Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
The craft market was better than Sarah expected. It was teeming with people, who strolled past the stands displaying everything from jewelry and leather goods to artisan cheese, plants, vegetables, and of course chocolate.
They paused in front of a pottery display, and Simon spoke to the potter. “Haven’t seen you in the studio for a while, Art.”
“I finished setting up my home studio and built my kiln,” said Art. “But I’ve got a class to teach this fall, so I’ll be around.”
“And started with raku, I see,” said Simon, examining a cream-colored vase decorated with what looked like black webbing. “Nice work.”
“Thanks. If you ever want to give it a try, let me know.”
“I’ll do that.” He turned to Sarah and drew her closer. “Sarah, this is Art. He is, or rather was, one of my students. He’s far surpassed my skills now, though, as you can see. Art, this is Sarah.”
Sarah smiled and shook Art’s hand. “Your work is gorgeous.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Are you one of Simon’s students?”
She looked up at Simon and caught him looking down at her, his eyes warm.
“Not yet. Though one day I’d like to give it a try,” she said.
“Well, if you’re like me, once you spend any time with Simon in the studio, you’ll be addicted.
I joined when my mom died. She was a potter, and I wanted to feel closer to her and use up the lumps of clay in her garage.
Now I understand her addiction. There’s always one more pot to try, one more technique to master.
It’s become a huge part of my life. And a part-time business, as you can see. ”
“Thanks for the warning,” Sarah said lightly. “I’ll keep on my guard around Simon. I wouldn’t want to form an addiction.” Though as she said it, she glanced up at Simon again, at his easy grin, and realized Art’s warning had come too late. She was already addicted.
“Can we get our faces painted?” Sally asked, interrupting them.
Sarah dropped her gaze to Sally and Riley, and stepped back to make room for them.
“Can we, Mom?” asked Riley pointing to a small line up a few stalls down.
“Of course,” said Sarah. “If that’s okay with you,” she said to Simon.
“Why don’t you two go get in line? We’ll be there in a minute.” He waved goodbye to Art, who was now chatting with a potential customer. “Would you really like to try pottery?”
“One day, maybe. I’m not that creative. But I do love the results. Should we catch up with the girls?”
“Sure,” he said. “Though I think they’re okay for a few minutes. We have time to look at these other stalls in the meantime.”
She glanced toward the kids and relaxed a bit, following him over to look at a woodworking vendor’s wares first. They wandered past two more stalls, taking time to look at the plants at one and the silver at another, and reached the face painting just as Riley and Sally had their turn.
“Is there a fee?” she asked.
“We’re raising funds for cancer treatment,” said one woman, pointing to a large jar for donations. Simon took out his wallet and stuck a twenty into the box, and Sarah nodded her thanks.
“What would you like?” asked one of the painters.
“Cat faces with whiskers,” said Riley.
“Yes,” said Sally. “Whiskers.”
“Whiskers it is,” said one of the women. She added a pink nose and whiskers to Sally’s face and sat back to examine the effect, holding up a mirror to her. “There you go, all done.”
“Thank you.” Sally grinned at her reflection and climbed down from the chair where she’d been sitting.
“It looks great,” said Sarah, squeezing Sally’s shoulder and turning toward Riley, pleased that her daughter was looking in the mirror and smiling.
“Look, Mom,” said Riley, bounding over to Sarah and smiling up at her.
“I almost expect you to be meowing instead of talking,” said Sarah. “It looks wonderful.”
“And now that you’re painted and we’ve had a wander in the market, are we ready to watch the races?” said Simon.
“Yes,” said Sally. “We need a good spot so we can watch the Comeback Crew. That’s the team Daddy’s friend is on.”
They turned toward the water, and Simon led them to the nearby pier. “My friend got here early with a group and said she would save us a spot,” he said, walking closer to where the action would soon start.
“Hi, Daphne,” he said, giving a slim woman in her early forties a quick hug. “Are you all ready?”
“We’re in the second heat,” she said. “The first race is about to start.”
“This is Sarah and Riley,” he said, introducing them.
“Glad you could come,” said Daphne, ushering them up to a spot near the railing where they had a view of the whole harbor. “We need all the support we can get,” she laughed.
“We’ll be rooting for you,” said Simon. “Right, girls?”
“Yes,” the pair said in unison.
“Perfect,” said Daphne, waving toward the shore where dragon boats were already lining up.
Their brilliantly colored carved dragon heads seemed to be champing at the bit, ready to leap across the water.
“I should be getting down there. My team is assembling.” She turned and walked down to the boats where a group of women waited, all wearing bright pink shirts like Daphne’s.
Sarah’s attention was soon drawn from the women on the pier to the sound of drums. The deep rhythmic pulse filled the air, raising the anticipation of the people in the crowd.
A moment later, the drums fell silent while everyone awaited the signal to start.
Then they were off, the rhythm began again, and the crowd watched the boats slide across the water.
“Look, Mom, they’re so fast,” said Riley, beaming. The paddlers moved in perfect synchronization, their paddles cutting through the water as the drums kept time.
“Yes, it’s exciting,” said Sarah, patting her daughter on the shoulder, pleased she could be part of this day.
The first heat was done, and they all turned their attention to the Comeback Crew on a boat with pink-painted ribbons along the hull and up the tail. A moment later, the drums began again.
“And they’re off!” said Simon.
“Yeah!” The girls jumped up and down screaming until the heat was done, and they joined the roar of people around them.
“They won!” Sally jumped up and down, grabbing Riley’s hands. “Daddy, they won!”
“First heat,” Simon cautioned, but he was grinning. “They still have to win the final.”
They watched race after race, the afternoon stretching golden and warm around them. At some point, Simon’s hand brushed Sarah’s then settled just beside her, close enough that their pinky fingers touched.
She didn’t pull away.
When the Comeback Crew took the final heat by half a boat length, their little group erupted.
Simon pulled Sarah into a hug, and for a moment she let herself be held, feeling the solid warmth of him, the way her head fit just under his chin.
Then she stepped away before she gave way to his warmth and melted into him further.
She glanced up at him from under her lashes, noting he seemed as flustered as she.
Did he feel the attraction as strongly? She found herself hoping so, but for now she needed to regain some equilibrium.
“We should collect these two before we lose them in the crowd.” She made a show of looking around for Riley and Sally, but they weren’t where she had seen them a moment earlier.
“Where’d they go?” Her heart beat faster, this time in a frisson of fear.
“They’re over there,” he said, tapping her on the shoulder and pointing ahead of them a few meters.
Now that the races were done, the crowd was moving as one along the pier and to the path beyond, pushing people in its wake—including Riley and Sally, who were engrossed in a conversation and not paying attention to their surroundings.
“That girl!” said Sarah with exasperation, as she headed in their direction. “Why does she just walk away like that?”
“There are two of them,” said Simon, his voice calm. “And I can see them from here. Don’t worry, we’ll catch up.” More people piled onto the path, separating them until he reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him. Not leaving her behind.
“Can you still see them?” she asked as she jostled past more people, struggling to keep up.
“Yes, we’re almost there,” he said. “They’ve stopped at the ice cream stand. I told Sally we could have ice cream later.”
“Thank goodness they’ve stopped. Have they noticed we’re missing yet?”
“Looks like it. They’re looking around.” He raised his hand in the air and shouted, “Stay there, you two.” To her he said, “They’ve seen me. It’s okay.”
“Thank you.” She followed along with him, still holding his hand to keep from being separated, until he pulled her to the side of the path, away from the crowd, and dropped her hand just as they got to the girls.
“Why did you wander off like that?” Sarah nearly shouted at Riley.
“Sorry, Mom. We were just coming to the ice cream store.”
“But you didn’t tell us.”
“Simon said we would be coming for ice cream later, and you were… busy.”
“Busy?”
Riley blushed, and Sarah realized she must have seen her hugging Simon. Her own face warmed as she thought again about the closeness she’d felt. She didn’t dare look at him.
“Next time, wait,” she said. “I was worried. If Simon hadn’t been able to see above the crowd, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“Yes, sorry, Sarah,” said Sally, looking contrite.
“Well, now that we’re here, how about our treat?” asked Simon, waving to the shortening line in front of them. “It’s almost our turn.”
“Can we, Mom?”‘
Sarah relented. “As long as I get chocolate and peanut butter this time.”
“Deal,” said Simon, turning to ask the girls what they would like.
As they approached the ice cream stand, Sarah felt her heartbeat regulate. Riley was safe, and it had been a fun day. All was well. She needed to relax.