“I have to talk to J.P.” Nora shoved her smoothie toward Tillie, who gladly accepted the tamer concoction. “I’m sorry, girls. I need to sort this out with him.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The hands on his watch indicated it was time for lunch, but J.P. couldn’t eat.
He’d spent all day texting back and forth with Miles. He hated that Miles was the one doing the apologizing, the one talking J.P. off the ledge. It shouldn’t be that way; the man had lost his house, for heaven’s sake.
Miles had reiterated that he wanted to provide consistent work for J.P., but until things were sorted out with insurance, the project was on hold.Indefinitely.
So J.P. did the only thing he knew to do.
He picked up his hammer and got to work.
Not on the Callahan house, but on the set for the Sunshine Days face painting booth.
He didn’t have a plan, other than to create something a kid would want to visit.
J.P. supposed that was different for each child. A young child might want to visit a castle where they could pretend to be royalty in the middle of a made-up fairytale. Another might wish to scale a pirate ship complete with stolen treasure. When he was a kid, J.P. would’ve been drawn to a train with a steam engine and caboose. He had spent countless hours playing with his own toy train set, watching it circle round and round on the tracks crisscrossing his bedroom floor.
But all of those options felt too expected. Too generic. He wanted something unique that he could pour his heart into.
He pulled up the website for the town fair on his phone. It hadn’t helped that he’d never attended one, but at least the webpage did a good job showcasing past years’ events. He could get a feel for the level of quality and craftsmanship that would be expected.
Which, he discovered after a cursory glance at the site, was nothing short of Sistine Chapel perfection.
Where did all of this talent come from? It was as though every person in Harmony Ridge had a secret gift they utilized to build the finest fair booths he had ever seen. It was no wonder that receiving the first place title was considered such a prestigious honor.
He scrolled up to the top of the page, noting this year’s theme:In Sweet Harmony.
There were so many plays on words here, the possibilities were endless. And as he scanned the list of booths and vendors, he could easily see how each participant would adhere to the theme, like it was specifically chosen just for them.
It would be no problem for Levi with his booth of sweet pastries and baked goods.
There was the kissing booth—on the cheek, but inherently sweet all the same.
Even the lemonade stand fit the mold with its sugar rimmed glasses and tangy, refreshing summer drink.
But face painting? How could that stand out in the crowd while also proving to be the sweetest of them all?
With the Callahan ranch off-limits, J.P. needed to find another place to do his work. And even though space in the community garden was limited, he was grateful for it all the same.
And the thing he was most grateful for took him by surprise.
The bees.
That new hive was an instant success, and the happy honeybees zipping in and out of the garden rows only brought a smile to J.P.’s face. Not anxiety. Not frustration. Not fear.
They even brought something else entirely: a budding idea.
J.P. hadn’t feltthis good in, well…twenty-four hours, he supposed. His date with Nora had done something to him, made him feel carefree and light and hopeful in ways he hadn’t experienced in longer than he could recall. But, like cresting a rollercoaster and then careening down to the lowest dip, the ranch house fire had changed all of that.
It was a big swing of emotion that left J.P. feeling like he’d had whiplash.
And now, here he was, whistling while he worked with pep back in his step. His spirit was climbing again, ready to soar.
Some of that could be attributed to Miles. The man was so gracious, so understanding. J.P. didn’t know the guy incredibly well, but he had a feeling some of that joy had to do with being in love. Miles and Scarlett were made for one another; anyone could plainly see it. They were better together, a true partnership and team.
Was that also the reason for J.P.’s ability to move from despair to hope so quickly? Was it love that transformed him from the inside out too? He had to acknowledge that Nora did something to him. And as he hammered and measured and cut the boards for their booth, he knew it was the anticipation of her reaction that kept him motivated. He couldn’t wait to see her face when he unveiled the project. She was going to be over the moon.
