Page 62 of Returning to Everton

I turn to Maggie and we exchange numbers. I show her the outfits Violet picked out and compliment her on her designs.

“Your clothes are so good Violet could hardly pick which one she wanted. She settled for these three today,” I tell her. “I’m sure we’ll be frequent customers of yours from now on.”

“Awww, thank you. Chloe makes all sorts of requests for her dolls, so I always have new designs. Each outfit is seven dollars, but since you’re getting more than one I’ll give them to you for five dollars each,” she tells me.

“Oh great!” I hand her the money and turn to Violet. “Come on hun we’ve got a lot of exploring left to do. Ms. Maggie will text me to set up a playdate for you and Chloe.”

“Okay! It was nice meeting you, Ms. Maggie. I’ll see you soon Chloe!”

We all wave goodbye and keep walking. There are so many stalls filled with all sorts of things. Almost everything is handmade and it’s amazing to see the different items people have made. There’s a woman selling knitted blankets, baby hats, and potholders. Quinn and I both leave that table with new potholders and some cute kitchen towels that fasten to the oven handle.

There are a couple different jewelry tables and quite a few custom t-shirt tables. We stop and admire all of the creative pieces, but even though there are plenty of things we like, that’s not what we’re here for, so we keep going.

“Oh my god is that all made of wood?!” I exclaim when we come to a section that has tables laden with wood carvings. They’re so elaborate, the tiny details on each one are amazing.

I spy an intricate motorcycle carved from a dark wood and walk over to examine it closer. It’s pretty big and could easily take up the entire top of a side table. It’s so finely carved that you can hardly tell it’s made of wood. You can see every little detail of the motorcycle, from the handlebars and levers, to the engine and brake lines. Hell, you can even see the guardian bell from under the motorcycle. The badge is so meticulously carved you can read every word clearly.

“Ihaveto get this for Kayden,” I declare. It’s just perfect for him. He’s always loved motorcycles. I wonder if he ever got one.

I pick it up and carry it with me as I look at all of the other cool carvings. There’s so many that I can imagine certain people liking. He has a variety of signs and I see Violet looking at them.

She notices me watching her and looks up at me. “Can I get a sign with my name for my door Mommy?”

“That’s something we’ll have to order sweetie, but let’s go ask him.”

We walk over to the man sitting behind one of the tables. “Hi! Your carvings are amazing!” I exclaim emphatically.

“Well thank you,” he says in a deep bedroom voice that gets Quinn’s attention.

She walks over and eyes him up and down. I can tell she likes what she sees because she’s got a glint in her eye and she licks her lips.

“Hi, I’m Quinn. You do nice work.” she compliments the sexy woodworker.

He smirks at her. “Thank you, Quinn, name’s Ben. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Not yet it’s not,” she says under her breath.

I elbow her in the side. “Well, Ben,” I say, stealing his attention from Quinn.Pay attention to me, not the crazy hot chick with me. “I would like to purchase this motorcycle,” I tell him, holding up said motorcycle. “And my daughter wants to know if you can make her a sign to hang on her bedroom door.”

“Yeah, I can do that. Have any requests for what you would like on the sign?” he says the last part to Violet.

“Can it have a unicorn on it?” she asks eagerly.

He chuckles. “Are you a unicorn fan?”

“Yes!” she squeals.

Ben pretends to rub a ringing from his ear. “Dang girl, not so loud,” he teases.

Violet giggles “Sorry,” she says sheepishly.

He chuckles, “I’m only kidding sweetheart. So you want a unicorn do you? Anything else?”

“Yeah and my name. I want it to say ‘Violet’s Room’ and have a unicorn and hearts” she tells him excitedly.

“I can do that. You want it all wood or do you want me to paint it?”

“Ooooh, you can paint it?” Ben nods his head. “I want it pink, purple, and blue! Pleeeease,” she pleads.

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