Chapter 18 Jade
Iadd the finishing touches on our booth and stand back to admire our work. It turned out perfect.
Our table is a beautiful Victorian piece I found at a garage sale last summer and refurbished with the help of Sarah’s grandpa. Once a dark brown, now a beautiful white.
A gauze table runner in lavender runs down the table, with little vases housing sliced lemons and bundles of lavender.
Our display cases are gold and have all our customer favourites, such as lemon glazed cookie, lemon tarts, and different variations of lemon and lavender bars and scones.
Behind the table, we have a stunning backdrop that’s made to look like our storefront, painted the same shade of purple with our business logo on a wood sign, also made by Sarah’s grandpa.
We've added small shelves that have both lavender and lemon cupcakes, lemon pound cakes, and some beautiful cheesecakes.
We sold out so fast last year that this year we made sure to come prepared.
“It looks so pretty,” Wren admires.
“It really does. Grandpa did a great job on the backdrop,” Sarah says, standing next to us after stacking the last box under the table.
“Will your grandparents be coming? I hope he gets to see how beautiful it looks.”
“They never miss the market.”
“Please thank him for me when he comes by,” I tell Sarah since I’ll be out with West. My pulse picks up at the thought of tonight. I’m so excited. Our first official date.
“Of course,” she says, letting out a yawn.
I raise my eyes and glance at her. “Not enough sleep last night?” I tease, knowing she was with Ford. She texted me last night when she got to his camper with a picture of his ID to be safe.
“It was a very long night,” she says with a grin. “But definitely worth it. God, why can’t we have the rodeo every weekend. Those cowboys sure know how to use their hands.” She giggles, and Wren and I shake our heads with smiles of our own.
“So? Was he as good as he implied?” Wren asks.
“Oh, absolutely.” Sarah fans herself.
Glancing down at my watch, I see that it’s already four o’clock. We’ve been working all day, and I need to get home and shower before West picks me up. I’ll only have about half an hour to get ready.
I scan the town square and spot everyone else adding their finishing touches on their booths as well.
Harper’s booth for Small Town Stories looks adorable.
She’s got a backdrop made up of open books with florals throughout, and her table has mini bookshelves stocked with a couple new releases and blind dates with a book.
“I better get going,” I tell the girls, walking to the table to collect my purse.
“Bye!”
“Have fun tonight!”
I smile and start to make my way through the square, saying hello and checking out the other booths on my way past. Turning behind Main Street, I see all the rides set up doing test runs, children eagerly waiting by the gate, ready to be let in.
The smell of popcorn and cotton candy fills the air, and my mouth waters.
I haven’t had time to eat yet today, and my stomach grumbles.
The streets are busy with patrons on their way to town, and by the time I make it home, I’m running a little later than I would have liked.
Quickly getting undressed, I jump into the shower and work my shampoo and conditioner through my hair and lather up in body wash before getting out and quickly changing into a tan maxi skirt with daisies all over it and a white eyelet bodysuit.
Since my hair is naturally wavy, I give it a quick dry and pull half of it back in a little daisy claw clip.
I’ve just finished putting on mascara when my doorbell rings. I give myself a quick once-over, hoping I look okay, and run through the house with Pumpkin clambering along behind me as I turn off all the lights and open the door to greet West.
“Hi.” I smile nervously, opening the door wider for him to come in.
His eyes trail over my form, leaving goosebumps in their wake, and I think about how amazing it felt to be in his arms last night.
“Hi, Jade. You look beautiful.”
I blush at his compliment and give him my own once-over. He’s wearing jeans and a plain dark-grey henley. His arms stretch the material around his biceps, and my mouth goes dry. God, he’s so strong and handsome. I see he’s still wearing the cowboy boots from last night, and I smile.
“Thanks, Sheriff Cowboy,” I say, making him chuckle.
“You ready?” he asks, placing a strong palm on the small of my back, sending shivers up my spine.
“I am.” I nod, letting him lead me out to his truck with butterflies in my stomach.
We spend the first hour going from booth to booth at the market.
At Fields of Daisies, West purchases a flower that he tucks into my clip, and at Mr. Hatchel’s table, we share some butterscotch.
I pick up a blind date with a book from Harper’s table and can’t help but notice what looks like a bruise under her eye that she’s tried to cover up.
When we walk past the Knitters’ table, Mrs. Ira whistles and waves us over.
West groans, and I hide a giggle behind my hand.
“Well, hello, you two,” she greets us.
“Hi, Mrs. Ira.”
“Mrs. Ira.” West nods.
“Why don’t you two come look at our table. I’m sure we’ve got something perfect for you. Maybe a new blanket that yous could share. Or we have some adorable baby booties.”
My eyes go wide, and West lets out a strangled cough.
“Ira, leave those two alone. Stop meddling,” Ms. Johnson scolds her.
“Oh, Maggie, just look at them. I may need glasses, but I know when I see soulmates.”
My cheeks flush as the group of ladies pins their eyes on us.
“Okay. Well, you have a lot of lovely stuff here, but Jade and I are going to finish walking around.” West cuts in, placing his hand back onto my back and leading me away before the ladies can protest.
“Oh gosh, I am so sorry about that.” I sigh, feeling embarrassed.
“No worries. Those ladies are sure something.” West chuckles, and my body relaxes.
We stop at the last booth, a jewelry stand. The pieces are stunning. West brings something to the till, and I watch with curiosity. After he pays, he stops in front of me.
“Hold out your arm.”
I do as he says, and he clasps a gold bracelet around my wrist. I gasp when I see the beautiful purple amethyst. “West,” I say breathlessly.
“It made me think of you,” he says, making my heart race.
“Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“Just like you,” he says, letting go of the bracelet and sliding his fingers through mine.
My stomach somersaults, and I let him hold my hand as we exit the vendor area and make our way to the fair.
We stop at the charity booth, and I let out a giggle when I see Ian back in the Dunk A Cop booth. Sans speedo this year.
“No speedo this year?” I ask West, still giggling.
He lets out a full-belly laugh. “Not this year. We banned speedos and Ms. Johnson.”
“Hi, guys,” Ian greets us.
I shift on my feet as Ian’s eyes linger a little longer on me before turning back over to West.
“Still dry?” West taunts him as he grabs three balls. “Not for much longer,” he says, throwing the first ball and hitting the target. Ian drops down and West cackles.
“Fuck off,” Ian grumbles, splashing water towards West.
Once Ian is seated again, West throws the next ball, and I watch as it hits the target a second time.
“Would you stop showing off for your girlfriend? The water is freezing, man.” Ian shoots daggers at West, and he heels over in laughter.
“Jade? You want to throw the last ball?” he asks me.
“Sure. I’ll give it a try.” I grab the ball from West’s hand and stand at the throwing line. With one try, the ball soars through the air and hits the target straight on. Ian drops, and West picks me up, spinning me around.
“That’s my girl!” My heart flutters at his words, and I don’t fight back the giant grin taking over my face.
“Did I mention I used to play baseball?” I giggle, making West laugh. He sets me down and laces our hands back together.
“You are full of surprises,” he says, looking at me in a way that makes me feel open and vulnerable. Like he wants to know everything there is about me.
I smile at how easy it was to share a piece of myself with him like that. I don’t even think I ever told Sarah I played ball.
“You wanna hit up the Ferris wheel?” West asks, and I raise my eyes, remembering him mentioning he doesn’t do rides.
“I thought you didn’t like rides?” I ask.
“I don’t. But I’m not above using the Ferris wheel as an excuse to sit close to you and put my arm around you.”
I smile, biting my lip. “Ahh. The old Ferris wheel trick.” I giggle.
“You know it. So, what do you think?”
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
Hands still clasped, we make our way over to the line and wait our turn.
When the cart stops and opens for us, West hesitates for a moment before sitting down.
The ride starts to move, and West wraps his arm around me, pulling me closer.
My heart beats faster, and I have so many butterflies.
We go around a few times before coming to a jerking stop at the very top.
From up here, we can see the whole town and the stunning landscapes of the hills and river in the distance.
“Wow.” My breath leaves me. “What a beautiful view.”
“I agree,” West says, but he’s not looking at the hills. He’s looking at me.
The cart finally begins to move, and the jerk of it has West tensing up.
“You good?” I ask. His face is pale, and his leg bounces up and down as we continue to go around.
“Yup. Mhm.” He brings his arm back from around me, and I fight a sigh at the loss as he grabs the bar in front of us with white knuckles. Placing a hand over his, I rub his knuckles trying to offer comfort.
“Why don’t you tell me something about yourself?” I suggest as a way to distract him. “Did you always want to be a cop?”
He nods, and I feel his hands relax. “I did. My grandfather on my mom’s side was a cop. I always looked up to him.”
“Awe, that’s sweet. You were close?”
“We were. He passed away eight years ago.”
“Oh, I am so sorry.”
“What about you?” he asks, turning his body to face me. “Did you always want to open a bakery?”
I take a moment of silence before answering.
Giving him another tiny piece of me, I say, “Yes and no. My mom was a baker. She had her own bakery, and the goal was to always work alongside her until she passed it down to me. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to bake.
I’d go to work with her, and she’d always let me experiment.
So yes, I always wanted to be a baker, but I never planned on opening my own bakery,” I say, sadness coating my voice.
“You said was a baker?” West picks up on. “Can I ask what happened?”
Our cart comes to a stop at the bottom, the worker unlatching our bar for us to get off, and I’m thankful for the moment to gather myself and save me from answering.
West grabs my hand, giving me a squeeze, and I know he can tell the conversation has upset me.
He doesn’t pressure me to answer, and as we continue walking, he rubs circles over my thumbs with his, giving me comfort without needing to say anything.
“She passed away when I was a teenager,” I finally say.
He halts his steps and looks at me. I know he remembers my story about my brother, and I can see so many questions on his face, but already giving him too much, I change the subject.
“Do you want to get cotton candy?” I ask. “It smells so good.” I begin to pull him towards the stand, and he lets me, our conversation forgotten.
After we get our cotton candy, we head over to a bench and take a seat.
The sun has set, and the carnival lights light up the night, casting us in a colourful glow.
Despite the bench being big enough for four, West and I sit thigh to thigh.
He places one hand on my upper thigh, and I imagine his hands snaking higher and higher until they meet my centre.
“Bite for bite?” West asks, tearing my attention away from his hand.
I blush and hold out my pink cotton candy in turn for his blue.
We switch, and as the warm sugar hits my tongue, I let out a moan.
I definitely should have chosen blue. It’s a lot sweeter than the pink; the flavour of blue raspberry is stronger.
I go to take another bite, but the floss gets stuck on my chin.
Laughing, I try to lick it away, and I catch the heated look in West’s eyes as he watches my tongue swipe out.
“Here. Let me,” he says, voice raspy, bringing his thumb to my chin and swiping away the remaining sugar.
My lips part, and the soft pad of his thumb runs along my bottom lip, making my chest rise and fall.
Our eyes lock, and West begins to lean forward.
Swallowing the nerves, I lean in to meet him when a voice clears.
Jumping back, I look up to see Wren looking guilty.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“Everything okay?” West asks his sister.
“Yes, sorry. I just wanted to let Jade know we’ve sold out of everything, so we’re going to clean up, and I wasn’t sure what you wanted us to do with the book and other stuff you bought,” she says, turning to me with apology in her eyes.
“Oh.” I clear the heat from my throat. “I’ll come get it. Thanks for letting me know.”
Standing up, we follow Wren back to the booth where I grab my belongings and thank the girls for their hard work and say my goodbyes.
The tension in the truck on the way home is thick, and I keep thinking about the almost kiss and how sexy it was with his thumb on my lip.
When we pull into the driveway, West walks me to my door, and I can feel a shift in the air.
There’s heat in his eyes, and my pulse is racing.
With a step forward, West grabs my waist with one hand and brushes his other along the side of my face.
He swallows, and my eyes track the movement.
He tugs me closer, and I think he’s finally going to kiss me as our mouths come closer and closer.
Inches apart, I rise up onto my toes, our breaths mixing together, when the ring of his phone goes off, making us jump apart.
Groaning, he pulls out his phone, silencing it, but I’ve already got my hand on the doorknob.
The moment is lost, and from behind the door, Pumpkin meows.
“I had a really great time tonight,” I say, looking up at him.
Stepping closer, he places a soft kiss on the side of my head.
“I had a really great time too,” he rasps out before stepping back.
Unlocking the door, I begin to push inside with my eyes still on him. “Well, goodnight, West.”
“Goodnight, Jade.”
Closing the door softly behind me, I do a little dance and pick up Pumpkin, snuggling into her soft fur. “Oh, Pumpkin, I really, really like him.”