“Festival,” Cherry translated with a wink.
“Thank you, Connor,” Winnie said with a grin. “What was your favorite part?”
“The apples,” he said, grinning so big that it overtook his face.
“The apples are really good,” she agreed.
“The whole thing is really good,” Lyle said, and Winnie felt tension release from her shoulders. She hadn’t even realized she’d been waiting to hear from Lyle what he thought, but now that she’d gotten his stamp of approval, she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her. “This was a truly wonderful idea. You’ve engaged the community in our local history beyond what I might have hoped for in my wildest dreams. I hope that you are very proud of yourself, Winnie.”
By the time he finished speaking, Winnie was so flattered that she could barely form the words to express herself.
“I… Lyle…thank you,” she finally managed.
It wasn’t the most eloquent she’d ever been, but it seemed as though her boss understood the depth of her feelings anyway, judging from the kind smile he gave her.
“No,” he said, “thankyou. Now, enough from me. Time for you to go enjoy the fruits of your labor. And I mean that quite literally,” he added with a sly, sideways wink at Connor. “If you don’t eat at least one thing made of apple before you leave today, you’re fired.”
The joke was so obvious that even Connor knew to laugh.
Shortly after, Winnie bid the trio farewell, then watched happily as Connor tugged both adults toward the hoop run station. Winnie had the impression that this wasn’t their first trip… and maybe not even their third or fourth either.
Winnie thought about trying some of the activities at the booths herself, but before she could decide which direction to head in, she spotted June, who was learning how to make a corn husk doll with her son, Benjamin. She realized with a jolt that it had been… oh, she didn’t even know how long it had been since she’d last run into June, since she’d been so wrapped up in the festival prep that she hadn’t had much time for anything else, but she remembered now that June had been worried about Benjamin’s illness the last time that they’d encountered one another.
Fortunately, the boy looked good now. He was frowning down at his corn husk doll in adorable concentration, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as though doing so helped him focus on what he was doing.
“June, hey!”
When June turned, there was a smile on her face, but it didn’t quite extend to her eyes.
“Winnie, hi! Oh my gosh, you must be so happy. This is amazing!”
“Thanks,” Winnie said distractedly, concerned by the tension she could now see bracketing June’s mouth. “But, June, honey… is everything okay?”
June rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, then glanced at Benjamin, who was still focused on his task. June took an extra step away, beckoning Winnie along so they were out of earshot.
“Everything is fine,” she said, and Winnie heaved a sigh of relief. “Or, well, it will be, it’s just…” She shot another glance at Benjamin. “But we found out that the reason that Benjamin was feeling so sick for so long was because he has type one diabetes.”
She said it like she had to force the words out.
“Oh, June,” Winnie said, reaching out a hand to give her friend a sympathetic squeeze on the arm.
June had to close her eyes and gather her strength for a second.
“Thanks,” she said after a moment. “I mean, I know it’s manageable. And kids are resilient. Honestly, I’m probably taking it harder than Benjamin is. But, it’s just…”
“It’s hard,” Winnie said when June fell silent.
“Yeah,” June agreed. “He’s just… he’s my baby boy. And I wouldn’t say that I’mnotthinking about losing Keith when I think about Benjamin being sick.”
“I think I’m going to hug you now,” Winnie said, trusting her instincts.
Fortunately, her awkwardness made June laugh, and June seemed like she really needed a laugh.
“I think that would be great,” June said, spreading her arms.
The embrace felt a little strange, but Winnie was pretty sure this was just because she was out of practice. And June did look as though she felt a little bit better afterward.
“I am comfortable promising that the whole book club will be here for you,” Winnie added after they’d pulled away from one another.
