Olivia’s stress appeared to come from her struggle to find a particular lip balm among the many for an impatient customer. Lia was glad when Olivia finally found it. It was a small sale, but satisfying every customer was important, especially when your business was slow, as it had been for Olivia lately. When the woman left with her purchase, Lia caught Olivia’s eye and smiled encouragingly.
She was about to say something, too, when she heard her name called and turned her head. Belinda leaned over the side of Lia’s booth that edged the walkway leading to the office.
“When you get a chance, would you come back for a minute? I need to talk.”
“Sure.” What about? rose to Lia’s lips, but she’d have to wait to find out. Belinda had already turned away. Lia continued to work at her afghan square until a new customer appeared at her booth. She stood to help the young man decide on a Mother’s Day gift of cozy knitted slippers, but part of her mind remained on Belinda and what she wanted to discuss. It was clear something was bothering her friend.
Chapter 2
Alfred is selling the barn,” Belinda stated flatly as soon as Lia took a seat in front of her desk.
Lia’s mind went blank. Alfred? Then it came to her. “Alfred Schumacher?” Lia had heard about the Schumachers, how they’d owned the barn for generations, gradually selling off farmland but managing to hold on to a few acres surrounding the large barn. The craft fair used the empty fields for parking and to accommodate booths outdoors during milder months.
“Why?” Lia asked. “Rather, why now? After all these years.”
“Alfred says he’s getting too old to deal with it. I think the offer was too good to turn down.” Belinda sank her head into her hands, a rare show of emotion other than impatience.
“I’m sorry,” Lia said. “What does this mean for the craft fair? Will the new owner let it go on?”
Belinda lifted her head slightly and shook it. “The new owner—assuming the sale goes through—is Darren.” Her eyes hardened. “There’s nothing he’d like better than to destroy me and everything I’ve worked for. Once he gets his hands on the property, the craft fair is done for.”
“Oh!” Lia had met Darren but didn’t know him well. He and Belinda had been married briefly. It was during a busy time in Lia’s life, when she was working as a surgical nurse while also guiding their daughter, Hayley, through the turbulent teens. The busyness of both couples, in fact, had limited their opportunities to socialize. Lia remembered finding the man pleasant and charming, at least at first. She remembered Tom commenting that he’d met used-car salesmen who were more sincere than Darren.
“Darren’s a businessman, Belinda.” Lia had tapped into her memory and come up with the fact that he was a real estate developer. “Surely he wouldn’t sink money into a property simply to hurt you, would he?”
Belinda laughed grimly. “You think not? You don’t know him. He never wanted the divorce, you know.” She grimaced. “Not because he cared anything about me, but because it disrupted his life. It made him look bad, and he hated that. Really hated it. This is a man who’ll get his revenge, no matter how long it takes or what it costs him.”
Lia knew that Belinda and Darren’s divorce had been a bitter one, but Belinda always kept the details to herself. It didn’t appear she’d come out terribly well, financially. She put in long hours managing the craft fair as well as other events at the barn and wasn’t living in luxury.
“What will you do if you lose access to the barn? Can you move the fair somewhere else?”
“No,” Belinda said. “This is it. The Crandalsburg Craft Fair thrives in great part because of its proximity to Gettysburg. We’re within reach of tourists and day-trippers who come to see the historic town and battlefield. When they have enough of history, they wander over to us to shop. There’s no other affordable facility large enough in the area.” Belinda rubbed at her face. “If I move the fair site too far, I lose the tourists as well as most of my vendors, who live locally. They won’t want to drag their goods back and forth any great distance.”
Lia saw the worry on Belinda’s face. She’d spent years building the weekend craft fair as well as filling in the week with other activities in the barn, things like meetings and receptions, and even dance classes. To lose access to what had become her life would be devastating.
Less devastating would be the effect on the Ninth Street Knitters, but it would be a huge disappointment, just when things had barely got going for them. It had become an important part of Lia’s recovery, too, and frankly, the added income had made a difference, not only to her but to others in the group.
“Don’t you have a contract with Alfred?” she asked.
“Of course. But unfortunately for me there’s a clause that lets him off the hook.” Belinda’s face hardened. “Darren won’t get away with this.”
“What do you mean to do?” Lia asked a little worriedly.
“He’ll be sorry he went down this road.” Belinda stood, ignoring Lia’s question.
“Do you think you can stop him?” Lia asked.
“Don’t say anything to the others,” Belinda said. “Not yet.” She stepped over to her window to stare through it, her thoughts obviously churning, and from the tension of her stance, Lia wasn’t sure she wanted to know in what direction. Essentially dismissed, Lia left and returned to her booth, thanking Olivia for watching over it while she was gone.
“Everything okay?” Olivia asked, letting Lia know her expression was worrisome. Lia cleared it, managing a small smile, and was glad when a shopper stopped at Olivia’s booth to distract her. That allowed Lia to sit down to knit and think.
* * *
* * *
During a late afternoon lull, Lia had a chat on a happier subject with Olivia. The younger woman was excited about a special order a customer had placed for a Mother’s Day gift basket.
“She wants at least one of almost everything I make,” Olivia said. “Two each of the herbal soaps. The basket will be enormous!” And a terrific sale, she didn’t add, though that was obvious.
Olivia, thin, rather pale, and with limp, dull blond hair, was a worrier by nature and hadn’t seen good sales for a while, for whatever reason. Lia was glad to see the shadows around her eyes be replaced with happy crinkles.
“Maybe I should pick up more baskets tonight along with the big one,” Olivia said. “Fill them with an assortment of products and wrap them in cellophane and ribbons. I could have them ready for tomorrow. What do you think, Lia?”
“I think that’s a great idea. Perfect for your kind of booth and for shoppers looking for a very nice but quick and easy gift. I predict you’ll sell out.”