Jack looked at the cookie and hesitated. “It’s thick, so you might make smaller portions so it goes further?”
Heidi nodded, her gaze intense and focused. “What else? Does it look appetizing?”
“It looks… chunky,” he began and then squinted. “Are those cherries?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Heck no,” he replied, the cookie already halfway into his mouth. He loved cherries, and you rarely found them in cookies. It was the reason he stomached fruitcake when Mimi made it from scratch at Christmas. As he bit down, his knees buckled, and his eyes closed in bliss. Blindly, he reached for a chair, chewing, and taking in all the flavors at once.
Cherries, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon… and pecans. It was like a Pecan Sandie had crashed headfirst into a chocolate chip cookie – and melted. There was so much there at first it was a little overwhelming, but Becky Sue was right – it was divine and a little gooey.
“Oh my stars…” he groaned and then looked at Heidi. “You made this?”
“It’s bad?” she whimpered, wringing her hands.
“It’s decadent – and I’m with Becky Sue – can I have another one?”
“Really?” Heidi asked, perking up. “You’re not joking?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Heidi looked at him, hesitated, and put her hand on her hip – almost mimicking that same stance that Becky Sue did all the time. “What would you rather have – another cookie or a kiss?”
Jack dropped the last bite of his cookie on the plate like it was a contagion and pushed it away. “Kiss me. There is no comparison. I’m finished with my cookie right-darn-now, if kissing you is on the table.”
“Y’all make me sick,” Becky Sue muttered openly in the distance. “Just saying…”
Heidi looked at him, her eyes full of emotion as a smile tugged at her lips. She cupped his face with both handswhere he was sitting, leaned forward, and kissed him tenderly… and he melted at the gift of affection from his woman. As she straightened up, her eyes held his, and there was so much intensity in that gaze that he almost popped the question right there – instead, she spoke.
“You are welcome to both at any time… Handsome.”
Sixteen
HEIDI
Heidi had never seen somuch activity on the streets of Fate. It was like people came out of the woodwork to check out what was going on. Things didn’t officially start until noon, but even during the setup hours, friendly faces were mingling around.
Baird Farm had a massive tent set up in the distance with baby chicks for sale, fresh bone-in ham slices, salted pork, sourdough bread, and other things. There were several people working the booth, each of them in matching T-shirts that said ‘Baird Does It Best’ on the back. Moments later, another person walked by wearing a bright blue shirt that said ‘Flyboys’ across it. Talk about weird marketing, she thought, and then hesitated. She had been so focused on the cookie recipe that she really hadn’t put much thought into anything else when she found out about this Jamboree event.
In fact, she’d been so busy that she referred to it as ‘The Café’ repeatedly, and even the sign hadn’t been installed yet – but it said ‘Café’. She couldn’t call it ‘The Café’ forever. The cookie needed a name, her café neededa name, and frankly – she needed to make it something memorable, something that would stick, because these people browsing the streets would be her community, her newly found ‘family’, and her patrons.
Becky Sue nudged her shoulder, smiling and drawing her out of her thoughts. “You okay… or do you need me to track down your man again?”
“Hush,” Heidi began, but the two exchanged a look. Becky Sue, Mimi, and Jack were the first true friends she’d made here in town – and truthfully, she couldn’t be more grateful for people like them in her life. They were wonderful, open, loving souls who drew you right in, welcoming you. “How does the table look?”
“You worry too much, you know that?” Becky Sue chided playfully and nudged her shoulder again with her own. “Are we gonna get cool shirts someday that say ‘Café’ on them?”
“About that,” Heidi paused, hesitating. “I was just thinking about it, and I’ve got an idea.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Let me think on it for a bit, roll it around in my head, and see if it fits,” Heidi admitted, feeling a little self-conscious about things. Today was going to be a true test of whether all of this worked out. Sure, she could fry donuts and scrounge up a living – but she didn’t want to just exist here, she wanted to thrive… to have a part of her heart and soul in this place since this was going to be her home.
And her thoughts were interrupted by a megaphone in the distance.
“Excuse me, everyone,” a man’s voice rang out, silencing some of the crowd nearby as all eyes turned toward them. “I’d like to be the first to welcome everyone to the annual Fate Jamboree… that hasn’t been so annual for about a decade or so.”
“Matthew!” a woman in a blue Flyboys shirt hollered in dismay, laying a hand on her chest in what looked like disbelief and horror.
