“It is definitely bright. But it’s cheerful too. And I think she needs cheerful more than ever right now.”
“I hope it helps to make her happy.”
Willow parked in front of his house then helped him to carry his things in, finally setting the package of leftovers on his kitchen counter. “I thought you might enjoy this for dinner, George. Just a small token of my appreciation.”
As Willow drove home, she tried to think of a special way that she could show George their appreciation. Something more than just food. She’d actually offered to pay him for his work, but he’d refused, saying it was just “friends helping friends.” And, although she liked that philosophy, she wasn’t sure of the best way to return the favor.
She was just walking past the gallery when she noticed aposter on the window. It was to promote a hot-air-balloon festival a few miles out of town. She stopped and stared at the poster—that was it! She would surprise George with a hot-air-balloon ride. Perfect! Before long, she’d called the number and made a reservation for two o’clock on Sunday.
Although George had intended to enjoy an afternoon of some well-deserved R & R the next day, he felt surprisingly energetic after finishing his Saturday morning chores. So despite his plan to lounge in his hammock with a book, he found himself walking up the hill to his grandparents’ house.
He hadn’t been up there since the night Willow had made dinner. That had been a most unusual evening. In some ways unsettling ... but also enjoyable. George didn’t really know how to describe it, but it had left him with a desire to make some changes in the house. Particularly in that kitchen. He’d never liked the eighties remodel, but seeing it through Willow’s eyes had made him actually hate it. And her suggestions had made sense.
After George did some basic measurements of the kitchen, made some notes, and pondered it a bit, he decided to go up to the attic. But once he got up there, he felt instantly overwhelmed. And claustrophobic. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. After all, he didn’t even have any clear goals in mind here. As much as he’d like the entire space cleared out, he realized there were some family heirlooms and valuable antiques mixed in the mishmash.
He stared absently at the dust particles coming in fromthe high window, sparkling in the sunlight. Did he want to thin things out up here in order to help Josie? Or was it because he intended to sell the house? In that case, shouldn’t he simply clear the whole place out? But what if he didn’t want to sell? After all, he really did love this house. Maybe he actually wanted to live here someday. Yet that sounded ridiculous. The place was far too big for him. He backed out of the attic, closed the door. Perhaps he would think about this later. Right now his hammock was calling.
George missed Willow but didn’t plan to call or visit. Not for a while. Although he’d enjoyed working on Josie’s apartment—especially when Collin was around to help—the noise and mess and bickering had taken its toll on him. Quite frankly, George didn’t know how Willow could stand it. Yes, he felt sorry for Josie. She had definitely gone through some difficult things—she’d made no secret of it while he’d been working there. But the girl was also her own worst enemy.
So when Willow showed up at his house on Sunday afternoon, George wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Yes, he was glad to see her ... but also on his guard. He stopped sweeping his front porch as she got out of her car and strolled up to his house. Admittedly, she looked pretty in a blue-and-white sundress and sandals. He wondered if she was on her way home from church. He knew she attended an odd little church, where services were held in a barn on the edge of town. Although she’d invited him a couple of times, he always had a handy excuse.
“I have a surprise for you,” she announced as she came onto his porch.
“What do you mean?” He didn’t see a bakery bag or anything else.
“No questions asked,” she said. “Just lock up your house and come with me.”
“Well, I don’t know.” He set his broom aside.
“Please, George. You’re going to love this. And there’s no time to waste.”
“But I, uh, I—”
“No excuses.” She smiled brightly. “Just trust me, okay? This is my way of thanking you for all your wonderful help last week.”
George sighed then turned to lock his front door. Maybe her surprise would involve food. George hadn’t had lunch yet. “Okay,” he told her. “I trust you.”
“Wonderful.” She led him to her car and they were on their way. But as she drove out of town, he grew suspicious.
“Where are we going?”
“Remember—no questions.” Now she began to tell him how much Josie liked her apartment. “You should see her crayon box now. I took her to the thrift store where she picked out some crazy, colorful pieces. It’s a bit like going to the circus, but she loves it.”
“That’s nice.” George frowned out the window. They were about ten minutes from town now, going down an old country road through farmland. Where on earth was she taking him? “What is that?” He pointed to something colorful looming above some treetops.
“You’ll see,” she said mysteriously. She turned off the road,parking in a field where dozens of other cars were already parked. “Come on.”
With her arm linked in his, she led him down a trail that passed through a grove of trees and into an open field where lots of hot-air balloons were in various stages of inflating. “My goodness,” he exclaimed. “What a surprise!”
“Isn’t it fabulous!” she said. “I’ve always wanted to come to one of these festivals.”
“It’s very beautiful.” George looked over the rainbow of hot-air balloons. “Will they be going up?”
“Yes. Liftoff is at two.” She continued to lead him, moving past a number of bright balloons where balloonists were in various stages of preparation. George would’ve liked to stop and look at what they were doing, but Willow continued to nudge him along. Perhaps she knew of a good vantage spot where they could watch the colorful liftoff. Maybe there would even be a concessions stand. George thought he could actually go for a hotdog about now.
“Let’s get a closer look at that one.” Willow led him over to a large red-and-yellow-striped balloon that was fully inflated. “Let’s see what it’s like in the basket.”
“Oh, he probably doesn’t want us in there,” George said.
