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“Looks like Jeremy made a new friend”

Max bit back a groan “Shut up, Meg” He fed the stove o away Of course, she was standing there s placidly when he turned

“What’s the prob, big brother?”

“You know exactly what,” he grumbled

With a laugh that was a straight-up cackle, she said, “I sure do You loooove him”

“Meg”

“Okay, okay” She held up her hands in surrender “Moon tour I’ll do taffy if you want to take over the sugar house Oh look, Jere in there”

Max cursed her under his breath, giving a bright sh, Jere the boxes ofby the depleted stock, they’d sold quite a few

“Hey folks!” There were about fifteen peoplearound “I’m happy to answer any questions you have, and I can tell you about our operation” In the silence, his gaze slid to Jereave Max a bright smile

“How many taps do you put in the trees?” Levi asked

“We have uulped fro inthe trees as you drove in When the sap starts running, probably in March, we’ll put the taps back into the trees, and the syrup will travel through the tubes We have thirty-four hundred taps”

Levi’s niece asked, “Does it come out of the trees like this?” She motioned to the clear bottles of amber lined on the shelves

“No, it’s just sap when it coar house He motioned to the metal equipment that dominated the space “That’s our evaporator, which is wood-fired We cook the sap in there until it becomes the syrup you pour on your pancakes”

He answered ister When that groupLevi and Jeremy were still there And Levi was still way too handsy, leaning close and whispering so in Jeremy’s ear near the evaporator

Which Max was about to shove Levi into

“You should go,” Max blurted Jeremy and Levi blinked at hiive other people a chance,” Max added weakly,in outside

“Uncle Levi, I’et a tuar”

Levi sers and fries? Don’t tell your mom”