More Than a Mission by Caridad Piñeiro Page B

behind the other car, and Aidan asked, “Is this where we’re shopping?”
    â€œWe call it ‘hedge veg,’” she explained and parked the Gaston along the side of the road.
    â€œâ€˜Hedge veg?’” Aidan repeated and cocked his head to the side in question. “Is that like the Silvershire version of green markets?”
    She shook her head and tucked a few loose strands of hair back. “It’s not just greens and typically, we don’t stop at markets. Come with me and you’ll see.”
    Not waiting for his reply, since at this point he was basically her captive audience, she slipped from the car and walked to meet him where he waited by the chromed front bumper of the Gaston. As she approached, he offered his arm and touched by the chivalrous gesture, she eased her arm through his. They strolled past the other parked auto and toward a modest covered stand by the side of the road and in front of a well-kept farmhouse. A man who had apparently just made a purchase strolled past them, bag in hand.
    â€œHi, Addy,” she called out once they were closer to the stand.
    The older gray-haired woman behind the counter smiled broadly and walked around to give her an enthusiastic hug and Aidan an inquisitive look.
    â€œAnd this would be?” Addy asked as she shook Aidan’s hand.
    â€œAidan. I’m Elizabeth’s new bartender.”
    Once again, Addy’s look was speculative as it passed from Aidan and back to her, but she ignored it. “What do you have for me today?”
    Addy grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her over to the counter. “The goat cheese is out of this world today and the husband just finished up a batch of mozzarella,” she said and motioned to the samples spread out on the table.
    Elizabeth first tasted the goat cheese. Creamy, with a full-bodied flavor. She scooped up another bit on a cracker and offered it up to Aidan, who had come to stand beside her.
    He opened his mouth and she popped it in. After chewing, he nodded emphatically. “That’s good.”
    Next, they sampled the mozzarella. Still warm from the vats where it was prepared, the cheese had a rich creamy flavor, milder than the goat cheese and with a firmer consistency. She smiled at Addy to show her approval and said, “I’ll take a dozen each of both these cheeses if you have that many. Only, I’m not headed straight back to town. I could pick them up tomorrow….”
    Addy waved off her suggestion. “Not to worry, luv. My George has to pop into town during the morning, so he can drop them off.”
    â€œThanks so much. In the meantime, we’ll need something for a picnic lunch. How about the…” She glanced over at Aidan and waited for him to make the selection.
    He shrugged, seemingly unsure at first, but then he pointed to the goat cheese.
    â€œGreat choice,” she confirmed, and Addy quickly wrapped up a round of the cheese in some grape leaves, dropped it into a bag, and passed it to Aidan to carry.
    â€œYou two have a nice day now,” the older woman called out as they returned to the car.
    Aidan tucked the bag into the space behind the front seats that arguably passed for a back seat. It brought a memory to Elizabeth of her and Dani crammed onto that narrow leather bench as young girls while her family did the hedge veg together.
    She was smiling as she eased behind the wheel and Aidan must have noticed it, for he said, “Penny for your thoughts.”
    â€œOnly a penny?” she teased, starting up the car and steering it back onto the main road.
    Aidan examined her face carefully, wondering what had put that enigmatic smile there. It was a smile filled with pleasure, but also with a hint of…nostalgia. Surprisingly, he knew the thought wasn’t one about him, although how he could read her that well, he didn’t know.
    Or maybe she was just acting once again. She was the Sparrow after all.