Strawberry Kisses and Second Chances (Juniper Valley #1)

Chapter 1

TUESDAY

CHELSEY HOOPER CRACKED the windows of her car to let some air into the mini library she had stuffed inside.

There were books stacked in the back seat of her Range Rover: travel books to be more precise.

She knew she shouldn’t have stopped by the Juniper City Library on the way to work.

They were having their annual book sale and Mrs. James loaded her up with books about every continent.

Now she had about twenty books of all sizes and shapes sitting on the back seat waiting to add to her collection at home.

Does everyone in town know how much I want to travel?

She stepped out of her car and into the summer sun. The day hadn’t warmed up too much yet, but she had no doubt by the end her hair would be wispy, her shirt wrinkled, and she’d be sporting pit tacos.

Someone honked at her, pulling her from her thoughts about her wardrobe.

She turned and waved at the random white sedan.

She wasn’t good with putting cars and their owners together, so she just waved.

Everyone waved anyway. But the horn helped to bring her back to reality.

She had at least six events after this one to oversee through the next year and therefore didn’t have time to travel. But someday.

She held a mock-up of a brochure in her hand.

The bold title read Strawberry Festival Picnic Basket Auction!

She smiled at the cartoon bear holding a picnic basket with strawberries spilling out of it.

The valley used to boast of acres and acres of strawberries the locals grew and sold.

Businesses and homes now stood on the fertile soil, but the town still proudly celebrated its heritage.

The auction was part of a charity event Juniper Valley put on every June as part of its weeklong Strawberry Festival and dated back to some of the earlier settlers.

Years ago, the single men bid on a lunch basket provided by eligible young women.

The two would then have a picnic date within the week.

Now, it was a bachelor type bid. A business in town made up a basket and nominated a single young man to host the basket.

In the history of Juniper Valley, only one marriage ever came from the event, but the town had fun making predictions of who would bring in the most money and who might marry.

Chelsey hurried through the revolving door where Event Planners was housed on the top floor.

The auction was in less than a week, and she didn’t have time to stand around outside being distracted.

She ran a tight schedule, which usually helped keep anxiety at bay.

Her mom, Rhonda had coached her to ride the highs and lows of being in charge, no matter how big or small.

“There is always a surprise,” she’d often said.

“All you have to do is make it a positive one.”

To say Event Planners was part of Chelsey’s life would be a gross understatement.

She grew up helping her mom plan and work events around the state from the age of ten.

Dan Walker, the owner of Event Planners, was the only father figure she’d known.

This was home and family to her for the last fourteen years of her life.

The elevator down the hall dinged open and Chelsey hurried inside before it closed.

She tucked a dark brown curl behind her ear as the door closed.

Chelsey thrived on the creativity and fast pace and loved seeing a plan coming together.

This year she hoped the auction would raise enough money to build at least three tiny homes for veterans.

The thought of helping the brave women and men who sacrificed so much for their country pushed Chelsey to make this year the best. Setting them up in a place of their own made her feel like she was making a difference.

Chelsey glanced at her watch. She had a meeting with Dan in ten minutes.

On the way to the other end of the floor, she grabbed a handful of messages off her desk as she went by.

Shuffling through them, she noticed an invoice of a payment due for the Juniper Gathering Place––or the GP according to locals––where the auction would be held, a message from Eat My Grits about their picnic basket, and a request for a meeting with a city assessor.

“Mr. Walker is ready to see you now,” Dan’s assistant, Malcolm, said as she rounded the corner to the main suite of the floor. He slid an energy drink to her without glancing up.

“Ah. You know me too well.” Chelsey clenched the can to her chest. “Wait. Why are you giving this to me? Why do I need it?”

He flicked his finger in the direction of the office. “Get in there and find out.”

Chelsey tried to stare him down, but he didn’t lift his head. “You know I don’t like to be caught unaware.”

“Life is full of underwear.”

“Good grief. What are you, in eighth grade?” She waited a beat. “No hint, then?”

He glanced up and smoothed his slicked hair off his forehead. “It has something to do with the auction.”

“Great.” Chelsey took one of his pens and put it in her updo. “Everything right now has to do with the auction.”

Chelsey walked through Dan’s open office door. She glanced over at the cherry wood shelves, like she did every time she came in. A framed photo of Dan and her mother laughing into the camera stood front and center on the top shelf. She loved this happy picture of her mom before she got sick.

“Chels. Thanks for coming.” Dan glanced up from his computer and waved her to a wingback chair.

He glanced at the can of energy she held.

“Looks like Malcolm has you all set up. Can I offer you a water bottle as well?” Without waiting for her reply, Dan grabbed one from the mini fridge behind his desk and placed it on the desk for her.

Always so thoughtful.

Chelsey had daydreamed of Dan and Rhonda getting married and being a real family. That dream ended abruptly when her mom passed away three years ago.

“How is everything going?”

“So far, excellent. I’m excited for this one. We can make a real difference for homeless vets.”

“Unlike all the other times you’ve pulled off this event and changed lives?”

Chelsey’s face warmed under his praise. “Thank you.”

“Good, good.” Dan cleared his throat. “Do you have a copy of the brochure for me?”

She sent him everything via e-mail, but he always wanted a hard copy. She took one out of her pocket and slid it across the cherry wood desk. She grimaced when she realized she’d doodled on the back. He picked up the paper and a pen and wrote down a couple of notes for her to correct.

He glanced at the back and chuckled. “You really should think about creating a coloring book. Everyone in the valley would love it.”

“Oh.” She clenched her hands in her lap. She couldn’t imagine showing the world her absentminded doodles. “I don’t know.” She hoped to be vague enough to keep him from pushing.

He dropped the paper and fixed his gaze on her.

“How are you really doing? Not the auction, not the town, but Chelsey Hooper?”

Chelsey called these moments “check–in” interviews with Dan which happened once a month.

She appreciated the time he spent making sure she was doing okay.

Nothing had changed since the last time he’d asked a couple of weeks ago.

She worked a little over forty hours a week, close to sixty during the month leading up to June, then went home, where she took a shower, fixed a frozen dinner, dropped into bed and then started all over again the next morning.

On the weekends, she ran errands, cleaned the house, went to church and rested.

She resisted the urge to shrug. Instead, she straightened under his piercing gaze and smiled brightly. Today was a good day; she could feel it. “I hired Blake to trim the branches that were scratching at my bedroom window. That’s a big win.”

Dan chuckled. “Those pesky limbs have been bothering you for a while.” His smile dropped. “You know I’d come and do it if you’d let me.”

She knew. But as the homeowner, she was responsible and would pay someone to cut the tree. “Besides, Blake is trying to raise money for his Jerusalem trip.”

“That’s right. He’s doing a study abroad. See? You’re still making a difference.”

Chelsey ducked her head so he wouldn’t see the blush crawling over her cheeks. It’s part of belonging to a community. Paying it forward is what it’s all about.

She opened her phone and checked her to-do list; at least it was getting shorter.

She’d start planning next year’s event the week after this one.

“I’m going to head over to The Gathering Place and check on the progress of a few things, then make my reminder calls to the businesses who said they’d donate baskets, plus the ones who pledged to match this year’s money.

” She put down her phone with a sigh. “I got another call for a vet who needs a home. I wish we had the means to house all of them. It’s going to be hard to choose one over the other. ”

Dan reached over and put a fatherly hand on hers. “You’ve always had a big heart, Chelsey. Just like your mother. You two were always there for those who were overlooked or who couldn’t take care of themselves. Just like your focus for this charity.”

So many compliments in less than an hour. What was going on with Dan today? She glanced at the energy drink she’d set on the desk and Malcolm’s teasing came back to her.

“Dan? What’s going on?” Sweat beaded at the base of her hair.

“Word on the street is that an OSHA inspector is in town.” He waved a dismissive hand, then slid a paper across the desk. “We’re also down a couple of bachelors for the auction.”

“So OSHA is the least of my worries?” She pulled the paper close.

Two bachelors off the agenda was still doable.

That left eight. Chelsey might be able to find a couple over the next few days.

Most families and high school alumni held their reunions over the week of Strawberry Days, which meant the town almost doubled in size for one week out of the year.

It became festive, busy and nostalgic all at once.

She ticked off each name with her finger then glanced up at Dan in confusion when she realized his own son’s name had been crossed off.

“Corbin went to the hospital today with a ruptured appendix.” Dan acted so calmly about this new development that Chelsey wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.

“What?” Chelsey said as she stood. “How is he? Shouldn’t you be going?” She gathered her stuff. “We can talk later.”

Dan held up a hand to stop her. “He’s at Saint James. His mom is with him now, so I’ll check on him later this evening.”

Chelsey bit her lip, still standing. “Are you sure?”

“He’s fine.” He waved her back to her seat. “It’s better this way, trust me. He asked me to smuggle in a Bischoff shake later, when it’s just me and him.”

“If you’re really sure?” Chelsey said as she sat again.

“I’ll sneak away in a couple of hours. At least we still have Mason McCormick.”

“Local baseball hero and all that. You did well on that one, Dan.” The Walkers and McCormicks were long-time friends and it was easy for Dan to entice Mason to do home events.

“Just a heads–up…”

Her heart sank. What else could he possible throw at her? Last time OSHA was in town, they shut down the local burger place. They were now down two bachelors and now––

“The mayor hired an architect to check the old roller-skating rink for an upgrade or a demolition, whichever he finds necessary.”

Chelsey blinked a couple of times. Why would that be of interest to her?

They didn’t have any events planned at the rink.

She loved her small-town main street but had no vested ownership in downtown Juniper Valley.

Sure, the roller rink held sweet memories from her younger years, but sometimes progress helped give a face lift not only for tourists, but for the townsfolk.

She didn’t know of any architects, either.

Well, except the one that broke her heart—

“It’s the mayor’s son.”

The mayor’s son. This couldn’t happen this week. Chelsey popped the top of her energy drink and took a long pull on the cold liquid. Taylor Compton was back in town.