Adiel walked over to Jaclyn’s place Sunday afternoon and arrived at two o’clock sharp. He had to dodge a few aggressive rabbits that ran over to greet him and stopped a few times to get a closer look at the many gnomes scattered throughout her yard. One in particular amused him. Gorgeous George was bigger than the rest and his confident expression bordering on cocky reminded him of Corey.

As he reached the front door, it opened and Jaclyn stood there beaming. She was wearing a ruffled apron and had her hair piled on the top of her head. As she reached to give him a hug, he smiled at the smudge of flour on her face. She’d clearly been busy in the kitchen. He followed her in and she motioned for him to have a seat at the kitchen table.

“What do you take in your tea, Adiel?” She reached for a porcelain teacup and saucer and filled the cup with hot water, then added a tea bag and set it all in front of him.

“Nothing, thanks.”

“Well, I hope you’re hungry. I need your opinion.” She slid four cookies onto a small plate and handed it to him. “I’m experimenting with a gluten-free version of my snickerdoodles. But they need to be just as good! So I want you to try these and tell me if you can tell which is which.”

“Okay.” He bit into a cookie and it tasted every bit as magical as the taste he’d had the night before at the fair. “This one is wonderful.”

“Try the one next to it now,” Jaclyn instructed.

It tasted exactly the same. No different. He went on to eat the other two and then sighed, full and happy. “They’re all perfect.”

Jaclyn narrowed her eyes. “You really can’t tell a difference? Seriously?”

“Scout’s honor. They’re all equally good.”

“Well then. I think I may have finally done it.” Jaclyn set a few cookies on a plate and joined him at the table. She bit into one and then the other and closed her eyes. And then she smiled. “Good, that’s that then. So, let’s talk.”

“What would you like to talk about?”

“The fairies have been busy buzzing about you you know.”

“The fairies?” He vaguely recalled hearing mention of fairies but couldn’t remember any specifics.

“Yes. I know things sometimes and it’s because of the fairies. They communicate with me. They come in dreams or when I’m driving or walking along. I never know when they’ll reach out. But it’s always good news. They tell me that your time is coming soon. But they warned me to make sure I tell you that you need to be open to it. That love may find you in a way that you don’t expect and you can’t shut that out.”

“Okay.” He hadn’t the foggiest idea what she meant but had often found that smiling and nodding seemed to work well in times like this.

“You think I’m a dotty old woman.” She looked anything but as she met his gaze with eyes so sharp and clear it seemed as though she could see right through him.

“No, of course I don’t.”

“It didn’t work out with Lexy.”

“How do you know that?” He hadn’t seen anyone other than Rachel and Cameron.

She smiled slyly. “The fairies told me of course. How else would I know?”

“Right.”

“She wasn’t for you. But that’s okay. They’re quite excited about the one they’ve found for you. They think she’s just perfect. And if they think that, then I’m sure she is. So, aren’t you glad you came out here today? That’s great news!”

Adiel felt a bit like Alice must have felt when she was trying to talk to the Mad Hatter. Nothing made much sense but there was an awful lot of enthusiasm.

“Can you give me anything else to go on? How will I know who this person is when I meet her?”

“Oh, you won’t know. Not at first. But eventually it will become clear to you….as long as your heart is open. Will you keep your heart and mind open Adiel?” Jaclyn held his gaze so intently that he had to look away. It was a bit disconcerting.

“Yes, yes, I promise.”

“Very good. Okay, you can go now. It’s time for my nap. A girl needs her beauty sleep you know.” She stood up and Adiel did the same. Jaclyn had said what she needed to say and now he was being dismissed. He tried not to smile at the absurdity of it all.

“Thank you for having me over. Your cookies were amazing.”

Jaclyn beamed happily. “They are, aren’t they? Bye now.”

Adiel stepped outside and then turned back. He’d almost forgotten to invite her and Simon to the viewing on Monday.

“One last thing. Thanks to your great idea, we’re having a party of sorts tomorrow night at the restaurant to celebrate the premiere of the show and also Rachel’s birthday, but that’s a surprise. I hope you and Simon can make it?”

“Of course we will! Wade already told us about it. See you tomorrow!”

Adiel smiled as he walked back to his cottage. Of course Jaclyn already knew. What didn’t she know? He wondered about what the fairies had in store for him. Jaclyn and her fairies. He knew that she meant well, and it was kind of sweet.

When he reached his cottage, he checked in the refrigerator and realized he had next to no food in the house. He’d have to get takeout for dinner. And it was still early too, not even three. He flipped on the television and debated what he felt like doing with himself. The local news was covering the county fair.

“And don’t forget, we have a great lineup of bands all day and night on Sunday. Country, Blues, Rock, something for everyone.”

He clicked off the tv. That’s what he’d do, he’d go back to the fair and he’d eat bad food, drink a few beers and stay as long as he liked, listening to some good music. It sounded like a good plan. But then another thought occurred to him as he walked to his car. Maybe Rachel might want to come along and keep him company? She’d seemed excited about the fair and even though she and Cameron had gone the night before, maybe she’d like to go back? It was something to do on a Sunday. Before he could change his mind, he found her number in his phone and called her. She picked up on the second ring.

“Hi Adiel. What’s up?”

“I’m heading back to the fair to hear some music. Just saw on the news that there’s a good lineup of bands. I know you were just there last night, but thought I’d check in case you were up for going again?”

“Oh.” She sounded surprised. “Sure, I’d love to. When?”

“Now. I’m on my way.”

“Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes then!”

Adiel found himself singing along to the radio as he drove to pick up Rachel. It was a perfect day, sunny, warm and dry and he drove with the windows rolled down and the radio turned up. A country music song that he really liked was playing and even though he was as tone deaf as Rachel claimed to be, he sang along happily until he pulled into her driveway.

Her front door opened and she came out before he even shut the motor off. She had her hair pulled into a perky ponytail and was wearing a white t-shirt with a navy zip up sweatshirt and jeans, and a pair of faded cowboy boots. She grinned as she opened the car door and slid into the passenger side.

“Let’s go hear some music!”

He laughed. “I would have come in to get you.”

“I heard your car pull into the driveway. Your timing was really perfect. No one else is around and I was feeling a little restless. The bands last night were really good too. Cameron and I stayed until the very end. One of the guys told us that they save the best bands for last. That’s today and tonight.”

“Well, if you get bored let me know. Otherwise I’m up for staying as long as you want.”

“I won’t get bored. I can listen to bands for hours and just lose myself in the music. I look forward to this every year. Cameron and I were planning to go back tonight, but she got called in to work again.”

The fair was almost as busy as the day before. They walked around for a while first and went on a few rides. They were nothing fancy, but it was still fun. And then they tried their hand at some of the arcade games. Rachel surprised him by being a good shot with the water gun. She beat him and won the ugliest stuffed animal he’d ever seen.

“It looks like a cross between a dog and a cow,” he said.

She laughed. “I know. I’m not really sure what it is.” She tucked it into her purse and they played a few more games before making their way to the food section.

“What are you in the mood for?” he asked as they surveyed the offerings.

“A chocolate milk shake I think. A hotdog and curly fries. Maybe some onion rings.”

He laughed. “That sounds right up my alley.” They got their milkshakes first and then ordered the rest of their food and brought it to an empty picnic table.

“I know this stuff is so bad for you, but now and then, it’s so good.” Rachel dunked a curly fry into her chocolate milkshake and popped it in her mouth. He looked at her in horror and she laughed.

“It’s really good. Try it. I dare you!”

That did it. He tentatively picked up a fry and dipped one end in his shake. To his surprise, it was good.

“It’s the combination of sweet and salty.” When they couldn’t eat any more, they cleared their table and brought their milkshakes over to the music area. There were more people than the night before, but they easily found seats and settled in to listen. Bands came and went, each one better than the one before.

An hour or so later, they decided to get one beer each to sip on. Adiel went for the draft beers and handed one to Rachel. She tapped her plastic cup against his.

“To good music and hearing all of it!”

He smiled, glad that she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. It was still warm out though the air had cooled just a little. A breeze ruffled his hair a bit and he pushed it off his face and caught Rachel’s eye. She was smiling up at him and he felt something shift inside.

“Are you having fun?” she asked.

“I am. Thanks for coming with me.”

“Anytime.” She turned back to watch the band and Adiel smiled. At that moment he felt ridiculously happy and content. The mood lingered for the rest of the night as the music got better and better until finally at a few minutes before eleven the announcer said that the next song would be the last one.

“It’s Sunday so we have to shut things down a little earlier tonight. So we hope you’ll enjoy this last tune and it’ll send you on your way home with a smile on your face.”

The band launched into their best song yet and when they finished both Adiel and Rachel were sorry that the evening had come to an end. But it had been pretty much a perfect night as far as they were concerned. They made their way back to the car and Adiel drove to Rachel’s house.

“Thanks for coming tonight. And don’t forget, tomorrow night is the viewing party at the restaurant.”

“I’m looking forward to it. And I had so much fun tonight, Adiel. Thank you.” She leaned over and surprised him by giving him a quick kiss goodnight on his cheek. It was unexpected and sweet and at the moment his only regret was that he hadn’t kissed her first and on the lips.

“See you tomorrow!” In a flash, she was gone and his car felt suddenly quiet and empty. He waited until she was in the house before he drove off, smiling as he touched his finger to his cheek.