Page 12 of Summertime Forgiveness

Jo squeezed her hand in greeting. “The pleasure is all mine. Happy one-year anniversary on your business. So, this is the kiosk.” She turned toward the glass display that showcased different cuts of meat for sandwiches and bread and condiments. There was also a section of the glass display taken up by the cakes and other pastries.

“Yes,” Dianne confirmed, although it was not needed.

“It’s lovely. I like it.”

At this, Dianne gave her a grateful smile.

“Let’s go have some fun,” she heard her oldest sister say, then Andrea and Kerry agreed.

“Go. I’ll be okay until you get back,” Dianne told her aunt, who had been worried about leaving her alone.

The four women set out to walk around the fairgrounds to catch up and have some fun.

“I want to go on the Ferris wheel so bad,” Andrea said in a childlike voice which caused her to snicker. Looking over at her sister, she noted the wistful look in her own eyes as she looked up at the structure making its rotation.

“Let’s go,” Jo called out as she grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her to the line of eagerly waiting patrons.

Cora and Kerry came up behind them, chatting and laughing.

When they finally made it to the front of the line, they were strapped into their seats two by two, Cora with Kerry and Jo with Andrea.

Jo felt exhilarated as the cart she was in lifted off the ground and into the air as more people were directed into their seats. Slowly the wheel began to turn, and gradually the speed increased. From that vantage point, Jo bet she could see all the way across the Pacific up to Canada if time weren’t so dark now.

When they finally made it back to the ground, her feet were wobbly, and she felt as if she had a bad case of motion sickness— still, she felt as though she could go again.

“Let’s try the bulls-eye,” Andrea suggested that they do that next.

The women agreed and made their way toward the booth, but just then, someone called out to them.

“Hey, Triple H!”

Jo turned to the voices and saw a group of five men approaching them. A few of them looked vaguely familiar, but there were a few she was sure she had no clue who they were.

“Jack,” she heard Andrea greet the bald-headed man with enough bulk to make him a bouncer or a bodyguard as he gave her a light hug. She remembered Jack. He’d been a close friend of her sisters, and she had run in the same circle when she finally made it to high school. She also remembered she had met him at the bar he now owned.

“It’s so good to see you,” Cora said as she, too, went in for a hug.

“So, what about me?” a deep baritone voice asked.

“Jeremy,” Cora cheesed. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“In the flesh,” the man returned with a huge smile.

She remembered Jeremy. He’d been one of Cora’s closest friends back in high school, but then life had happened, and everyone had gone their separate ways.

“Jo,” she heard her name being called. Looking over, she noticed the gentleman with jet-black hair and moss-colored eyes staring at her expectantly.

Suddenly recognition sparked. “Gary,” she spoke almost disbelievingly. “I can’t believe you’re here… in Oak Harbor,” she said honestly as the man brought her into a tight embrace. Gary had been her high school sweetheart but had broken up with her in their senior year because he was migrating to France. She’d never in a million years thought she would ever see him again, but here he was in the flesh and just as handsome and larger than life as he had always been.

“It is good to see you, Jo,” he said sincerely as he held her at arms-length. “You haven’t changed one bit,” he complimented.

At this, Jo playfully slapped him in the chest. “Oh, stop lying, Gary,” she returned half-jokingly, half seriously.

“It’s the truth, Jo,” he reiterated, his green eyes holding hers, reflecting his sincerity.

“You haven’t changed that much yourself,” she said, giving him another smile. The two finally separated.

“So, you live here now?” she asked, mildly curious.

“No, actually. I’m just passing through. I live in Italy now. My wife and daughter are there,” he explained.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Gary. I’m happy for you,” she congratulated, truly happy for him.

“Thanks, Jo,” he returned her smile. “Oh, this is my friend Daniel Pierce,” he said, turning to a man that stood behind him with his hands in his pocket. His dark hair that was slightly slicked back sat above his high forehead and went well with his high cheekbones and sharp jawline. That and his very lean physique gave him a youthful appearance. If it weren’t for the strands of gray hair at his temples, she might have mistaken him for being in his mid-to-late thirties. One other thing that truly caught her attention was how tall he was. He seemed to be over six feet tall. She also had a distinct feeling that she had met him somewhere.

“But you probably already knew that, seeing that he’s the chef at Willberry Eats.”

Jo widened her eyes in surprise.

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