Page 165 of Maple Mountain
“Damn right.Muddy is cooking.Who wants to miss that?”
We bundled up, ventured out of the hotel, and meandered through the town.Traffic was blocked off and despite the cold winter air, the town was hopping with patrons.
And there weren’t just wood carving booths.There were several other wares for sale, too.Loose-leaf tea.Honey.Hunting knives.Blacksmith’s goods.Archer felt right at home.
“What should we get Poet and Brooks?”I asked as we wove through the crowd.
“We have to get them something?”
I laughed.“A wedding gift.”
“They said they didn’t want anything,” Archer replied.
“You’re such a man.Wehaveto get them something,” I protested.“Even if it’s something small.”
“I don’t know, what do you think they’d want?”
“No idea.That’s why I’m asking you.”
“You’re Poet’s best friend.”
“Brooks is your brother,” I shot back.
He sighed.“Right.Okay.”
I waited in expectation with my eyebrows raised.
“I got nothin’,” he said.
“Yeah, me neither.”
I stopped in front of a booth filled with wood-carved baby mobiles and my breath caught.One drew my eye immediately.It was a crescent moon and sun with faces.And several wooden stars of different sizes.
“What do you think about this?”I asked Archer, pointing to the mobile.
“I think that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” he said, sliding his finger across the face of the crescent moon.
“One of a kind, too,” the owner of the booth said with a smile.“I don’t ever make the same two pieces.”
“I love that even more,” I said.“My best friend is having a baby, and I want this for her.”
“Should I wrap it up for you?”he asked.
“Please.”I reached for my purse.
“I’ve got it,” Archer said, his eyes on me.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”He smiled.“It’ll be their wedding gift.”
“That’s a baby gift,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah, well, we don’t know what to get them for their wedding, but they are having a baby.Trust me.This’ll go over better than trying to find a perfect wedding gift.”
I sighed.“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
My heart expanded when I saw the owner gently place the mobile in a box lined with tissue paper and close the lid.He set the entire box into a brown shopping bag with handles and gave it to me.
