Free Sasha’s Dad by Geri Krotow

afford to.”
    Sasha gave the farmhouse an assessing glance.
    “I think a big porch would be cool. Will you screen it in? Our back deck isn’t screened and we can never sit out there in the summer. The mosquitoes are terrible!”
    Claire laughed. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but you’re right—no sense having a nice porch if you can’t enjoy it. I’ll have to add screening to my budget.”
    As soon as she started making some serious money from the farm. If it wasn’t for her freelance consulting work, she couldn’t afford to continue living here and running the farm.
    Claire opened the door and ushered Sasha into the kitchen.
    “But didn’t your reporter job make you rich?” As she spoke Sasha’s eyes moved from side to side, taking in every detail.
    Claire pulled out a heavy oak chair from the farm table she’d found on consignment last summer. “Hardly. I mean, I had a bit of a nest egg that enabled me to buy the house and farm and the first few llamas.” In fact, she’d barely covered the costs of the past year with the beginnings of her llama fiber business. If she hadn’t met a woman willing to hand-spin some of the fiber so Claire could sell it out of the barn, her finances would’ve been quite dismal.
    “So how do you make money?”
    “I’m still working as an independent contractor for various government agencies. They ask for my opinion on different issues, and I write a report.” She took out the ingredients for hot chocolate and two mugs. Then she added a third mug; Dutch was bound to be chilled when he came in from the barn.
    “Eventually, I hope to have a full stock, everything from roving—” she referred to the raw fiber product “—to yarn, in all colors. I’ll sell all kinds of fibers, from suppliers all over the world, but the only llama fiber I want to sell is mine.”
    Sasha nodded thoughtfully.
    “I think a llama blend is best, and I’d like to have different types for sale,” Claire explained. “Llama’s the most successful when it’s blended with other fibers that hold their shape better—like soy, silk or merino. I might also invest in alpacas.”
    “Alpacas are neat. I saw one at the state fair last year.”
    Claire agreed. The smaller, gentler version of the llama also produced a finer fiber, one that sold at more lucrative prices.
    “Yeah, well, it all takes time.” Claire measured the cocoa powder into their mugs while they waited for the kettle to whistle.
    “Did you notice that small building closer to the road when you came in?” she asked.
    “The haunted cottage?”
    Claire raised her eyebrows. “It’s haunted?”
    “We drive by it on our school bus in the afternoon, and everyone says it’s been haunted since forever.”
    “Really?” Claire smiled at how the building seemed so old to the young kids. It hadn’t seemed that old when she, Dutch and Natalie were kids.
    “The daughter of the owner before me tried to turn it into a B and B.” At Sasha’s blank look, Claire explained, “Bed and breakfast.”
    Claire stirred the hot chocolate as she poured hot water over it. “But they got ill before they could realize their dream. It was never even remodeled. I’m turning the cottage into a yarn shop.”
    “Cool.”
    Based on her expectant look, Sasha seemed happy just to be in a conversation with her, even if talk of Claire’s business bored her.
    She decided to change the subject. “What’s your favorite subject in school?”
    Sasha tilted her head. “I like Social Studies, especially when we learn about a really different country. But I really love Earth Science. I love stuff about the planets and space.”
    “Hmm. You could become a meteorologist.”
    “Yeah, but the math part isn’t so fun. I mean, math’s easy for me, but kind of dull, you know?”
    Claire couldn’t imagine anything Sasha didn’t excel at. The bright intelligence in her gaze was familiar. Dutch had held the number-one spot in their high school class all