“I have something to tell you.” Holly pulled away. “But later. When we have a few minutes.”
“All right.” Noelle didn’t expect it was anything serious. Hopefully, Holly would suggest they get together sometime in the next couple of weeks. Noelle would like that.
“Hey!” Holly let go of Noelle. “Did you find a place for your Family Christmas?”
Noelle shook her head. “I don’t think we’re going to have it.”
“Oh, that’s horrible. Why not?”
“I couldn’t find a place big enough. The school was already booked and the churches near us as well. The church wagon has already been claimed, so we wouldn’t have enough seating if we used the shed. It just didn’t work out.”
Holly tilted her head. “What about here?”
Noelle wrinkled her nose.
“In the dining room. You could use the kitchen too.”
“Does Steve rent it out?”
“I don’t know, but you should ask him. He likes your pies so much. Maybe you could—”
“Make his Christmas pies for free? And offer him an extra one every week for the next year.”
“Not that many.” Holly laughed. “But it’s a good idea. How about one a month though instead of one a week?”
Noelle pondered the idea.
“But you have to actually ask him.” Holly glanced back toward Jesse’s booth. “You seem to have a habit of wanting to talk to someone but then not actually doing anything.”
“Is it that obvious?” Noelle whispered.
Holly crossed her arms as a sassy expression landed on her face. “Actually, it is.”
Before Noelle could protest, the first group of customers entered the market. They kept coming—wave after wave after wave. Over and over, Noelle was grateful that Moriah had helped her mix up batter and fillings on Wednesday so all Noelle had to do was bake on Thursday evening and Friday evening too. She could barely restock and wait on customers.
She’d realized, over the last couple of days, that she’d finally gotten a handle on sales. With each request for a pie, Noelle asked if the customer would be interested in a box of mini whoopie pies too. “They’re one of a kind.” She would smile. “Minis are the new big thing.”
Box after box sold.
Then, when young customers asked for a box of the minis, Noelle would suggest they pick up a pie for their mothers, saying, “It’s the best gift you can give her.”
She even found herself joking with customers. But mostly she found herself smiling more and more and saying, “Have a wonderful Christmas.” And she meant it. She’d learned to care about the Englischers.
All of her positive interactions had increased sales.
For the first time, Noelle could imagine Salome at the market. Maybe she spoke cynically about the Englisch at home, but Noelle guessed at the market that she had to be outgoing and personable to sell as much product as she did. Maybe there was a side to Salome that Noelle didn’t know. Maybe she gossiped about others because she didn’t feel that positive about herself. For the first time, her heart ached for her sister, instead of just for herself.
Carlos floated between Holly’s booth and Noelle’s, and a couple of times he went to check on Jesse. Noelle noticed some people carrying the small rocking chairs and one man carrying a small chest. Another man carried a large rocking chair. It seemed that even Jesse was doing well.
The day passed in a blur. At one point, Carlos managed the chocolate booth and Holly came over to restock Noelle’s products while she waited on customers. When they had a lull, Holly said, “You’ve really gotten the hang of selling.”
Noelle agreed. “And I’m actually enjoying it,” she whispered to Holly, who laughed. Noelle would miss the market and wondered if, when it opened again in March, she might continue doing the selling. Perhaps if Noelle offered to do it, her sister would welcome being done with it. But before she had a chance to ask Holly if she’d be back in the spring, another wave of customers appeared at the booth.
Around five, Steve came by with his baseball cap already turned around. Holly quickly scooted over to Noelle’s booth and squeaked, “It’s now or never.”
Noelle took a deep breath and then said, “Steve, I have something to ask you.”
He smiled. “If it’s to take a pie off your hands, the answer is I’ll buy one.”
“Actually, it is.” She handed him a peach one. “But I won’t take your money because I’m hoping to bribe you. Do you ever rent out—or barter for—the kitchen and dining area?”
“When?”
She grimaced, imagining what his reply would be. “Christmas Day.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Honestly, no one’s ever asked. But it’s definitely available.”
She quickly explained the trade she had in mind. When she finished and he didn’t answer right away, she wished she’d offered him one a week.
But then he said, “I think we can work that out. I’ll give you the key when I pick up the pies on Christmas Eve. I’ll give you the security code then too.” He went on to explain that the oven in the kitchen was gas, and that there was a checklist to close up the kitchen and dining hall. “I’ll give you my phone number in case you need it,” he said. He grimaced. “Oops, you probably don’t have a cell phone, right?”
“Oh, I have plenty of nieces and nephews who haven’t joined the church who do,” she said. “We’ll be fine.”
As Steve walked away, joy flowed through her. She’d been bold enough to ask for something she needed—because she’d developed a relationship with Steve.
Grateful for Holly’s prodding, Noelle gave her friend a thumbs-up.
They had
