hardware store which was also the sporting goods store, the liquor store, the post office and the video rental place.
“I’m just the coordinator,” Lissa said with a shrug. “I take other people’s ideas and put them together.”
He didn’t think for a minute that was all. Besides, he wanted to keep her talking. He liked watching her animated face. “And?” he prompted. “What else?”
Again, she shrugged. “Well, I organize the different booths, assigning spaces, making sure all our exhibitors and vendors have what they need to make the weekend a success. The theme this year is Fairy Tales and Legends.”
He joined her behind the front desk, leaned forward and read some of the titles written in the sketches. “Sherwood Forest?”
“It’s where the archery contest will be run. My dad’s in charge of that, which is great, because it’s the first time in a long while he’s taken an interest in the festival.”
Steve heard happiness bubbling just under the surface of her tone, saw it shining in her eyes. She was close to her father, he surmised, with an unexpected surge of envy. “Why’s that?”
“He had a stroke a couple of years ago and for a long time didn’t take much of an interest in anything. His enthusiasm this year tells me he’s pretty much recovered, which is good because—” She broke off so suddenly he was surprised she didn’t bite her tongue.
“Because?”
She shrugged and looked away. “Because who wants their father to be ill?”
He had to admit she had a point, but something told him there was more to it than what she was willing to divulge. But what the hell. It wasn’t really his business, was it?
“I see this is labeled ‘Jousting Field’,” he said. “But it looks to me like it’s in the water.”
“It is.” She looked up at him, smiling. “We hold it at high tide.”
“How do the horses feel about that?”
Her laughter filled the air. “No horses, just logs and pike-poles. We’re simply calling our usual log rolling contest a jousting tournament in keeping with the theme.”
“Log rolling! Great. I haven’t seen one in ages. Not since I was about so high,” he said, leveling off his hand at waist-height. “I used to think I’d like to try it.”
“We have some pretty good contestants.”
He figured she was warning him off. “And this?” he said, pointing to a semi-circle of rectangles that took up a good portion of the upland area.
“The exhibitors’ booths.” She picked up a sketch that depicted a small, open-fronted building with what looked like a thatched roof. “We won’t use real thatch, of course, just a front with straw showing to give that impression. We want it to look as if we’ve created a marketplace in a castle courtyard.”
“My first impression of Madrona Cove was that it was like stepping into a time-warp.”
She grinned. “A wet one. It rained a lot the first few days you were here, didn’t it?”
He smiled back at her. “Rain doesn’t bother me. I explored. It’s a quaint town, with those little houses perched on crooked little ledges at the water’s edge, connected by all those stairs and boardwalks.”
“I know,” she said. “I love Madrona Cove mostly because it’s changed so little since I was a child—since my great-grandparents first came here, really.”
“It must be nice, having that kind of stability in your life, nothing much changing from your infancy to adulthood. Do you think your great-grandparents would see many differences, if they could come back?”
Her laughter was soft, almost teasing, and left him feeling as if a warm wind had just blown over him. “I hope so,” she said, “or all the Madrona Madness celebrations we’ve had over the years would have been for nothing. During my dad’s childhood, the community earned the money to buy the land where the park is. Since then, we’ve built a new library, a swimming pool and rec center, and now this year—”
She broke off,
“I’m just the coordinator,” Lissa said with a shrug. “I take other people’s ideas and put them together.”
He didn’t think for a minute that was all. Besides, he wanted to keep her talking. He liked watching her animated face. “And?” he prompted. “What else?”
Again, she shrugged. “Well, I organize the different booths, assigning spaces, making sure all our exhibitors and vendors have what they need to make the weekend a success. The theme this year is Fairy Tales and Legends.”
He joined her behind the front desk, leaned forward and read some of the titles written in the sketches. “Sherwood Forest?”
“It’s where the archery contest will be run. My dad’s in charge of that, which is great, because it’s the first time in a long while he’s taken an interest in the festival.”
Steve heard happiness bubbling just under the surface of her tone, saw it shining in her eyes. She was close to her father, he surmised, with an unexpected surge of envy. “Why’s that?”
“He had a stroke a couple of years ago and for a long time didn’t take much of an interest in anything. His enthusiasm this year tells me he’s pretty much recovered, which is good because—” She broke off so suddenly he was surprised she didn’t bite her tongue.
“Because?”
She shrugged and looked away. “Because who wants their father to be ill?”
He had to admit she had a point, but something told him there was more to it than what she was willing to divulge. But what the hell. It wasn’t really his business, was it?
“I see this is labeled ‘Jousting Field’,” he said. “But it looks to me like it’s in the water.”
“It is.” She looked up at him, smiling. “We hold it at high tide.”
“How do the horses feel about that?”
Her laughter filled the air. “No horses, just logs and pike-poles. We’re simply calling our usual log rolling contest a jousting tournament in keeping with the theme.”
“Log rolling! Great. I haven’t seen one in ages. Not since I was about so high,” he said, leveling off his hand at waist-height. “I used to think I’d like to try it.”
“We have some pretty good contestants.”
He figured she was warning him off. “And this?” he said, pointing to a semi-circle of rectangles that took up a good portion of the upland area.
“The exhibitors’ booths.” She picked up a sketch that depicted a small, open-fronted building with what looked like a thatched roof. “We won’t use real thatch, of course, just a front with straw showing to give that impression. We want it to look as if we’ve created a marketplace in a castle courtyard.”
“My first impression of Madrona Cove was that it was like stepping into a time-warp.”
She grinned. “A wet one. It rained a lot the first few days you were here, didn’t it?”
He smiled back at her. “Rain doesn’t bother me. I explored. It’s a quaint town, with those little houses perched on crooked little ledges at the water’s edge, connected by all those stairs and boardwalks.”
“I know,” she said. “I love Madrona Cove mostly because it’s changed so little since I was a child—since my great-grandparents first came here, really.”
“It must be nice, having that kind of stability in your life, nothing much changing from your infancy to adulthood. Do you think your great-grandparents would see many differences, if they could come back?”
Her laughter was soft, almost teasing, and left him feeling as if a warm wind had just blown over him. “I hope so,” she said, “or all the Madrona Madness celebrations we’ve had over the years would have been for nothing. During my dad’s childhood, the community earned the money to buy the land where the park is. Since then, we’ve built a new library, a swimming pool and rec center, and now this year—”
She broke off,
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