The Choices I've Made (By the Bay #1)

Chapter Two: Molly

Biting into the ripe strawberry, I moaned as the sweet juice hit my tongue. "Terri, you are too good to me. These are amazing."

She smiled quickly before turning back toward the kitchen counter. "It's all in the soil," she said, shrugging.

"Well, whatever it is, you've got it in spades. I'm lucky to keep herbs and house plants alive."

"You do well with what you got," she replied, her thick familiar accent brining a smile to my face.

I nodded, watching as she packaged up all my purchases. Terri had been my go-to for fresh, local produce for well over a year now. After taking over the family business, a cozy inn my parents had inherited from my mother's side of the family, I'd found this wonderful old lady and friend with the bright green thumb was truly the key to my success.

"Anything else for you today?" she asked as we sat at her kitchen table drinking homemade sweet tea.

I looked around, trying to remind myself to think with my brain, not my stomach.

"Maybe some peaches?" I said, my mind suddenly whipping up heavenly visions of peach cobbler fresh from the oven.

"You know, Greta over on Ocean View carries pretty good produce. Fresh, too."

I nodded. "Yes, but she's not you. And, besides, who would you talk to if I didn't come and visit?"

She just shook her head, bagging up a few jars of peach preserves since fresh peaches wouldn't be in season for another few months. "It's a wonder how your guests don't roll out of that place when they're done."

"Some of them do," I answered with a laugh.

"Business still good?" she asked.

I began writing her a check for the exact amount I owed. I'd once tried to add a tip to her total, knowing for a fact that she seriously undercharged me, and she'd ripped the check in half, right in front of me, saying I wasn't doing her any favors.

At least, not with my money.

I made it up to her, running errands and weeding her flowers from time to time.

Whatever I could do to keep that old woman going.

"It's great actually," I replied. "Mama and Daddy are amazed at the progress I've made since taking charge."

"Well, it's no surprise to me," she answered.

I grabbed several of the sacks from the table before she could. She let it go, just shaking her head, as we walked out the front door and toward my car.

I lifted the tailgate, and she waited as I filled the back with more fruits and vegetables than most people ate in a month.

Too bad it would last me only a week. Two, tops.

"You've always had a knack for that place. Saw it years ago when you came here for fresh lemons, pigtails down your back and tiny freckles under your eyes. Even then, you knew how to take care of those guests. Better than your parents, I'd wager."

I shied away from the compliment. I was never able to take one without feeling uncomfortable. To me, taking care of people always came easily. After I'd grown up in a house filled with strangers, it could have honestly gone either way. But I had seen the joy my parents had in it.

How all their hard work had seemed entirely worth it just to see a person smile at the end of a long day. I had known even then that I was made for this life.

"Thank you, Terri, but I think I still have some work to do when it comes to living up to the legend of my folks. We still have guests coming back year after year, choosing our little place on the water over anywhere else. It's a true honor."