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She looked back over her shoulder as she jogged to keep up with her husband. “Sorry, hon! Don’t mind him. He gets fussy when he’s hungry.”
“Not a problem. Thanks for helping.”
She raised her voice higher as she got farther away. “I’ll swing back by later!”
I waved her off with a smile and went back to arranging everything just right.
“Mommy, whewe’s my stuffs go?” Renee asked, her chubby little hands holding a green and purple mug that she’d painted a while back. She’d insisted that some of her stuff be set up for sale this year, so I’d caved and let her choose a few items I usually would have kept for myself.
I stood in front of the table and tapped my chin like I was inspecting everything closely. “I think we should put yours front and center so it’s the first thing anyone sees, huh, doodle bug?”
The joy that spread across her face when I took the coffee cup from her hands and put it in its prominent place was all it took to light up my entire world.
I hadn’t expected it, but Trent stuck around, helping me and my girl unload all the boxes and set everything up so it was appealing to the eye.
“So what’s the story behind the festival?” he asked as he carefully unwrapped one of my larger vases and passed it to me.
“No story, really. Whitecap folks love any excuse for a big party. We have all the usual stuff, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, that kind of thing, but we also have a festival to kick off each new season. Summer’s our busiest time of year, but we still get a pretty good turnout for this one and the Winter Jubilee.”
He arched a questioning brow, and I held my hands up with a laugh. “Hey, I didn’t come up with the names. Take that up with town council. Anyway, this one is my favorite because it’s a little more laid back; not so overrun with tourists, but we still have people from the neighboring towns come to celebrate with is.”
“Do you set up a booth at every one of these things?”
I snort-laughed. “Oh God no. With the number of events we have a year, it would be a full-time job. I just don’t have the time.”
“You could, you know.”
I looked up from my table organization. “Do what?”
“Do this full-time. Your stuff is gorgeous, Sawyer.”
My cheeks started to heat as that warmth unfurled in my chest again. I ducked my head to hide the blush on my cheeks behind my hair. His compliment meant the world to me. I loved working at the general store mainly because I got to spend time with Georgia and Dezzy, but if I were to imagine my dream job, making pottery for a living, putting my art out there in the world, would be it.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to start a small business without an online presence, and I couldn’t do that. When I left Graham, I left those little pieces of my former self behind. If you were to google Sawyer Darcy, you’d get a string of women, none of which was me. I wasn’t on a single social media platform. I still got strange looks from people when I told them as much, but it was totally worth it if it meant staying safe.
That was why I had an arrangement with shops in town, because other than these events, I couldn’t risk putting my name out there to sell my pieces. It was because of their kind hearts and generosity that I got to at least live part of my dream.
“Yeah, maybe one day,” I said with a small grin.
One day.
One day the nightmare would be gone, the shadow of Graham Knightly would disappear, and Renee and I wouldn’t have to hide anymore. I would never give up hoping that day would come.
* * *
Trent
SeeingSawyer in her element all day had been a high I’d never encountered before. By the time the sun had started to set, her booth had been picked over and emptied out.
The beautiful ceramics drew the people in, but it was Sawyer’s smile that lit the entire place and the excitement in her voice when she talked about each piece that closed the deal. People gravitated to her. There was something about her that people wanted to be close to.
I knew the feeling all too well. It was why I hadn’t been able to stay away from her. It was why I’d camped out in that tent all day long, only leaving to take Renee to get something to eat or walk around the other booths when she started to get antsy. But even for those short spurts of time, the pull to get back to Sawyer was an intense thing I could hardly ignore.
She and her daughter weren’t just under my skin; they’d burrowed themselves deep into my bones. And damn if I didn’t love having them there.
“This has to be some kind of record.” She beamed as she looked around the empty tent. “I can’t believe I’ve already sold out.”
“I’m not the least bit surprised. You’re unbelievably talented. Everyone who came by today saw that.”
