Town in a Pumpkin Bash Read Online Free Page B

“and I’m pretty good with plants.”
    “Plus you’re bright, personable, hardworking….”
    “Well groomed…”
    “You’re good with customers….”
    “Self-motivated and organized…”
    “You have a wonderful sense of humor….”
    “And I can throw together a pretty mean lasagna in a jiffy!”
    They made a list of all of Maggie’s attributes and another one of prospective jobs,
     both existing and new ones, that might fit her skill set. They tried to think broadly,
     even adding
lobsterman
to the initial list before scratching it off. “I tend to get seasick,” Maggie admitted,
     “even in light chop.”
    Over the next few days, they fanned out, looking into options around town. They checked
     all the nurseries and farm suppliers in the area, for instance—all three of them—but
     none were hiring. They caught wind of an opening with the town maintenance crew, but
     it turned out to be a job for a Bobcat operator to help clear snow off the sidewalks
     and streets over the winter. Maggie demurred. Ditto for a job as a bus driver for
     the local school district. “Me on the roads this winter with a bus full of rambunctious
     kids? I don’t think so.”
    Creating a new job for her proved to be trickier than they thought. Which way to go?
     Start her own organizing business? Or cleaning service? Collect empty soda cans by
     the side of the road?
    She considered becoming a private tutor, opening a senior-care business, and even
     becoming a business coach or interior designer, but in the end it was Candy’s father,
     Henry “Doc” Holliday, who made the suggestion that stuck, mostly because it was the
     easiest idea to get started on, and matched her skill set perfectly.
    “Why don’t you talk to Mr. Gumm about taking over that pumpkin patch of his?” Doc
     said absently one afternoon while he was standing on the porch cradling an armful
     of vegetables, including peppers, tomatoes, and onions, which he’d just picked in
     the garden. He planned to make his famous spicy tomato sauce that evening.
    Doc went on to say he’d overheard at the diner that Mr. Gumm was thinking about selling
     a pumpkin patch he owned because he could no longer keep up with it, and it was starting
     to fall into neglect. When Candy expressed an interest, Doc elaborated, though first
     he ducked inside so he could set down the vegetables on the kitchen counter.
    “Well, let’s see. From what I’ve heard, that piece of land has been in the Gumm family
     for generations. They’ve grown other crops there, of course, like corns and beans,
     but mostly they’ve utilized it as a pumpkin patch, because the soil’s rich and moist,
     and it’s got good exposure to sun. They have two fields—Low Field and High Field—where
     they plant different varieties. Connecticut Field pumpkins—those are the traditional
     jack-o’-lanterns, you know—in Low Field, and more of those plus some heirlooms in
     High Field. From what Mr. Gumm said, they just ran a simple u-pick operation, and
     apparently made quite a bit of money at it over the years, when it was well managed—which
     it hasn’t been for a long time. He talked about selling it, but I don’t think he’d
     really ever part with it, since it’s family property.But he’s clearly frustrated and doesn’t know what to do with it. Maybe there’s an
     opportunity there, especially with this Pumpkin Bash thing coming up.”
    That got their imaginations going. The “Pumpkin Bash thing,” as Doc referred to it,
     was a relatively new event in town, supported and managed by a small yet energetic
     group of local residents and business owners. The idea was to draw trick-or-treaters
     and their families to the downtown area on Halloween night by keeping the stores open
     late, handing out candy, and creating several large displays of lit jack-o’-lanterns
     up and down the streets and in Town Park. Entrants for a giant pumpkin weigh-off contest
     would also be on display,