JESSICA KNEW ADAM WILDING but had met his wife only once.
They were a nice couple, busy raising Cassie’s niece and nephew. Today they were positively glowing. The reason seemed clear when Jessica spotted the large round button on Tiffany’s T-shirt that announced I’m Going to Be a Big Sister.
“I’m just guessing, but are congratulations in order?” she asked.
“That’s right.” Adam grinned from ear to ear. “Cassie is six weeks along.”
Since pregnancy had prompted a far different reaction from Jessica’s ex-husband, she appreciated his excitement. He was a proud, ecstatic papa-to-be.
“That’s wonderful. Any cravings yet, Cassie?”
“None so far, but the food I can smell from the booths is driving me crazy. We try to eat healthy, so I’m going to blame my indulgences on the baby.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Adam put a hand on Glen’s shoulder and leaned forward to say something to both kids. They nodded and headed for their respective autograph stations. The people waiting in the two lines—predominantly other teens and preteens—cheered.
Jessica held up a pair of gift bags. “These are for Tiffany and Glen to thank them for coming.”
“That’s so thoughtful,” Cassie said, accepting the bags. “Though totally unnecessary. The twins were thrilled to be asked. Tiff practically did handstands.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy yourselves. If you need anything, ask somebody wearing a T-shirt like mine.” Jessica gestured to her bright red shirt with Flash Committee printed on it.
“Thanks.”
Jessica’s cell phone beeped. It was a text, reminding her that the fire department’s skit on fire safety would soon be starting.
“I hope I see you later,” she said to Tom and Regina before leaving. “Thanks again for dinner last night.”
“It was our pleasure.”
Jessica headed for the fire station with Cyndi. She didn’t need to return to the autograph stations in the park; Carl was delivering Laurel’s gift bag, and other members of the Flash Committee would greet the remaining three celebrities. Right now she was just on call, though later she was taking her turn on the dunk tank.
A crowd had already gathered outside the main doors of the firehouse. The department had been performing the same skit for twenty-five years, but they enjoyed doing it so much that everyone else had fun watching. Jessica’s favorite part was when the fire chief started singing and his crew doused him with a hose.
“Thank you,” said Chief Delgado at the end. He bowed, still dripping with water. “We’ll be back in an hour.”
“I took bunches of pictures,” Cyndi said, coming over to join Jessica. She’d been at the front of the crowd, watching with the other kids.
“It’s okay just to watch, too,” Jessica reminded her gently. She didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but she also wanted her daughter to learn balance.
“I know, but I gotta practice.”
An hour later they crossed paths once more with Regina Kensington, who still looked spotless in her cream linen slacks and white silk blouse. Jessica wouldn’t have dared to wear clothes like that at a street fair; they’d be ruined in five minutes.
Regina looked at Cyndi. “Are you having a good time, little one?”
“Uh-huh.” Cyndi lifted her camera and took a picture of her. “See? I want to be just like Logan. Momma, can I go take pictures of Grandma selling candy? And to help her,” she added quickly.
Jessica hesitated and then nodded. “That’s fine. Stay until I come for you.” The candy booth was just a short distance away, but she watched until her daughter was safely inside before turning back to Logan’s mother. “When do you fly home?”
“Monday morning. We love being here, but we don’t want to take too much of Logan’s time. How long have you known him?”
“A little over a month.”
“I would have guessed longer. You know, Regen Valley is such a peaceful little town that it hardly seems possible we’re so close to metropolitan Seattle.”
Jessica understood how she felt. “Several communities in the Pacific Northwest have the same hidden-away feeling, probably because of all the hills and waterways. Naturally I think Regen Valley is the best, but I’m biased. I spent summers here with my grandparents as a kid. It’s always felt like home.”
Regina’s face turned wistful. “Logan doesn’t have a place like that. Our assignments were usually a few months...a year or two at most. It’s difficult to form ties.”
“He’s mentioned living in a number of different countries. He must have enjoyed the travel, since he continued doing it in his career.”
“Perhaps, but I know we shouldn’t have remained in the diplomatic service for so long. Tom tried to resign when Logan was five and they begged him to stay. He has special skills that always seemed to be needed somewhere, and each new country required learning different protocols and customs. We were constantly walking a political tightrope, which meant our son had to walk it right along with us.”
The intimate conversation was surprising, but maybe Regina needed reassurance.
“Logan is a good person,” Jessica said firmly. “He said it’s been hard to spend much time together over the past few years, but I know he wants you to be part of his life.”
Regina’s smile quivered. “That’s kind of you. It’s a comfort knowing you’re his friend. But I mustn’t be selfish and keep you from your responsibilities. The boys will be back soon. I bought some patchwork quilts and pillow covers, so they took everything to the car.”
Friend? Jessica blinked. Her relationship with Logan was more frenemy than friend given the agency’s request to relocate the store, but the other woman wouldn’t appreciate hearing it.
“I’ll volunteer to help in the candy booth,” Regina added. “It would be good for the boys to have time together without me.”
The way she called her husband and son “the boys” was endearing, but Jessica didn’t have time to really consider it—her phone beeped for the ninth time that morning with a text message. She pulled it out and looked at the screen.
“Is something wrong?” Regina asked.
“I’m needed at the health station. We have a lost child looking for his parents. See you later.”
“I DON’T KNOW how she expects to get this home on the plane,” Thomas Kensington grumbled as they stowed his wife’s purchases in the back of Logan’s SUV. There were seven patchwork quilts and other assorted handiwork that she’d explained were gifts for potential donors to the clinic.
“I know Mom. She usually has some room in her luggage. The rest can be shipped.”
Tom snorted. “Room? She brought three times the number of clothes she needed. Maybe she was nervous about the trip, because it simply isn’t like her.”
Logan agreed. He’d learned his minimalist travel style from his mother, not his father. Regina Kensington believed in bringing exactly what she needed and no more. It helped that his parents usually stayed in the kind of establishment that provided laundry and dry-cleaning services.
They headed back to the street fair and he saw his mother waving at them from inside the candy booth.
“I’m volunteering for a while,” she explained. “Maybe you can find the health station and help Jessica. They have a child looking for his parents.”
Obviously Jessica and his mother had spoken, which led Logan to wondering what they’d spoken about.
“Happy to help. Can’t have a lost child,” Thomas said.
But when they reached the health station they were told the family had been reunited.
Jessica was talking to a paramedic and Logan began snapping pictures. He’d put four extra memory cards in his pocket early that morning, just in case, and it was starting to look as if he’d need them.
Through the viewfinder he saw her glance his direction and wrinkle her nose. She finished her conversation and came over.
“Don’t take so many pictures that you forget to enjoy the fair,” she urged. Her light tone didn’t fool Logan. She’d called his camera a barrier between him and the rest of the world.
“Sure. What food do you recommend?”
She shook her head. “I can’t recommend one vendor over another. The competition between them is too fierce and I might be accused of favoritism.”
“Perhaps we should get a sample from each of them.”
“Then you’ll need an unusually hearty appetite and patience for long lines.”
Logan eyed the crowds of cheerful people queuing up at the different booths. The lines were moving quickly, but he probably wouldn’t have the patience to wait in one, much less all of them. Ironic. He was willing to wait hours for a single great photograph of a bear. But not for food.
He wasn’t even hungry because of the hearty breakfast burrito he’d gotten earlier when things were quieter.
A family went by, carrying heaping plates of barbecued ribs and potato salad. Logan’s mouth watered. Maybe he could handle one line today; the question was which one.
“Uh, I’ll talk to my folks and see what they want to do.”
“Good decision.”
Jessica walked away, hips swaying gently while the sun sparked fiery glints off her hair. For once Logan didn’t lift his camera—this was one image he couldn’t store electronically. He needed to capture it in his brain.
PENNY WAS PLEASED with the brisk candy sales. Even though cooks from all over Regen Valley had contributed their homemade confections, they were already running low on supplies.
“My great-grandma made that one,” Cyndi told a customer, pointing to a container of cappuccino fudge. “It’s the best and it’s almost gone.”
“All the fudge is good,” Penny scolded in a light tone.
“But yours is best, Grandma.”
The customer, a woman wearing a Seattle Seahawks T-shirt, just laughed and followed Cyndi’s recommendation.
Regina Kensington had been helping with the sales, but now she took money from her purse and bought the last container of cappuccino fudge. “I don’t want to miss getting some,” she explained, tucking her purchase into a new tote, decorated with a patchwork square.
A short time later Jessica brought them cups of coffee. “Grams, someone is replacing you at one o’clock, right? Though it doesn’t look as if they’ll have much to sell by then.”
“Yes, at one. Carl has someone getting more candy from a warehouse store. Anyway, it should be quiet for a while. Over the noon hour people are more interested in hamburgers than sweets.”
“That’s true. Call if you need anything.”
She smiled at Regina and left with Cyndi.
“Goodness, your granddaughter is a bundle of energy,” Regina said when they were alone.
“She knows how to get things done.” Penny surveyed their remaining stock of candy with exasperation. “I wish we had more fudge and English toffee. Store-bought candy won’t be as popular and the profit margin will be smaller. Still, every bit counts.”
“You sure sound like a savvy businesswoman.”
“I should be after so many years in business. My husband and I started the Crystal Connection. It’s Jessica’s now because we wanted her to have it after he was gone. But I still manage the trade network we set up with our friends in other countries.”
Regina traced the lettering on the cash box. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been alone?”
“A lifetime in emotions, nine months now by the calendar.”
Regina shivered. “Tom had a health scare in February. It turned out all right, but we were both reminded that time shouldn’t be wasted.”
“Then his problem was a blessing in disguise.”
“I suppose. I—” Regina stopped, her attention caught by something down the street. Following her gaze, Penny saw Logan, and looking in the direction his camera was pointed, she saw Jessica and Cyndi.
“Do you think there’s anything between them?” Regina asked wistfully.
“I’ve wondered, but don’t get your hopes up. Jessica’s marriage ended badly and I suspect your son isn’t too keen on permanent relationships.”
“Logan likes his freedom. But what about you? Do you think you would ever consider remarrying? I’m only asking because Kevin McClaskey seems to be such a close friend.”
“I’m not ready for anything like that,” Penny said, though she’d been thinking a lot about Kevin. Lately their relationship had been changing—it was even beginning to feel as if it was more than friendship.
But romance? She still thought the idea was ridiculous for a woman her age.
Wasn’t it?
Her mind was buzzing as a customer came up to buy a package of soda cracker candy.
She didn’t want to upset her relationship with Kevin, but it would be best to get things out in the open and discuss their expectations honestly. After all, she was too mature and they’d known each other too long for silly games and girlish embarrassment.
LOGAN CAUGHT UP with Jessica again at the silent auction booth. An impressive collection of items were displayed—restaurant gift certificates, small appliances, antiques, pieces of art and everything in between. Ten items were being auctioned off each hour and people were engaging in friendly rivalry.
“Your calendars are doing well,” Jessica told him. In addition to four professional photo shoots, he’d donated several copies of the calendars for the auction. Jessica had insisted he sign them, though it felt pretentious, especially since his name was already on the front.
“That’s nice. Just to keep you in the loop, I’m moving as fast as I can to get the figures and information together for my partners.”
A shadow crossed her face and Logan kicked himself. Today of all days, Jessica didn’t need to be reminded of the rental issue.
“Thanks. I knew it would take a while.”
Carl strode up to them. “Jessica, a television crew is here to interview you.”
Her eyes widened and she tensed. “You’re the head of the event. You should talk to them.”
“But you’re the committee chair. Besides, your pretty face is much more appealing than mine.” Carl gestured and a man hurried over, a cameraman following.
“Are you Ms. Parrish?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Sheffield tells us you’re responsible for getting the Flash Committee together. Can you tell us about it?”
Logan watched as Jessica explained the need for a clinic with the same clear, passionate voice that must have gotten the project started in the first place.
“We’ve had phenomenal people working on this,” she concluded. “Carl Sheffield has worked tirelessly as the guy in charge of the Flash Fair. I can’t thank our volunteers enough, or the members of the community who are raising money in the different booths.”
The reporter thanked her and asked the cameraman to get general footage of the booths and games.
“Great job, kid, you’re amazing.” Carl kissed her cheek and then checked his phone. “And you didn’t even miss your turn on the dunk tank. You have just enough time to change.”
“Come on, Momma,” Cyndi urged, pulling on her mother’s hand.
Logan’s father approached, and Logan had a feeling he’d been waiting until Jessica was gone.
“That’s an incredible young woman,” Thomas said. “I’ve known ambassadors who couldn’t handle an interview so well.”
It was the highest praise his father knew how to give.
“Right,” Logan agreed. “Are you enjoying the fair?”
“I haven’t gone to anything like this since I was a boy. The family warmth here is so... Let’s just say that it’s become increasingly important to me lately.”
Logan was caught by the sheen in his father’s eyes. He’d never seen Thomas Kensington so emotional before. “Is something wrong, Dad?”
“No, no, not now. But Regina made me promise to tell you that I needed surgery a few months ago. The tests were negative and I’m fine, but she thought you should know.”
Adrenaline sent Logan’s heart racing. “Of course I should know. I should have known when it was happening. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were busy, in Japan, I think. We didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily.”
Logan tried to calm down, juggling both alarm and relief. And on its heels came another question—did his parents keep him in the dark because they hadn’t believed he’d be there for them, anyway?
“I’m glad it turned out all right,” he finally said. “But don’t ever do that again. If something is wrong, call me. Please.”
“You do the same. Now, let’s see what’s going on with this silent auction.”
They examined the items currently being auctioned. Logan wrote down a bid on a good watercolor landscape by a local artist, but his father promptly outbid him by a generous amount.
“I hope I win. It would be a fine souvenir of our visit,” Thomas said with a grin.
Together they strolled through the bustling crowd. Before long they came to the dunk booth, where Jessica was perched over a deep tank of water.
“You have to do better if you’re going to turn me into a mermaid,” she called to the man throwing balls at the release mechanism. She was laughing and her hair was wet, so she must have been dunked at least once. The red Flash Committee T-shirt was plastered to her slim body, but she’d changed from her jeans into a pair of nylon shorts.
“Remarkable,” Thomas marveled. “I’ve never known anyone quite like her.”
Logan had to agree.
WHEN JESSICA FINISHED her turn at the dunk tank she dashed into the changing tent clutching a towel. She shivered. Spring in the Pacific Northwest was unpredictable, but they’d gotten lucky for the street fair—it was sunny, if not that warm.
Yikes. She dropped her wet clothes into a plastic bag and shimmied back into her jeans and a dry T-shirt.
“Hi, Momma,” Cyndi squealed when she came out of the tent. “Is it okay that I throwed balls to dunk you? Grandma and Regina said you wouldn’t mind. They bought me tickets.”
“You bet it’s okay.” Jessica hugged her daughter and smiled at the two women who seemed to be forming a friendship.
Logan walked up between Grams and his mother and put an arm around each of their shoulders. “Dad is holding a table. I got pit barbecue plates for everyone from the Flash Committee’s booth. Jessica, since the booth isn’t in the competition, you won’t be showing favoritism to eat with us. Come on, you must be starving after getting dunked.”
She couldn’t refuse, not with Grams nodding agreement and Cyndi jumping up and down with her usual excitement.
Initially the elder Kensingtons regarded their plates with caution, but that didn’t last.
“Delicious,” Regina declared after taking a tentative bite. “I’ve never had pit barbecue before.”
“Ed Schindler is famous for it in Regen Valley,” Jessica said. “He not only offered to take charge, he found his own volunteers and got a packing company to donate the meat.”
“I admire the strong community spirit everyone seems to have.” Tom seemed to be enjoying the food as much as his wife. “Metropolitan areas have community pride, but this is special. We thought Regen Valley was an interesting choice for Logan, but we’re starting to understand.”
“I already like it here,” Logan said.
Jessica smiled faintly as their gazes met. She remained skeptical about his long-term residency but wouldn’t say so in front of his parents. Part of her still wished he’d decide Regen Valley wasn’t the place for him, but he was an undeniable asset to the community. News about the celebrities he’d invited had gone viral and he’d worked hard in every other way.
It would be petty to deny Logan’s good qualities.
And she shouldn’t keep prodding him about staying behind his camera. But he’d rejected love without having any idea of what he was missing...though considering how badly it had worked out for her, maybe he was the smart one.