Page 2 of Crossing the Line
Then she caught sight of the Kitamuras coming in through the door near the middle of the building. Just shy of Janice's side of the line, the older couple were third generation owners of Kitamura's Sweet Beets Farm.
"Pearl!"
Missus Kitamura turned and waved at her, quickly stepping over into the Landy's produce side of the store. "Janice! How are you?"
"Fine, fine." She gestured at Mirella. "Mirella's boy is a night owl and making it hard for her to get some sleep. Didn't your son keep you up all night?"
Pearl laughed and nodded. "Yes! I can't believe you remember that!" She looked at Mirella. "Paul's in university now, but when he was a baby, he'd sleep during the day and stay up all night." The elegant woman sighed and put her hand over her heart. "I was so exhausted."
"What was it you did to switch his clock around?" Janice loved hearing stories about families. It was little like living vicariously through them.
Pearl dropped her chin a little and smiled, her eyes going soft at the thought. "It was something my great grandma in Hawaii did for my grandfather when he was a baby. She," Pearl looked around the group with a bit of a blush on her cheeks, "this is a bit of superstition or cultural belief, but she took a picture of a rooster and put it on the wall beside the crib upside down."
Mirella nodded her head slowly. "So just a drawing of some sort?"
"I only remember the story, but I think she just cut one out of a magazine."
"If it works," Mirella looked at Pearl with a kind of desperation that was telling in how sleep deprived she was, "I'll make Lorenzo put on a rooster suit and hang him from the ceiling."
"Lorenzo," Pearl laughed. "Your brother-in-law? Not the father?"
"Nope," Mirella smiled, "Teo is really good about helping me change diapers. I don't want all of the blood in his body rushing to his head if I hang him upside down."
The women agreed. After all, a man who did his share of diapers and more was worth his weight in gold.
Fiore, looking at the group of women around him let out a big, echoing burp and then a delighted peel of laughter.
Which earned him the appropriateoohsandaahsfrom the ladies.
Mirella mussed her son's hair which was dark and thick like his father's. "I'd love to stay and talk, but I'll drop off the top crate with you, Janice, and take the rest of the herbs to," she cleared her throat with a little comic smile, "the competition across the line."
Janice looked down at the sage leaves that were poking out between the wooden crate slats along with some thyme and rosemary, too. "A delivery for the sausage king?"
Mirella chuckled at that. "He wants to try using some fresh herbs in the sausages. So I picked fresh bundles for him today."
Janice sighed and shook her head. "That man..."
Samantha grinned at her. "There's a reason you divorced him."
Janice chuckled along with everyone else, but when she tried to find a reason why they'd divorced her mind was suspiciously empty.
Instead of dragging one up, she just let the thought disappear out of her head. "I'm glad he's buying herbs from you, too. Best herbs for several counties."
Mirella gave Janice a sweet smile. "It's moments like this that remind me why I fell in love with this town."
Samantha sighed. "And that hot Italian man who gave you three kids?"
"Oh," Mirella blushed to the tips of her ears, "he's a part of it, too. He's already talking about number four. I'm debating whether I should kick him in the... you know."
Mirella turned her hand cart, and Janice took the top crate off and set it on the counter.
"I'll send you the payment once I close tonight."
Mirella waved a hand at her. "No rush. I'll probably go back home and drop face first on the bed as soon as I hand this boy off to someone. If I'm lucky I'll get a couple hours in."
Janice smiled at her friend. "I hope so. I'll be thinking sleepy thoughts for you."
"That's why I love you, Janice."
