Spread the Love
Chapter One
"And, the winner is . . . " Allison, my fraternal twin sister and Bailey's Farmers' Market manager reached into the box and pulled out a small piece of paper. She unfolded it and smiled. "Becca Robins!"
The buzz started. I couldn't immediately tell if it was a good buzz or a bad buzz. Since I had a homemade jam and preserve stall at Bailey's, Allison and I had discussed whether our sibling status disqualified me for the annual Valentine's Day "Spread the Love" event. We finally decided that chances were so slim that I'd win, it wouldn't hurt to throw my name into the box just to keep the odds even for everyone. The slight difference between slim and none had played to my advantage today.
"Congratulations, Becca," Bo Stafford, the onion man, said. Bo was a big guy who I once thought was sort of gruff, but it turns out maybe he isn't.
"You'll have fun," Linda, my good friend, neighboring market vendor and fruit pie baker extraordinaire said with a genuine smile.
We were under a large tent at Bailey's. Everyone was there. The drawing for the event was a big deal. One Bailey's vendor would travel to another market somewhere in the country and spend time with its vendors, sharing marketing and product ideas. The owners of Bailey's paid for the three day trip and threw in a little extra spending money.
From across the dirt floor, Barry of Barry Good Corn, and Herb and Don, the herb boys smiled and sent congratulatory waves my direction.
Maybe it was okay that I'd won.
"Where will she be going?" Jeanine Baker, the egg lady asked.
Allison had been inspecting the crowd too. I was sure she was just as surprised as I was that I'd won. The look in her dark eyes told me she was pleased with the other vendors' reaction.
"I think Becca will have a great time. She's going to . . . "
UPDATE: Voting closed for the night. Come back tomorrow and thank you!
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