Mom pops into the kitchen, lighter than I’ve seen her in ages. “Brady, I wish you would have called ahead. We would have turned all the Christmas lights on for you.”
“There are more?”
She can’t be serious. Is she trying to ensure the farm is visible from the moon? If so, mission accomplished.
Mom ignores that and turns to Piper. “It’s so nice to see you again, dear.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” Piper grins. “Your property is gorgeous. Everything was so festive coming up the drive.”
“Speaking of which.” I spread my arms wide, encompassing…everything. “What is going on around here?”
Mom laughs. “We wanted to surprise you, but we didn’t realize you’d be getting in so early.”
I huff a breath. “Oh, I’m definitely surprised.”
She steps in to give me a hug and when she wraps her arms around me like she used to do when I was little, my apprehension fades. “Let me fix a plate of cookies and we can talk.”
I sit down at the kitchen table, but Piper hovers near the door.
“I’m going to take a walk, if that’s all right, so you can have some privacy.”
“Piper, darlin’, there’s no need for you to take a walk. We don’t keep secrets in this house.”
Her eyes widen and she worries her lower lip, but when mom offers her a chocolate chip cookie, she relents and joins me at the table. “If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.” I rest my hand on top of hers. “I’d just tell you whatever we discuss anyway, so you might as well hear it firsthand.”
Mom sits down opposite Piper and me and places the cookies in the center of the table.
“Your grandmother and I wanted to surprise you, but I suppose the cat is out of the bag now.”
My palms begin to sweat. “Surprise me with what, exactly?
“We’re bringing your vision to life with… What did you call it?” She snaps her fingers. “Agritourism.”
For a moment, I’m shocked speechless. “You read my business plan?”
It’s impossible to keep the surprise from my voice. I’d all but given up hope mom and Gran would consider additional revenue streams, and now they’re just out here making it happen without even telling me?
It’s insulting.
“Your Gran and I both read the business plan, and we agreed it was worth the risk, so we created a Winter Wonderland to bring in new guests and give the idea a test run.”
I’ve been so busy with football and school and Piper; I haven’t looked at the farm’s social media accounts in months. If I had, I probably would’ve figured out what was going on sooner.
The realization lands like a blow.
For all my talk of stepping up, I’ve been painfully absent.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Because they didn’t need you. They’ve got everything under control.
That they purposefully excluded me hurts more than I want to admit. It’s been the three of us against the world for the last decade and now I’m being shut out.
She reaches across the table and takes my hand. “We didn’t tell you because we wanted to see if the idea had legs, but more importantly, we wanted you to enjoy your last year at school without the burden of the farm hanging over your head.” She smiles, but it’s tired. “Running this farm is a big responsibility. It’s a lot of stress and a little income. The world has changed and farming isn’t as viable as it once was.”
“No one gets into farming for the money. They do it because they love it.”
