Page 4 of Love in Mission City

I met her mother’s gaze. “We talked about taking food from strangers.” I held out my hand. “Johnson McDougall.”

She had a gentle handshake. “Very kind of you to help me out, Mr. McDougall.”

An understanding passed between the two of us. “My pleasure.”

“Come along, Bettina. We still have to buy something for your great aunt.”

Bettina met my gaze and rolled her eyes.

I smiled as they moved to the table displaying the handmade quilts I’d admired.

Then, as I pivoted my gaze back, I caught Henry’s eye.

He pressed a hand to his chest and gave a slight bow.

An acknowledgement of the interference I’d run?

As our gazes locked, I almost felt an odd stirring of longing wash over me as I held his green-eyed stare.

After a moment, though, he looked away.

The moment was lost.

If it had ever been there at all.

By the time the last shopping straggler left and the doors were closed, exhaustion had set in. The room would be locked, with a security guard on duty throughout the night, so we could leave all our wares.

I eyed my three bottles of cider and two apples, then laughed to myself.

The organizers had given me two chairs, but I only needed the one.

Beverly, one of the two quilting ladies next to me, had watched my stall while I took a bathroom break and grabbed a hotdog and some popcorn for lunch. I consumed the food in just a few bites, as I was starving.

Who knew sitting around all day could be so tiring?

I gazed up to find Henry at my table. “Would you like some cider? I can give you a bottle.”

He shook his head. Little wrinkles formed around his eyes as he squinted at me.

What’s he thinking?

“Would you like to sit?”

He nodded.

I indicated the chair, and after a moment, he sat in it. I rubbed my eyes. “I don’t ever remember being this tired after having done absolutely nothing. Even days in my orchard don’t leave me this wiped.”

He grunted.

“You seem to have sold a lot of those pretty fairies. Tomorrow, can you show me some of them? I can see from here that they’re super-delicate, but I’d like a close-up view.”

He grunted.

“I mean, I wish I had a niece I could buy one for. But I don’t really have kids in my life. Well, that’s not true. My younger brother’s got three. Rambunctious boys. I buy them sports equipment every year. My sister-in-law just gives me a list. That’s not really personal though, you know? I keep thinking I should do something special. Like, I don’t know, a book. Or some artwork. Something that would be unique to them. Except kids probably aren’t interested in that art shit, right?” I pressed a hand to my mouth. After pulling it back, I whispered, “Sorry. Probably shouldn’t be swearing around here.”

He grunted.

I wanted to seek clarification. Yes, I shouldn’t be swearing, or no, it didn’t matter since all the kids were gone? As much as I wanted to ask, though, I held back. “I plan to relax in front of the television tonight. Just chill, you know.”