be ready to get in here and make a few practices batches after we eat.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a sticky sweet day ahead of you.”

“Indeed I do.”

I left him to his work, trying to decide where to head first as I backed out of the driveway. It was going to be another warm one, so food would wait until last, along with his syrups, since I didn’t know how they’d do in the car. So, hardware store first, that was the easiest stop. Stains, polishes, shellacks, I bought them all local, from the place owned by Mrs. and Ms. Steckel. A mother and daughter pair who were keeping the family legacy her great grandfather started alive in the very same building he’d had built to house his store when the town was formed. Over the years, they’d expanded into the shop next door, various family members filling the apartment upstairs. That family of beaver shifters knew wood and all the products that went with it better than I ever would, and I appreciated that, because they’d never steered me wrong when it came to what I needed to finish a project the right way.

I even allowed a few pleasantries, something Mom and Nana had been encouraging me to do so the kids wouldn’t grow up to be growly recluses in a family of outgoing hedgehogs. Okay, so they did have a point there, and the few parenting books August and I had listened to all explained that children learned from the adults in their lives, particularly those they spent the most time with. It was up to us to set a good example, so I’d gotten descent about saying hello or at least nodding when I made eye contact with someone I knew.

Okay, time to head to the shop to see what Olly was up to this morning. According to Uncle Atlas he’d come down pretty hard and in a very un-Olly-like way on our cousin Marius after he’d accidentally knocked over one of the lamps and broken the bulb in it. He’d taken pictures and sent them to me along with a flurry of rage filled texts and emojis that had left me double checking who the sender was ‘cause yeah, very un-Olly-like indeed.

---