CHAPTER 34
THE ASSISTANT
“If there was a French guy or a Belgian guy, she must have met him literally that night. Here, try this dill.” Katie held out a tufty bunch as we sheltered from a rain shower in a giant polytunnel. “Last year, I planted it right in the ground and slugs ate it all, but this year, I planted it in plug trays and it turned out amazing.”
Katie was a fellow American, and this was her third trip to Quinta do Lago. She’d spend a few months working on the land, then return to the US to visit with family and take seasonal work—last year, she’d found a job as one of Santa’s elves from September through December. Yes, September. Christmas started early these days, and the mall she worked in wasn’t about to miss out on a commercial opportunity. One summer, she’d been arrangi
