Chapter Twenty-Three
LEANNA PLACED SIX jars of jam into a bag and handed it across the table to the elderly gentleman in shorts and a polo shirt. He reminded her of Al Black, and a quiet longing passed through her.
“Thank you, and I hope you enjoy them.”
“How can I not enjoy something called Luscious Leanna’s Sweet Treats? It’s all in the name. Do you have a website where I can order throughout the year?” the gray-haired man asked.
Oh no. Of course, a website! She made a mental note to figure out how to create a website. “It’s under development right now, but if you leave me your email address, I’ll send you the link once it’s live.” Note to self: Start an email list, a mailing list, and maybe a newsletter.
That pushed her total sales for the day over ninety, and it was only noon. Things were definitely looking up. Carey hadn’t shown up today, leaving the space beside her empty. The flea market felt strange without his orange van parked behind hers and their friendly banter, but after the first twenty minutes, she’d been too busy to notice. The clouds had cleared and the sun shone brightly on the tented rows of vendor booths, drawing in droves of customers since the flea market opened at nine, and she was thankful for the sales. Several return customers stopped by to stock up on her Sweet Treats in anticipation of the end of summer, when real life took over and the flea market would be a distant memory.
Leanna thought about real life. She had a plan for the first time in her life. Not a whim, not a hope, but a solid plan that included a life she wanted, a relationship with a man she adored, and a future full of promise. With Kurt she’d found love, and she’d become stronger, more focused. Happier. Which she found astounding, because she thought she’d always been happy, even if she’d been searching for something more in her life. She hadn’t realized that her happiness could triple with Kurt in her life.
Pepper began barking before she spotted her love walking leisurely through the crowd with his computer and notebook tucked under one arm, a small bag and a vase full of flowers in the other. A warm thrill flowed through her. He was incredibly handsome in his khaki shorts and white polo shirt. His hair was perfectly combed to the side, and he hadn’t shaved. She loved when he didn’t shave. A shiver of anticipation ran up her spine as she thought about the scratchy feel of stubble on her cheek when they kissed. His eyes met hers, and when he smiled, it reached his eyes and brightened her heart.
Pepper fought against his tethered leash. The jars knocked against each other. Kurt stepped up his pace as she came around the table and reached for Pepper’s leash.
“Hey, babe.” He kissed her and took Pepper’s leash from her hand. “Next summer we’ll have to figure out a better plan for Pepper.”
Her heart warmed at the way he’d come to care for Pepper.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you.”
He draped his arm over her shoulder, and they sat behind the booth. “I missed you, too. Where’s Carey?” He set the vase on the table.
She shrugged. “Not sure. Sometimes vendors don’t show up.”
“I brought him a few of my books and signed them for him. He seemed like he was into them, so I thought if he didn’t want them, he could sell them on eBay or something. I’ll put them in your van.”
Flowers for me and books for Carey? Could you be more thoughtful?
“Next weekend is the last flea market for most vendors, so I’m not sure if he’ll be back or not.” She smelled the bouquet of brightly colored flowers and felt a little guilty for not telling him about Carey kissing her. “I need to tell you something.”
“Uh-oh. Your voice has that worried sound to it.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “That night after Carey and I went to the beach, we went to the Beachcomber restaurant, and I drank too much.”
“This doesn’t sound like something I want to hear.” Kurt’s eyes filled with worry.
She touched his hand. “It’s not bad, and I don’t even know why I didn’t mention it before, except that it didn’t mean anything.” She held his gaze. “Anyway, that night, he kissed me.” She felt his arm go rigid, and she decided to continue so he understood what really happened. “I didn’t kiss him back, I mean, how could I? I had thought about you all night. Anyway, I told him I didn’t like him in that way, and he was fine with it. He didn’t push for more or try anything else, and when I saw him the next weekend at the flea market, I told him about us.”
He had that look of contemplation again.
“I didn’t mean to hide it. I honestly just brushed it off and didn’t think anything of it.” The tension in his hand and arm relaxed.
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for telling me.”
She looked up at him with a hopeful heart and a storm of worry in her stomach. “Are you mad?”
“No, babe. I’m glad you were honest with me, and quite frankly, he did what any guy would do. How could anyone go to the beach with you and not want to kiss you?” His gaze softened, and the edges of his lips curled up again. “You just scared me for a minute. The worry in your eyes had my mind running in some pretty dark directions.”
“Oh, Kurt. That’s because of those dark and scary thrillers you write. I’d never do anything to hurt you. I’m not even the one who kissed. He kissed me.” She hugged him around his middle. “Thank you for not being mad.”
“I would have been mad if he’d pressured you or if you had done something more and kept it from me. But really, even if you had slept with him, we weren’t really dating at the time, so while I might have been jealous, I wouldn’t have had the right to get mad.”
“Are you always this rational? Because I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that if another woman kissed you, I’d be mad. Even if I didn’t have the right to.”
He leaned in close and kissed her. “Then it’s a good thing that you’re the only woman who has access to these lips. Now, let’s change the subject before you convince me that I should be mad.”
She had to smile, because that was a very practical, very Kurt thing to say. “I love these beautiful flowers. Thank you.”
“I thought you might like them.” He crouched to pet Pepper. “Does he need to be walked, or do you want to go over your stuff first?”
“Why don’t I walk him first? That way we won’t be interrupted.”
A group of thirty-something women wearing colorful beach cover-ups and big floppy hats browsed the table.
“Don’t these look delicious?” said a plump brunette.
“There are tasting spoons in the basket.” Leanna pointed to a basket full of tiny plastic spoons. “And these are the tasters.” She pointed to six open jars. “Feel free to sample as many as you like, but please take a new spoon for each taste, and when you’re done, just drop the little spoons into the trash bin to your left.”
“Hey, babe?” Kurt stood with Pepper’s leash in his hand. “Why don’t I take Pep for that walk? Do you want something from the snack bar?”
What I want, they don’t serve at the snack bar. “I’ve got ice water in the cooler, but thanks.” She noticed the women stealing glances at Kurt, and after a second of jealousy, a sense of pride replaced the unfamiliar emotion.
She helped a number of customers, and fifteen minutes later, when Kurt and Pepper returned, she was still answering questions. Kurt sat with his computer on his lap and wrote. She glanced at him a few times and was happy to find him engrossed in his writing. She didn’t get a break for another half hour, and she felt a little guilty for keeping him waiting.
“Sorry. Today has been insane.” She picked up a pad of paper from the table. “Look at this. More than fifty names and email addresses.” She set it back down and shook her head as she sat beside him. “I don’t even have a website, so that’s on my list now, and I just started collecting names for a mailing list. All these things keep popping up, which means more work, but…”
He closed his laptop and set it beneath his chair. “I love watching you with the customers. You have such a pleasant way with them, and you really listen to everything they say. It’s easy to see why your customers return. Besides your jam being luscious, you’re warm and friendly, and it’s hard not to want to be around you.”
She thought he’d been writing, not paying attention to what she was doing. “You see all of that in me?”
“Leanna, I see so much more than that. You had hoped this would pan out, and it looks like it is. You did this, Leanna, and it’s wonderful.”
“I know. I can hardly believe it.”
“Let’s go over your brochures and everything before you get swamped again.”
She pulled up the files on her laptop, and they reviewed them together.
“I started a marketing plan, if you can call it that, but I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m just listing places I can reach out to.” She clicked on the document.
He scanned the information. “I’d say you know exactly what you’re doing. You’ve got thirty-two stores here, with real research. Location, staff names, phone numbers, email addresses.” His eyes widened. “This is very good. It looks like you’re taking this much further than just flea markets and a few grocers. This could really get big. Is that what you want?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. I’m kind of going with the flow of it all. I may get turned down by every place I contact, so it’s more of a wish list. I’m just happy to have found something that doesn’t leave me wanting more.” She leaned against him. “And someone who accepts me for me and doesn’t leave me wanting more…or want more than I can give.”
“I’m not surprised at all. You’re talented and you’re smart. I know you like to be a free spirit, but you’re also very driven. Look at this, babe.” He pointed to the list. “This…This is passion.”
Guilt swept through her. Here he was being supportive, and she wanted to respond with, I’ll show you passion, and kiss the heck out of him.
They finished reviewing the documents, and her mind drifted to thoughts of Kurt leaving and them being separated by all those empty miles.
“I’m really sorry about the wedding.”
“I know you are, but there’s no need to be. You’re going to be so happy when Daisy Chain accepts your proposal. In eight more days, we’ll be together again in New York, starting our life together.”
She sat back, comforted by the thought, and watched a little boy and his father looking at T-shirts in the booth across from hers. “But you leave in four days, and that seems so soon. Do you ever wish summer could last forever?”
“I don’t know. I like the change of seasons. Besides, if it lasted forever, I might spend a lot more time on the Cape, and I like knowing that if my agent needs something, or my publisher, editor, or PR rep, that I can be in their office in under an hour, and my family, too. My parents aren’t getting any younger. I live close enough to be there quickly if there’s an issue, or if everyone’s getting together for dinner or an event. My brothers Dex and Sage and my sister, Siena, all live nearby, and we try to get together for drinks or dinner in the city about once a month. And my other brother Rush tries to join us as often as he can. He’s a competitive skier, and even during the winter if he can fly in for dinner, he does.” He shrugged. “Now I have the best of both worlds.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting your family. I love my family, and we’re close, but we all live very separate lives.”
“How often do you see them?” His eyes were serious again.
“Oh, every few months, I guess. If I needed them, they’d be here in a heartbeat, and I’d do the same for them, but we’re spread out in different states, so it’s not like we can get together for dinner. Email and cell phones work wonders.”
He pulled her close. “Well, you’ll love my family, and I know they’ll love you.”
A young family stopped by her booth, and she excused herself to help them. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if her business did take off. Could she manage it from two different states? Would she be able to find a place in New York to set up shop? She couldn’t very well take over Kurt’s kitchen for jam and jelly making. Could she?
If it were easy, it wouldn’t be my life.