Page 51 of A Whisper of Summer Magic

Meghan palmed the fruit. “I’ve never bought a whole one,” she marveled. “I buy the seeds in the little cups and sprinkle them on my salads. I guess I didn’t realize they are so giant, like an alien fruit.” The jackfruit and dragon fruit were also rather unusual to see in a small southern town, but perhaps she remembered Belmont as more conservative and… well, small and less worldly since she hadn’t lived here in nearly fifteen years.

“And juicy. My treat.” He took it from her and placed it in his basket next to his apples, pears and bananas and blueberries. She also saw milk, oatmeal, and a bag of mixed nuts.

“How are you going to share a pomegranate with me?”

“Wait and find out.”

She remembered their little—what was it this morning—flirt and felt energized. She’d been feeling so unsettled that she’d recklessly thrown food items in her cart, unable to concentrate enough to plan a meal, much less remember what she was running low on. Jackson radiated confidence and spelled distraction with a capitalD.

“Whiskey can come in the market?”

“Technically she’s a service animal, so yes.”

“Doesn’t she need a vest?”

“Yes. I washed it last night, and it wasn’t dry this morning, but they know her here. She stays at the fire house with me, so she comes to the store with me or the crew every few days.”

“You don’t need strawberries.” She looked in the basket. “I’ve got plenty. You can pick your own. New business model for neighbors.”

“I’m your only neighbor.”

“You are. Would you like some strawberries?”

He leaned one hip against her cart. “Is there a catch for your strawberries?”

She grinned. “You mean my fresh farm-grown strawberries?”

“Farm to table, harvested personally by you at dawn?”

“You should do my social media posts,” she teased. “Is there a price?”

“I’ll have to think on that. I’m open to negotiation.”

“Would you ever consider loaning Whiskey for a walk in the park?”

“Is that a euphemism? Or are you up to something truly nefarious?”

Meghan laughed. She hadn’t had this much fun in far too long.

“Nothing too nefarious,” she confessed. “But the new history professor at the college has a little girl who seems shy. I saw them at the park after…” She stopped short as the shocking information about Chloe nearly spilled out.

“After… you were going to meet with Sarah this evening, right? Did you get through more paperwork? Find anything… interesting?”

She hadn’t remembered sharing she was seeing Sarah and hadn’t Sarah hinted that Jackson had asked her a question?

“Yeah. Some but not all,” Meghan said carefully. “But we cut it short, and I took a walk in the park and…” She stopped again, unnerved with what she’d learned, keeping a secret that wasn’t hers, and the way he watched her so carefully as if what she said mattered.

“I learned something today,” she admitted somehow wanting to share, hold on to the warmth their banter had generated. “Something upsetting, and I wanted to take a walk to clear my head. I saw the professor and his daughter, Sage, and she looked so… lonely.”

“This is the professor you thought would be a good fit for… Sarah?”

“Yes. Forster Luke Raimy.”

“For Sarah.”

“Why do you keep asking me that? Are you, jelly?” she teased.

“Maybe. Ball’s in your court.”

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