“You’ve been leaving stuff all this time?”
Adam nodded. “And I don’t want your mom to know quite yet.”
“Why not?” Jess asked.
“I don’t know. I just...it’s always just been something I do. I don’t need thanks, and I knew she’d never ask for help.” He looked at the front door, wondering if he and Jess could get all the groceries inside in one trip. “All right? This is just between you and me, right?”
“Right.”
“All right. This bisque isn’t going to make itself. Let’s go.”
* * *
“Hey, you made it.” Janey rose from the couch in the lobby of the lodge as soon as Adam walked in. She embraced him, and he held her tight, taking a deep breath of her floral scent before stepping back.
“He has all his fingers, as you can see.” He beamed at Jess, who launched into telling her how he’d diced carrots and chopped onions for the corn and crab bisque.
“And I sautéed, Mom. And made a roux—that’s this thickening thing with flour and butter. And the soup was sooo good.”
Janey laughed at him and looked back to Adam. “So a successful morning.”
“And now he wants to go play a video game on your computer. I guess he said you let him do that sometimes?”
She smoothed his hair off his forehead. “You don’t want to eat lunch with me and Adam?”
“I already ate.” Jess looked at her with those dark, puppy dog eyes. “I never get to come up here and play on your computer anymore. And I don’t even like the food at the lodge.”
“That’s true.” She looked at Adam, who shrugged. It was her call. He wouldn’t mind dining alone with her again. “All right,” she said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. “Lock the door behind you.”
He whooped, gave her a quick hug, and high-fived Adam on his way out of the lobby. Adam chuckled and watched him go, his fondness for the boy expanding.
“You should’ve seen him in the kitchen,” Adam said as they walked over to the restaurant and got a table. “He was a little nervous at first, but he did great.”
“He really chopped and diced and sautéed, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.” Adam pulled her chair out for her and bent down to kiss her. “He’s such a great kid, Janey. You’ve done so well with him.”
Something crossed her face, but he couldn’t catalog what before she turned away. “You think so?”
He sat down across from her and tilted his head. “You don’t think so?”
“How much of it do you think is me, and how much of it do you think is just him being him?”
“I think it’s a combination of both.” Adam opened the menu, needing something more than soup this time. “But your influence shouldn’t be discounted. A boy can easily go the wrong way without the love of a good mother.”
Chapter Nineteen
Janey let Adam’s words tumble around in her head. A good mother.
She’d never given much thought to how good of a mother she was. She was doing the best she could, that was all.
“I’m going for the bacon wrapped filet mignon.” He snapped the menu closed “What about you?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She looked at the entrees, even though she had the menu memorized and had eaten there hundreds of times over the years she’d worked at the National Park. She wanted to make new memories with Adam here. Things she could think about while she was here, where he starred in the scenes in her head instead of Matt.
“Are you ready for the Fall Festival?” she asked.
“Getting there.” He flashed her a smile, and Janey loved the formation of it, loved the way it transformed his handsome face into something akin to a heavenly vision.
The waiter arrived and she ordered soda and the appetizer platter and then indicated Adam should order his steak. Once the waiter left, he lifted his right eyebrow into a cute quirk and asked, “The appetizer platter?”
She sighed and tugged her shirtsleeves father down before placing her hands on the table. “Sometimes a person just needs a large quantity of fried foods.” She grinned at him and took his hands in hers. “Thanks for coming up here.”
“Yeah, of course.”
Her courage felt a little wobbly, but she wanted to be honest with him. “I have so many memories of Matt here,” she said, looking down to fiddle with her silverware. “And I like that you’re coming here, making new memories in this space with me.”
Everything about Adam softened, and he squeezed her hands. “I want to make all kinds of memories with you.” His smile was kind and beautiful, and Janey thought for the first time since Matt’s death that she could fall in love with someone new.
* * *
The weeks passed, with rain falling more days than it stayed dry. Janey didn’t mind, though she knew that as the days marched closer to the Fall Festival, every drop of rain caused Adam grief.
Because it was almost the end of October, and crowds in the National Park normally thinned about this time of year, she managed to get another Saturday off so she could go to the Fall Festival with Adam and Jess.
They’d been spending the weekends together, and she’d been making new memories with Adam on Wednesdays and Mondays, determined to eat lunch at a new spot until they’d gone everywhere in Hawthorne Harbor.
Janey was used to the staring now, and sometimes she smiled back at the prying eyes. She’d talked with Adam about it, and he said he’d gotten used to living in the public eye. He’d asked her if it bothered her, and he seemed really anxious about that.
She didn’t answer right away, because she’d never thought about if it bothered her. In the end, she’d said, “Not really,” and that had seemed to appease him.
He’d decided on the butternut squash soup for his entry in the Fall Festival, and Jess was going to make the corn and crab bisque. When she asked Adam if he was worried her son would beat him, he’d remained straight-faced and said, “Absolutely. He’s good in the kitchen, and it’s a great recipe.”
On Saturday morning, Jess woke her by jumping on her bed. “Mom, I’m going over to Adam’s to start on the soup.”
She groaned and rolled toward him. “What time is it?”
“Seven.”
“Is it raining?”
“Nope. Gonna be a great day.” Jess bounced to the edge of the bed and laughed. “See you at the festival, okay?”
“Okay,” she called, listening for the smack of his board against the hard floor and then the slam of the front door. She styed in a bed for a couple more minutes, warm and cozy and completely satisfied with her life.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this way before and she wanted to hold onto it for as long as she could. Eventually, she got up and showered. She’d made plans to meet Adam and Jess at the festival after they’d turned in their entries, which were due by ten-thirty.
A buffet-style lunch was then served from all the entries, and the public had an opportunity to vote for their favorites. The top three from the general vote then went to a panel of judges, who decided on the final winner.
The festival had been running all week, and she’d hardly seen Adam at all. The parade was that morning, but he’d made sure other officers could cover it, and Jess didn’t seem to care to run out and get the salt water taffy that was thrown by businesses and high school groups.
Janey had attended the Fall Festival parade every year, and she didn’t want to miss it this year. So she called Gretchen and asked, “Where are you sitting? Is there enough room for me?”
“Of course,” Gretchen said, the wind scratching across the line too. “We’re right in front of the Anchor.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
Janey drove the half-mile to downtown and parked on a side street to avoid the traffic. It felt good to walk when it wasn’t her job, and she arrived at the Anchor after only a few minutes. Dixie sat on the curb, a blanket beneath her, with Drew and Gretchen sitting in camp chairs behind her.
&n
bsp; “Hey.” Janey sidled up next to Gretchen, who jumped up.
“Hey.” She laughed as she hugged Janey. “How are you?”
“Great.” She waved at Drew, who smiled back at her. “Have you got someone in the shop this morning?”
“Oh, I just closed it for the day. We won’t die.”
Janey’s eyebrows rose as surprise flitted through her. “Really?”
Gretchen’s face said otherwise, and she’d confessed to Janey more than once that money was tight for her. That she had to keep the shop open as much as possible.
“I just don’t want to be consumed by it anymore,” she said.
Drew took her hand and squeezed it, and Janey admired his silent show of support.
“Everyone’s here anyway,” Janey said. “No one’s going to be buying flowers today. It’s not the Lavender Festival.”
“Yep, you’re right.” Gretchen turned as the police sirens started. “Is Adam leading the parade?”
“He’s at home, making soup,” Janey said.
“He’s not here?” Drew asked.
Janey looked at him and found the incredulity on his face. “No...why? Is that a problem?”
“He’s the Police Chief,” Drew said. “He’s led the parade for six years.”
Janey didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t acted like it was a big deal that he have Milo drive the cruiser in the parade, and she’d never asked how he’d entered the competition in the past. Maybe he got special privileges because he was the Chief of Police.
She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to spend the whole parade thinking about it. So she shrugged and edged forward a few feet. “Can I sit by you, Dix?”
“Sure.” She scooted over. “Where’s Jess?”
“He’s making a soup for the festival.” She smiled at the girl and leaned closer. “If I tell you what kind, you could vote for his.”
Her face lit up and she whispered, “Which kind?”
“Corn and crab bisque.”
Dixie’s cute face scrunched up. “Ew. I don’t like crab.”
“Have you ever had it?”
“Yeah, sure.”
The police sirens neared, screaming so loudly that talking was impossible. Several cars passed, and the colors followed. The crowd stood as if doing the wave, and Janey joined everyone in placing her hand over her heart.
She loved the horses clippity-clopping down the street. Loved the trucks that had been decorated by hand-drawn banners. Loved the children’s bike troupe, which Jess had ridden in for a couple of years.
By the time the parade ended, her tailbone ached. She stood and stretched, stole one more piece of bubble gum from Dixie’s stash, and said, “I’m headed over to find Adam and Jess. You guys want to come?”
“I’ll take the chairs to the truck.” Drew shouldered them both, as well as the blanket Dixie had been sitting on, and Gretchen linked her arm through Janey’s.
“So things with Adam are fairly serious?”
“Well, I suppose you could say that,” Janey said, a coyness to her voice she liked. “I like him a lot, and I think he likes me.”
Gretchen giggled so loud, several people turned and looked at her. “Janey, that man is head over heels in love with you.”
Janey ducked her head and giggled too, the thought of being loved by someone like Adam almost too overwhelming to think about. So she once again, employed Annabelle’s suggestion, and didn’t think about it.
She paused at the statue in the middle of the park. “They’re supposed to meet me here.” Turning in a circle, she scanned the crowd for them and didn’t find them. She pulled her windbreaker tighter, glad the sun was out but wishing the wind wasn’t quite so whippy today.
“Mom!”
She turned in the direction of Jess’s voice to see him working his way through the crowd. The taller, boxier form of Adam followed him, and they reached the statue in a few seconds.
“Hey,” she said with a chuckle. “How did the soup-making go this morning?”
“Great.” Jess glanced at Dixie and cleared his throat. “I mean, it was okay.”
“Did you get yours turned in on time?”
Adam’s arm snaked around her back and she leaned into him. “We did.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Jess said he wanted to eat and then go over to the—”
“It’s nothing,” Jess said over him, and Adam swung his head toward the boy. Something silent passed between them, and Janey didn’t like it.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Did you want to look at the booths with me?” Dixie asked. “My mom said I could have ten dollars for whatever I want.”
Jess looked at her, and his face brightened. “Yeah, sure. Are you gonna eat first?”
Janey sucked in a breath as all the pieces clicked into place. She twisted to face Adam, her excitement almost through the roof. “He....”
Adam shook his head and she spun back to her son. “So let’s go eat,” she said in a falsely bright voice.
Jess looked at Dixie again and they set off together. Dixie leaned over and said, “Your mom told me which soup you made, so I’m gonna vote for you.”
The very tips of his ears turned bright red, and giddiness danced through her. “He has a crush on her,” she whispered to Adam.
He nodded, his mouth remaining steadfastly closed.
“How long have you known?”
“He told me at the beach. It’s why he didn’t want to sleep in the same room as her.”
Janey shook her head, still in a bit of disbelief. “I had no idea.”
“He’ll grow out of it.”
“I think it’s cute.”
“What’s cute?” Gretchen asked.
“Jess—”
Adam’s grip on her waist tightened, and Janey said, “Jess...cooking with Adam.”
“What did you make, Chief?” Gretchen asked.
“Oh, can’t tell you that. It’s anonymous.”
Gretchen snorted and laughed. “You’ll be the only one who hasn’t told everyone they know to vote for them.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Adam said. “Where’s Drew?”
“He took the chairs to the truck.” Gretchen looked over her shoulder. “He’ll be here in a minute.”
Janey picked up a bowl and a slip of paper with all the choices on it. “There’s a lot of entries this year.”
“Soup is very Fall Festival,” Adam said. “The public vote is kind of dumb with this many choices. How can anyone possibly sample every kind?”
As they moved down the line, there were small, white plastic tasting spoons at every pot of soup. She tried a half a dozen before coming to Jess’s. She tasted it too, surprised at how rich the flavor was, how smooth the texture.
“This one’s good,” she said loudly, and Adam rolled his eyes. She checked it on her paper with a chuckle and kept moving.
She very nearly tasted all the soups, even though Adam had said such a thing wasn’t possible, and she turned in her paper with her top three choices. Adam’s butternut squash, and Jess’s bisque, and a potato chowder with bacon and chives.
“The voting will be closing in fifteen minutes,” a voice over the loudspeaker said. “Please put your votes in the blue box at the front of the meal tent.”
She linked her hand in Adam’s and said, “You promised me a funnel cake.”
“You want to cash that in right now? We just ate.”
“Little sips of soup,” she said. “Hardly anyone takes a bowl and gets one kind, the way you did.”
“That wild leek with sausage and mushrooms is going to win.” He glanced around the fair as if his police training had taught him how to read minds. “I wish I knew who made it.”
“Well, if it wins, then you’ll know.” She danced in front of him, hoping to lighten his mood. “Come on, Chief. It’s sunny and they’re not going to announce the winners until later anyway. Get me a funnel cake, and let the kids shop the booths, and I think there�
�s a pumpkin carving contest later too.”
A smile cracked his stoic expression and he relented. “All right. But I don’t think Jess brought any money.”
She turned to find the kids several paces ahead. She called them back and gave him a twenty dollar bill from her purse. “Share with Dix if she doesn’t have enough for something, okay? You’ve got your phone?”
“Yeah, Mom. Right here.”
“Adam and I are going to get a funnel cake. Gretchen and Drew are around somewhere. We’ll meet you over in the booths in a few minutes.”
Dixie grabbed Jess’s arm. “Come on, Jess! They’ll sell out of the llamas if we don’t hurry.”
He grinned as Adam said, “Be good. Take care of her,” and then ran off.
“They’re so cute,” Janey said, her heart warming at the sight of them. She’d always loved their friendship, and she hoped Jess’s heart wouldn’t be too wounded with this childhood crush.
“Come on.” Adam took her hand again. “Let’s go get you sugared up.”
Chapter Twenty
Adam’s senses were heightened as he walked through the food booths and the sales booths with Janey and the kids. He kept his head moving from left to right, noticing all the little details just in case.
He couldn’t relax at the Fall Festival; he’d never been able to. He worked it. He’d told Janey that, but she seemed to have forgotten. He wasn’t wearing his uniform; he was just one of six plain-clothes cops in the crowd.
The idea was that having cops in uniform reduced problems simply by them being present. The plain-clothes cops provided another layer of security, and he’d lectured them to keep their eyes open while they played carnival games with their families. He had to do the same.
He managed to enjoy himself. Heck, he would’ve enjoyed himself anywhere, doing anything, if his hand was secured in Janey’s. Her touch kept his nerves over the soup contest at bay, something he’d used his uniform to do in the past.
He watched Janey carve out a blocky pumpkin face while Jess and Dixie worked on one together. They were terrible, but Adam acted like they should’ve won the carving contest. He waited with Dixie while she got her face painted, and he bought the kids apple cider.
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