BRIAN
When Jaden called to say that Julio is interested in leasing a space, I felt some of the weight on my shoulders lift off. Julio is an institution around here, a very respected man, and in some instances a father figure. Since the brainstorm, I've been working on the lease calculations, trying to find a balance of not overcharging anyone who wants to help and figuring out how much profit I need to make to continue operating. I used Charlie and Jess as a test case. They found the price per square meter more than reasonable and signed up without delay.
Voices call my attention and I head downstairs. I find my mom and Julio having a cozy chat on the porch. She gazes at the fairgrounds, but is obviously flustered at whatever he's saying.
"Julio, what brings you around?" I ask and my mom gives me a sheepish smile while Julio takes a step back.
"Wanted to bring this personally to you," he hands me an envelope. "Couldn't pass the opportunity and the price is fair. Charlie Monroe has excellent ideas so to see. You are lucky to have friends like him and Jaden."
"Don't I know it. They keep me grounded and sane at all times."
"Well, I'm heading back. I've signed up and now I need to figure out how to make it work," he chuckles and my mom giggles. "Fiona, lovely to see you as always and until the next time."
Julio returns to his car and I watch as my mom returns to her usual composure, gives me a warning look just when I'm about to open my mouth and then excuses herself to go to the grounds. Julio and her have been flirting for the last year, and if she thinks I haven't noticed then she's only fooling herself.
When I get back to my desk, I find an email in my inbox from a designer that Ximena knows. There's a file attached, my newspaper ad, and I open it quickly. We will begin to advertise the new entrance price for the weekends. I still don't feel comfortable making such a drastic change, but continuing the Connors legacy is what matters.
"Hello? Anyone here?" A voice asks from downstairs and it sounds like Lewis.
My suspicion is correct when I find him at the bottom of the stairs, a pastry box between his hands.
"I just saw your mom. She said I could find you here."
"And you have. What can I help you with?"
"I realized I didn't say anything of value during the brainstorm, but wanted you to know that I've been giving it some thought."
"Oh, and does it involve what you have in that box? Whenever I see you holding one of those there's always something delicious involved."
Lewis gives me a shy smile as usual. "Yeah, it involves what I have in here."
"That calls for some coffee then," I motion for him to follow me to the kitchen and feel more than happy to find a fresh pot of coffee that Mom probably set right before Julio arrived.
After serving us two cups, I sit in front of Lewis and he opens the pastry box. Inside are beautiful sweets shaped like small presents.
"What is this?" I lift what I now see from the bottom is a piece of cake covered in light blue paste with a white bow.
"Petit fours. This is what belongs to the glacé type, a tiny cake covered in fondant. Take a bite."
"This is heaven," is all I can say while I thumb the crumbs from the corner of my mouth. "How is this related to the fairgrounds?" I ask before eating the rest.
"I don't know exactly. I've been toying with the idea for over a year now. I love making candy, but baking is my passion, and want to make more things than what I offer at the market. Do you have a food stand available where I can display this?"
His humble request shocks me. "Lewis, I can't do that. I can't lease you a food stand."
Disappointment shows on his face and I realize that I need to say more, and fast.
"This is too good for such a simple location. Would you be interested in the area of the souvenir shop next to the exit? We can convert it into a tea salon with small iron tables and chairs. Jaden can help us transform the space into something that matches the rest of the fair theme. That way, people can stop before leaving to enjoy your confections or can take them home with them as they exit the park."
Lewis' face brightens at the idea. "Where do I sign?" He asks and I laugh. "Thank you very much!"
"I should be on my knees thanking you. Let me know when you feel ready to start working on it. If you help me with the clean up, I'll throw in a juicy discount. Jeez, this is going to bring a lot of prestige to the fairgrounds."
"That's a big word," he laughs. "Maybe we can take a look at it when you have time to see what I'll need. I still have some furniture and displays from the pâtisserie I had in Greenwood. I can give a call to my mom to get them out of my storage and have them sent here. If I can't fit a kitchen in the space, I can prepare the pastries at home or at the candy shop and put them in a cooler. Can you supply me with someone to work the counter? The fairgrounds might be a bit too busy for Mary. She enjoys having a chat with the customers and the pace here will be quicker."
"I agree. She's a darling and I also wouldn't mind having her around. I have two ladies who have shifts at the shop now. If you train them on what is what, I'm sure they'll do a good job. I'm really thankful Lewis. People will find it worth it to visit us when they find out that you have a location here. I know your stuff at the market sells in no time," I say and he blushes.
"You are too kind. Well, my weekend is already set to a good start."
"What do you have planned?"
"I'm taking Ximena out for dinner tomorrow. My first date since Hannah and it feels as if I've never done it before. I'm looking forward to good conversation and a dinner that doesn't involve macaroni," he looks hopeful and the happiest I've ever seen him in a long time.
The sensation of a cold shower downs over me. So she's accepted to go out on a date with Lewis when she has rejected me under the excuse of not staying in Lonstino. Or maybe that was her way of letting me down gently.
"She's a hearty eater and don't try to take a bite of her dessert if you don't want to lose a hand. She loves talking about her childhood."
His eyes widen at the assumption. "I didn't know she went on a date with you," he says in a low voice that ends in a whisper.
"It wasn't a date. Just a meal between friends," I say and he visibly relaxes. "To be honest, I wish we could be more than friends, but she doesn't seem ready to be in a serious relationship. At least not with me. So enjoy your luck, my friend. She doesn't agree to go out with anyone."
"Why do you think she isn't ready to be in a relationship?"
"I'm not sure if you know all the reasons of why she came here."
"To write. At least that's what she told me. Is there more?"
"Last Sunday, she had an unwelcome visitor. Her ex-boyfriend appeared at her door uninvited. I came by her place to apologize for an argument we had, and found him trying to push his way inside Greg's house while hurting her. I left him with a bloody nose and she was shaken to the core."
A frown appears on his forehead as he stares at the table. "I'm not expecting anything out of the date. I think we both could use some distraction and I'll keep it at that."
"Don't misunderstand me. I want you to enjoy your date and I'm sure you'll have a good time because she's smart and funny, great company. What left me worried is that I'm not sure if my punch was enough to keep that bastard away from her and Lonstino. We need to keep an eye out for her."
Lewis nods and stands up to leave. It's not my intention to ruin any hopes for his date, but he's a good man and I don't want him to suffer another heartbreak after what Hannah did to him. I also want to make sure that all of us know about this man coming after Ximena, but once she returns to Greenwood we can't protect her anymore. I hope by then that he has forgotten about her, but also hope that she doesn't forget us or that we become a distant memory.
I know well how that feels. My dreams were to work at a large firm in Greenwood when I finished college, get a place of my own and marry Piper. Everyone expected that, we had been dating since high school and throughout our studies. When life hit me with my father's death, I returned to Lonstino to continue his work and she followed me, but life in a small town wasn't for her. One day I came back from the fairgrounds and found her stuff gone. I called her parents in Greenwood, who had not heard from her and didn't know her whereabouts. And that was it, empty drawers, a cold place in my bed, no excuses, no apologies, not even a proper break up. A distant memory and not a happy one.