Page 21 of Fruit and Flash

“What do you think you’ll need first?”

“Oh, I looked that up,” I tell him, scrolling to my project notes I made at two am. “I think I can start with personal safety equipment and cleaning supplies so I can figure out the scope of what’s needed.”

Hayes leans against a workbench and crosses his arms. “Yeah, I don’t have a ton of that. Just household cleaning supplies and maybe gloves.”

“Where can I get that stuff in Foggy Basin?” I ask, worried it will mean a long drive to a bigger town. I could order things online, but I don’t want to wait days for it to arrive before I get started, and I have a feeling they don’t have same-day delivery here.

“Nuts & Bolts Hardware probably has most of what you need.” Hayes walks me out of the workroom and the barn to look at thebuilding. “Maybe a sheet of plywood and a tarp for the roof and broken window, too.”

“Sounds good! I have some money set aside since I’m not paying rent,” I take a picture of the outside and think about where I can set up a tripod for a time lapse that’s in the shade. “I’ll go there next.”

“You can’t fit a sheet of plywood in that car, though it might be fun to see you try,” Hayes points out with a chuckle. “I’ll drive you in my truck.”

Ignoring his teasing, I grab him in a hug. “Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it,” Hayes mumbles into my hair.

Letting him go, he walks off to the truck and I take one more picture with the small building framed by big trees, a clear blue sky, and mountains in the distance. The outside is clapboard siding that has more white paint flaking off than sticking to the surface. The tree needs to be trimmed off the roof, and it would look prettier with a flower basket, but it has real potential.

The sound of an engine catches my attention and I jog over to Hayes’ old blue pickup truck. It’s not too high, so I can get in using the sideboard and I see it’s a bench seat. I’d slide over to sit closer, but Shadow is giving me a toothy grin from the middle.

“Don’t mind my co-pilot,” Hayes says with a grin as I buckle in and give Shadow a pat on the head.

“Won’t it be bad to leave him in the cab while we’re in the store in this heat?” I ask as we make our way down the dusty driveway.

“I’ll park in the shade and leave the windows down. He’s good at staying. Hold up,” Hayes hops out next to his stand and walks around to close the big metal gate. Then he stops at the farm stand and does something with a box on the wall inside.

He rejoins me and I tell him, “I could have closed the gate for you.”

Hayes shrugs, “I’m used to doing it, and you were already buckled in.”

While I could argue that I’m here and he doesn’t have to do it alone, it’s also chivalrous of him to go out in the heat so I don’t have to. Play, I don’t know how to secure the gate.

“You’ll have to show me how you lock up in case I come out when you’re not around.”

“I’m always around.” Hayes glances at me over Shadow’s head. “But I’ll show you how, even though it’s just a chain I hook around the post.”

“No lock?” I ask in surprise. “Isn’t this a main highway?”

“Yeah, but people stop at the stand and take things if they want to steal from me.”

Blinking, I realize Hayes is saying his produce is a barrier and thieves are lazy. “What about the money box?”

“I emptied it just now. I always do when I’m leaving the property.”

“The trust you have in your small town is astounding.”

“Lived here my whole life.” Hayes shrugs again and leaves one hand on the wheel while the other one moves to pet Shadow. “And if they’re stealing food, they likely need it more than I do.”

“Fair,” I nod, eyes back on the road as we near town. When we’re almost to the strip of downtown where I live and work, I remember something. “You never said what you think about the socials for your farm stand.”

“Mm,” Hayes hums in thought before rubbing his beard. “Do you really think I’ll sell more to random people on the internet?”

“After I cross post with my new project, I think it will,” I insist. “You’re not too far off the interstate. There must be millions of people who drive by Foggy Basin without knowing it’s here.”

“One tourist told me they thought Foggy Basin was a sign for a coastal town and wanted to know how far it was to the beach,” Hayes tells me with a smile. “I politely informed him it is also foggy inland and the beach is almost three hours away.”

“What did he say?”