“So glad to meet you,” the sweet woman cheered. “Wilfred told me all about you.”
Wilfred, who was standing between Millie’s booth and the one beside it, stepped over and snatched a jar of jam off the shelf. “This right here is one of the very best jams you’ll ever taste.”
Burke grinned. “Well, I guess we know which onewe’llbe getting. What kind is it?”
“Raspberry apricot,” Millie answered. “His late wife Gretchen and I came up with a special recipe.”
“Well, we’ll take one of those, a tub of this fresh butter here, and…” Burke ran a hand along Justine’s lower back as he glanced over. “What kind of bread do you want, babe? And should we gettwojars?” He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying this. Stealing kisses in the car, calling Justinebabe. Her reaction to those things was entertaining in itself.
She bit her lip over a grin, a wash of pink flooding into her cheeks, and nodded at last. “Yeah, let’s get the plum jam also. That one’s delicious too.”
It wasn’t until Millie—with Wilfred’s assistance—had their items tucked into a paper bag that Burke noticed a beautiful, mosaic tabletop in the next booth.Justine’s work.Finally he’d get to see it.
“Whoa,” he said, holding her hand as they stepped away from Millie’s booth. He ran his gaze over one piece after the next appreciatively. His eyes lingered over the cool-looking rocking chair with gnarled twigs for the tall back. Beside it stood a smaller, more delicate looking piece with thinner twigs that looped at the top. His and hers.
The mere sight forced an image to his mind—him and Justine lounging on her porch front in the morning sun. He spun full circle, taking in each unique piece with complete admiration.
This didn’t feel like a small town vending booth; it felt like a shop he’d fallen in love with during a ski trip to Park City one year. A shop that offered high quality, artistic pieces that made him wish he had the time and talent for such endeavors. He’d settled for buying a few of his favorites and shipping them back home instead. But this…
A new wave of appreciation pushed through him, warm and welcoming. It was as if he was seeing yet another side to Justine. And it was just as beautiful as the rest.
“These are…something else.” He ran his hand over the glossy surface of a nearby side table, recalling what she’d said about her mosaic work. Thick shards of glass in shades of blue made circular patterns over the surface, each piece artistically set into the glaze. Shapes of jade green accented the design, but those looked more like pottery or stone than glass. Her talent shined in the balance she’d found in each pattern. Each piece. They were unique enough to stand out in a crowd, but there was nothing over the top.
“Wow.” It came out in a whisper as he set his eyes back on Justine. “And your full time job is working for the city?”
She grinned and slapped his arm. “I couldn’t make a living at this, that’s for sure.”
She was wrong, of course, but Burke would argue with her about that later. He lifted his chin to catch Wilfred’s attention. “Can we just put asoldsign on all of this and shut down shop?”
Wilfred grinned proudly. “She’s good, huh?”
“Very,” Burke said.
“She’s already got one set aside foryou,” the man said with a nod. He shot a look at Justine. “Oh, was I not supposed to tell?”
Justine’s face flushed pink. “No, it’s okay. It’s nothing big, I just…thought you’d like this one back here.”
Burke’s pulse rushed as he followed her toward a spot at the back of the booth. A tall, rather masculine piece stood there, the deep blue finish looking more like marble or stone than wood. He spotted a barely visible black speaker beneath the grated cover, and realized just what it was. “This is a record player?”
She nodded and grinned.
“No way. This is…” He turned his gaze back to the piece, running his hand along the top. The rack on the side would display a few of his favorite albums. Special ones that reminded him of Mom. And the player itself, that would forever remind him of Justine. He’d get to take a piece of her with him.
The thought was bittersweet. He didn’t want just apartof Justine. He wanted all of her.
“You like it?” she asked softly.
Burke spun around, wanting to kiss her smack on the lips. “I love it, Justine. Thank you.” He pulled her in for a hug instead. A long, warm, and meaningful embrace, hoping she’d sense his appreciation for the gift.
“Well…” she said with a sigh. “Let’s eat this bread. I can’t wait for you to try those jams.”
“Just a second,” Burke said through a grin. He buried his face in the blonde locks of her hair, loving the soft and wild flow of it, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He inhaled her strawberry scent before letting his arms go limp and stepping back. “Okay,” he agreed. “Let’s break bread.”
Justine looked at him incredulously for a moment before tugging on his arm. She led him past the main covered awning and onto a grassy area, leaves swishing and crunching beneath their shoes. “Since it’s fairly early, we’ve got our choice,” Justine said. “These get pretty crowded around dinner time.”
“Then I guess it’s good that we’re snacking now. We can eat later than the others and have a little privacy.” He wondered if he shouldn’t say things like that. After all, they were supposed to be convincing everyone else they were in love. But what Burke was hoping is that Justine would see for herself that a businessman like him wasn’t completelyunloveable.
She nodded to one of the shaded picnic tables. “Let’s sit at that one.”
