THE NEXT DAY Jessica closed the Crystal Connection at 3:00 p.m. Her grandmother was picking Cyndi up from school, so she went straight to the town square and got a job assignment from Carl Sheffield, the general manager of the Flash Fair. Carl had been a colonel in the US Marines and was an expert at marshaling forces.
Logan was already there, dressed casually in a worn black shirt and black jeans. At the moment he was helping construct the booth that would feature barbecued hamburgers.
“Hello.” A voice broke into her thoughts. “Jessica, right?”
It was Regina Kensington.
She turned and smiled as naturally as possible. “Yes, Jessica Parrish.”
“Tom and I admire your efforts to build a drop-in clinic. We’d like to get donations from a few of our friends to help hurry things along. We hope that will be all right with you and your committee?”
Jessica was stunned by the generous offer. “Wow. No, I mean, yes, we’d so appreciate that. Thank you.” She grinned.
“Now, in the meantime, is there something we can do right now to help out?”
Still flustered, Jessica tried to think of jobs that might suit the sophisticated couple but then pointed toward Carl.
“See the guy with the red ball cap? That’s Carl Sheffield. He’s in charge. I’m sure he can find a project for you.”
Regina nodded and collected her husband. They immediately went to talk with Carl.
Jessica didn’t have time to watch what happened. She went to help set up tables and chairs near the food booths. Luckily, most of the booths for food, games and merchandise were being run by assorted Regen Valley organizations and businesses. The committee was having a contest to see which group could raise the largest contribution—the winner would have their name added to a donor plaque at the clinic. The response had been overwhelming.
“If this goes as hoped, we should have a Flash Fair every year,” Carl said as they crossed paths an hour later.
“Sounds good, but don’t suggest it until our feet have stopped hurting.”
He chuckled. “On another note, it was a great idea to get Logan Kensington involved with the project. Public figures like Laurel Stevenson and the Bryant kids will attract people of all ages.”
“Inviting Logan to join the committee was an impulse when I heard he was buying the Satterly House. He’s something of a celebrity himself.”
“Good impulse.”
Good for the committee, Jessica thought, not so great for my peace of mind.
She threw back her shoulders and continued working.
KEVIN CARRIED BOX after box of Penny’s homemade candy into the empty building being used as a drop-off area for goods at the street fair. On his next trip to his truck, he was astonished to see Logan hammering nails into a booth on the city square.
Everywhere Kevin looked, people were putting up posters, setting up booths or hauling in supplies. At least the police had set out signs saying that except for authorized vehicles, no through traffic or parking was allowed until Sunday morning.
“This is incredible,” he said to Penny. “I’ve never actually seen organized chaos before.”
She laughed and he marveled at what a remarkable person she was. Penny would always be beautiful, but the passing years had added character and a depth of experience to her face that made her even more attractive. He didn’t say so, because she would just make a joke about being old with wrinkles and creaky knees.
Not old, just well seasoned, Jessica liked to tease her.
Kevin agreed.
Despite telling Penny that people had to find their own way, he was struggling with letting go himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have sold Moonlight Ventures, but he’d started the agency with Allison and running it alone had depressed him. He just hadn’t realized what it would be like to see the agency marching on, leaving him unable to fix problems for his friends. Knowing Jessica’s shop was at risk was especially painful.
The only compensation was having more time to spend with his family. And friends like Penny.
TO HIS SURPRISE, Logan was enjoying the preparations for the street fair. The labor wasn’t difficult and there was a cheerful camaraderie amongst the volunteers.
Early that morning he’d called his mother and father at their hotel and suggested they all go for a drive to Mount St. Helens. They had protested he needed to work, but it hadn’t taken much convincing for them to agree to a short sightseeing trip. Now they were in Regen Valley to help. Their eagerness to be involved in a small-town event seemed unusual, but Logan was beginning to see he’d made a number of wrong assumptions through the years.
He ran into Jessica as the evening’s work was concluding. “Where are Cyndi and Penny?” he asked.
“I tried sending them home an hour ago, but they wouldn’t go. They’re across the street with your parents.”
Logan glanced at his mother and father, who were adjusting the red, white and blue bunting on a booth. Their faces were so happy that it astonished him. He looked back at Jessica.
“In case I haven’t told you clearly enough, I appreciate what you said about Mom and Dad wanting to visit. We’ve had our share of rocky moments, but I think we’re going to be okay. I hope you’ll have the same opportunity with your own folks.”
Her smile had a wry quality. “That would be nice, but I have to be careful about expressing hopes in that direction. I don’t want Cyndi to start believing something is wrong with her just because Aaron and my parents aren’t part of her life. It isn’t her fault.”
“It isn’t yours, either. How can you help Cyndi believe that, if you don’t?”
A myriad of emotions flickered across Jessica’s face. “It’s easier to understand something in your head than believe it in your heart. But I’m trying.”
At least she wasn’t instantly declaring she was wholly to blame for her divorce. He admired how hard she’d worked to defeat her personal demons, not only for herself but for Cyndi, as well. A lot of people just kept making the same mistakes over and over without understanding why or trying to correct the problem.
Logan cleared his throat. “I, uh, thought a pictorial history of the Flash Fair might be useful, so I took photos tonight and I’ll get more tomorrow.”
Jessica looked ready to say something, but his parents were approaching and she closed her mouth.
“Carl says we’re finished for the evening,” Thomas explained. “Jessica, we’ve been getting acquainted with your grandmother. Her stories about living abroad are much more interesting than ours. We’d love to hear more of them, so please let us take you all out to dinner. Penny told us she’s free, but that she couldn’t speak for you and Cyndi.”
“We hear there’s a good Chinese restaurant in town,” his mother added, “but would your daughter prefer pizza?”
“Uh...sure,” Jessica agreed, “the Hong Kong would be fine.”
Thomas clasped his hands together. “Excellent. Shall we meet there in twenty minutes?”
“Sounds good. I’ll go talk to Grams.”
Logan’s mother gave him an apologetic look when they were alone. “We’re sorry. We should have asked you ahead of time.”
“It’s fine,” he assured her. “We all need to eat.”
“Good. You know, Penny Parrish is a remarkable woman. Her stories make us wish we’d gotten away more often from cities in the countries where we lived. Diplomatic circles can be stifling.”
Thomas nodded and Logan’s brain reeled. He felt as if the entire world as he’d known it was being spun on its axis.
THE LAST THING Jessica wanted was to eat dinner with Logan and his parents. But it would have been rude to wriggle out of the invitation.
Her grandmother and daughter were sitting on a bench.
“Hungry?” she asked. “We’re going to the Hong Kong with the Kensingtons.”
“Whoopppee.” Cyndi jumped with enthusiasm.
“It was thoughtful of them to invite us,” Penny said. “They wanted to include Kevin, but he had to get home for a video visit with his daughter and son-in-law.”
“Uncle Kevin mentioned they were talking online a lot. Why don’t you take Cyndi to the restaurant, and I’ll meet you after I do a final check with Carl?”
She half hoped that Carl had something urgently needing resolution—that way she could phone Grams with an apology to the Kensingtons. But he shook his head.
“We’re good,” he said, tossing a sleeping bag over his shoulder. He and a group of high school students from his shop class were spending the night in the park to keep an eye on everything. The kids were excited about camping in the middle of town.
Jessica drove to the Hong Kong, where the Kensingtons had gotten a large round table. Thomas seated her next to Logan, while he and his wife sat opposite.
“Why does this feel like a job interview?” she murmured to Logan.
“Because that’s what it is,” he replied in an equally low tone. “You’re being vetted as a prospective daughter-in-law.”
“Jeez.”
“Exactly. I expected more subtlety with their background in diplomacy. But chin up, you only have to survive one dinner.”
His amused exasperation took the edge off the situation, so Jessica focused on her menu. She didn’t honestly think the Kensingtons saw her as a prospective daughter-in-law. They were probably just wondering how their world-traveled son had gotten tangled up with a local town project like the Flash Fair.
Rather than perusing the menu himself, Logan lifted the camera around his neck and began taking pictures until she nudged him with her elbow.
“Visit more, take pictures less,” she whispered.
He put the camera down.
Grams took Cyndi to the restroom to wash her hands, and when they returned, Regina looked around the table. “How about eating family style? We can each choose a dish we like, and then add a few more, and share.”
There was a chorus of agreement. Ordering went quickly and won ton soup was soon delivered to the table. As they ate, Regina and Tom exchanged memories with Grams about life abroad. Cyndi listened with bright-eyed fascination.
“I’m amazed by her concentration,” Logan murmured. “She does well in a group of adults.”
“She can get the wiggles the same as any child, but she usually stays quiet for Grams’s stories.”
“I’m still amazed. Before I forget,” Logan said, “this morning Chelsea mentioned a concern about limited parking at the wedding next Saturday. I understand Kevin is driving Penny with some other friends, so why don’t we rideshare, as well? I’m taking my SUV, so I’ll have plenty of room for you and Cyndi, even with all my photography equipment.”
“Are you attending as a friend, or as their photographer?” Jessica asked.
“Chelsea and Barton have a photographer—somebody his parents know—but I want to take pictures as a backup. I’ve seen horrendous wedding photos over the years.”
If it was anyone other than Logan, Jessica might accept that as a reason, but his discomfort with marriage made her think he preferred watching the festivities from behind his camera. Not that it was her place to object. He’d offered them a ride, he hadn’t asked her to be his date.
“I’m okay with ridesharing,” she agreed. “Let me know when you want to leave. We can meet at your house or in town, if you aren’t moved in by then.”
“Nah, I’ll pick you up. I’ve started sleeping at the house instead of the apartment, though not this evening since I need to run my parents back to their hotel and pick them up in the morning. They have a rental car, but I’d prefer us all coming together.”
Cyndi was yawning by the time the fortune cookies arrived, so Jessica stood and smiled at the elder Kensingtons. “I should get my daughter to bed—we have a big day tomorrow. But thank you for dinner.”
“The pleasure was ours,” Tom said. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
Jessica urged Cyndi from her chair and led her to the car.
She wondered how Logan felt about the evening, jokes about daughter-in-law interviews aside. Still, he could probably handle a cozy family meal, provided long-term commitments weren’t involved.
BACK AT HIS APARTMENT, Logan copied the photos he’d taken to his laptop and studied them. They weren’t unique, just shots of people working and laughing together. But using his telephoto lens, he’d also gotten several of Jessica. Her vitality leaped off the screen. It was mesmerizing, the way she seemed to inspire people to action.
Or maybe she was just plain mesmerizing.
He frowned. Both Penny and her granddaughter were beautiful, dynamic women, and Cyndi was a bright, eager child who took after them. He just wished he could call Jessica’s parents and ask if they had a clue what they were missing.
Churning inside, Logan dropped into bed. The city traffic outside his window seemed unusually loud, and then he realized it was just in contrast to the quiet of Regen Valley.
Unbelievable.
He punched his pillow. He’d slept in every imaginable place—some noisy, some quiet and some miserably uncomfortable. Most of the time, he dropped off like a rock.
Logan closed his eyes again, only to see Jessica’s face, and it wasn’t through a camera lens.
It was bad enough that after the movers had left on Tuesday last week, he’d started imagining a woman’s purse hanging on the hook by the door. A child drawing pictures. The scent from a pot of chili wafting from the kitchen. And the sound of a baby crying in a room that didn’t even exist. Was it possible that his longing for a home betrayed a deeper desire to belong? Perhaps he wasn’t as detached as he had always thought.
Logan turned over again.
It was going to be a long night.
LOGAN DRAGGED HIMSELF into the shower the next morning, hoping a cold dousing would make him more alert. On the way to his parents’ hotel, he stopped at a coffee kiosk and ordered a cup with an extra shot of espresso. He nearly gagged on his first gulp—Jessica’s coffee was infinitely better.
Though they were early, the traffic into Regen Valley was heavier than he’d ever seen it. The street fair wasn’t officially open for another half hour, but they still had to park six blocks from the sectioned-off downtown area.
“Attendance should be good,” Thomas said with satisfaction. “Jessica will be pleased.”
Logan didn’t doubt it. “I just got involved a few weeks ago, but the committee has put a huge amount of time and effort into the event.”
“You’ve contributed, too,” his mother said stoutly. “Penny says you’re donating photography sessions for the auction and that you’ve gotten several celebrities to attend the fair. It was sweet of you to do that for Jessica.”
He wanted to protest that he hadn’t done it for Jessica. After all, it was a good cause. But he wasn’t convinced himself, so how could he convince anyone else?
Perhaps it was his guilty conscience about the stress he and his partners were putting her through. Ultimately they couldn’t force the Crystal Connection to move in the near future, but she had to be wondering what would happen if she refused. It was to the point he’d be willing to personally pay for the entire remodel of the back area, but that wasn’t feasible. He had some savings, but not the kind of finances for what would be involved. So he was devoting a huge amount of time to get the information needed for a decision. In fact, he’d just gotten in touch with a fourth contractor for ideas and costs.
“I wonder where Jessica might be?” mused his mother.
As if in answer, Jessica came around the corner with Carl Sheffield, both in red T-shirts. They were laughing and Logan found himself taking pictures again. She wasn’t wearing makeup and her soft hair was already sliding free of her French braid, but he couldn’t imagine a better subject for a photo.
“Hi,” she called, coming over. “We officially open at nine, but with so many people here, most of the booths have opened early.”
“We can’t wait to explore,” Regina told her. “It’s remarkable how everything has come together.”
Jessica grinned. “I feel the same. Logan, the Bryant twins are scheduled to begin signing autographs at 10:00 a.m., and Laurel Stevenson at eleven. Cara Williams will start at noon, followed by Alyssa Jeffries and Martin Carter at one o’clock. We thought it might be best to stagger the start times. Remember, the autograph stations are in the park if you want to be there.”
“I remember.”
“Then go enjoy yourselves.”
His parents wanted them to stay together as a group, so after they wandered around for while, they all headed for the park. Long lines had already formed in front of the Bryants’ autograph stations. Adam and his wife arrived shortly afterward, along with Tiffany and Glen.
The day before, Adam had announced that Cassie was pregnant and he still looked exhilarated.
“Are you ready for this?” Logan had asked.
“More than ready,” Adam had declared with unquestioned confidence. He was even looking forward to diapers and 2:00 a.m. feedings. He’d told Logan that with Cassie’s niece and nephew they’d jumped into parenting in the middle; now they’d find out what it was like to start at the beginning.
Logan was happy for his friend. Fatherhood no longer seemed like such an odd choice for Adam, though he hadn’t changed his mind about becoming a father himself.
Nevertheless...he looked at Jessica, who had just arrived. As she chatted with Adam and Cassie, she stroked her daughter’s hair, and for the first time in his life, Logan seriously wondered what it would be like to have that kind of connection. To be a husband and father.
His time wouldn’t be his own, and he couldn’t just disappear for the weekend to take pictures. He’d often been told that children required routine and he’d always hated the idea of following the same schedule, day after day.
But still...