Chuckling, he shook his head and straightened up the rockers before heading inside. As he stepped inside, Jack took a hard look at the emptiness and disrepair of the home once more, realizing that this was the home of a lonely bachelor… and that was anythingbutwhat he was hoping for – especially with Heidi – and immediately went back to work despite the late hour.
The next morning,Jack was on patrol – again. He knew people in town probably thought this was corny, but just seeing the police cars created a sense of awareness and safety in the community. It wasn’t like they were a town full of strangers; heck, he grew up with most of what was left of the population around his age… and what was a little older than him probably was his babysitter at one point or another. There were even a few he couldn’t look in the face because they’d seen him skinny-dippin’ with Rory, Everett, and Tommy at one point.
“The good ol’ days…” he sighed, smiling as his car glided slowly along the town streets despite the cobblestones in places… and he hesitated.
Cobblestones.
The Square.
Heidi.
Turning left, he pulled onto the main road, and immediately, his eyes sought out the café. Sure enough, he could see Heidi’s shadow in the window, standing on a stepladder, removing the old newspaper and scraping at the tape with a tool. She was working her butt off to get things moving inthe right direction, putting her everything into opening this place… just like he figured she would. The woman had gumption and wasn’t a quitter – even running away from her past, it was on her terms, and he had to respect that.
I wanna help,he thought suddenly – and frowned. Heidi would immediately balk at him showing up, plus he was on patrol… and he had a habit of his own construction projects at the house snowballing into a bigger mess. Yeah, maybe she didn’t need ‘hands-on’ assistance, but…
It hit him.
“Everett…”
The word escaped him with a knowing chuckle, causing Jack to immediately turn down the next alleyway behind Dottie’s little grocery. He drove cautiously around back, where the dumpster was, making sure he didn’t nail someone head-on taking the trash out. Yeah, that would not be a pleasant start to anyone's morning – and he was on a mission now.
Driving toward the Sweet Farm where Everett grew up, memories flared to the forefront again. Things had come to a crawling stop here in Fate – and it hurt to see his beloved hometown fading away into nothingness. Maybe Heidi was right, and things were passing them by, but wasn’t that part of the charm? There were many times when he could have used a cell phone to text someone or to get a hold of Mimi, but it was like people were used to doing without or stuck in the past. There was nothing wrong with that feeling, those memories, but it was draining the life out of the town at the same time.
He wanted those festivals from his childhood back. He wanted his own children someday to go skinny-dippin’ with their own friends on a hot summer day after eating strawberries straight from the field. Those days were blistering hot, with sunburned shoulders, too-big cowboy hats, anddusty baseball caps with their cut-off jean shorts… but those memories, those days were vibrant, alive, and so wonderful – andthatwas the Fate he missed.
Turning onto the dirt farm road, Jack couldn’t stop the smile that touched his face as a plan started to form in his mind. He saw Everett off in the distance, his friend yanking his cap off his head and waving it in greeting. Everett Sweet was a good man – always had been – with a heart that was much too big for any one person. People always reached out to him with their problems, and he made them his own - including Becky Sue Hollis. Everett was engaged to Becky Sue out of pity, offering to marry her to make a decent woman of her… and was downright miserable – not that anyone would know. He was hiding it, working himself to death, and only let it slip once. Everett didn’t drink – ever – and Rory had flagged him down in the street, completely pissed off that the broken man had shown up at his bar.
Turning off his vehicle, Jack immediately took off to meet his long-time friend, smiling. Everett was already walking toward him, rubbing his forehead before slapping his cap back down on his head.
“What’s going on?” Everett began nervously. “I hope this is a friendly house call…”
“Actually, it is.”
“Oh, thank heavens, because I’m about at my limit,” Everett admitted and then paused, looking sheepish. “Let’s just call it a case of cold feet, shall we? Did Becky Sue send you over?”
“No? Should she have?”
“I don’t know… maybe?” Everett was rubbing the back of his neck, avoiding his eyes for a moment, before he looked at him. “I can’t do it, you know? I can’t marry her – and I feel terrible about it.”
“I see,” Jack hesitated, because that was so far from hispurpose here today that it was surprising. “I’m actually here about something else. I’d like to bring the jamboree back… and I need your help.”
“Of course, anything you need, Jack – always. You’ve had my back for more times than I can count and… I’d be happy to help. You know that.”
“Good.”
“Tables, carts, you name it – I’ve still got everything in the barn covered with some old canvas from when my Pa was still alive. I just set it aside, in case the mayor ever agreed to hold it again or… you did talk to the mayor, right?”
“Not yet.”
“She’s gotta approve it.”
“She’s a little difficult,” Jack chuckled and then pressed his finger to his lips. “And you didn’t hear me say that.”
“Nawww,” Everett grinned and winked. “Because I agree. She’s a bit on the prickly side and needs someone to sweeten her up.”
“You?”
“Heck no,” Everett shot back, laughing. “I think I’ve got my hands full already with an impending marriage to a woman I don’t love.”
