“She stayed,” Austin said simply. “She stayed when she didn’t have to. A lot of people wouldn’t.”
Jace could hear what he wasn’t saying. That a lot of people hadn’t.
“She loves you.”
“I wish we could do something for her, but we don’t have anything to spend.”
Jace realized they must be on an exceptionally tight budget with Tara supporting all of them on her wages as a barista and the money from her yoga classes. It said a lot that she was pulling it off. “What if we could do something about that?”
“How’s that?”
No donations here. Austin’s tone made it clear he wouldn’t accept charity any more than Tara would.
“Y’all made most of the ornaments on your tree, right?”
“Yeah. Tara taught us how to make several last Christmas.”
“Austin did the painted balls,” Ginny announced proudly.
“Yeah?” Their tree boasted a dozen balls with tiny holiday scenes painstakingly painted on each. “you’re really talented.”
The boy just jerked his shoulders.
“You could make more and sell them. We get a surprising amount of traffic between now and Christmas. People buying last minute trees or fresh wreaths or garland. Those ornaments would make great last minute gifts or impulse buys.”
“We don’t have supplies.”
Jace waved that off. “We can pick some up. The cost of supplies will come out of the profits and anything over that is gravy.”
Ginny bounced on her stool. “Let’s do it, Austin. It’ll be fun!”
“How long do you think it would take you to make some?” Jace asked.
“A few hours per batch. Mostly letting glue or paint dry.”
“If y’all can make me a list of what you need, I can make a supply run while you’re in school tomorrow and you can dive in when you get home.”
“My brushes and stuff are still at the house.”
“I can swing by and get those, too.”
“But how will we keep it a surprise?” Ginny wanted to know.
“We’ll set up in the big house. There’s plenty of space and rooms Tara won’t go in.”
Austin and Ginny peered around the horses and exchanged a look. “Sounds like a plan,” he said.
“What’s a plan?” Tara asked, walking into the barn.
The kids jolted guiltily and Jace raced to cover. “The kids want to learn how to make wreaths out of the tree trimmings. I told them we’d have a little wreath-making class on Saturday and they can help me finish up the last batch we’ll be taking in to sell at Edison Hardware.”
“Count me in to help with that,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“It’s the least we can do to say thank you for your hospitality.” She lifted a caddy of drinks. “I brought treats from The Grind. Hot chocolate with whipped cream for you two.”
“Awesome!”