The little girl’s face fell.
“I could take you, sweetheart,” Neil said, giving Kate’s hand a little squeeze.
“I wanted Jenna to take me.”
“How about this,” Neil said, looking from Kate to Jenna, “I help out with the cookies, and Jenna can take you to get your face painted?”
“Deal! Deal! Deal!” Kate cheered.
“As long as it’s all right with you?” Neil asked, giving Jenna a warm but apologetic grin.
She took off her apron and handed it to Neil. “Looks like we’ve got a date with a face painter.”
Ben looked on from the pavilion as Jenna and Kate made their way, hand in hand, through the growing crowd. Everything about them seemed so natural. Of course, he’d seen his mother and sister interact lovingly with Kate, but there was something about seeing Jenna and his daughter together that made his heart ache.
He watched as Kate hesitantly sat down in the face painter’s chair. His daughter probably begged to have her face painted, but now, when it was time to do the deed, she wasn’t quite so brave. Jenna bent down next to Kate and put one arm around her then extended her other hand, palm down, to the face painter. Kate watched as the artist painted something on the top of Jenna’s hand, and then she smiled and nodded her head.
Kate and Jenna emerged from the face painting tent with a colorful butterfly on his daughter’s cheek, and what Ben guessed was a matching butterfly on Jenna’s hand. He followed them, studying the protective way Jenna would bring Kate in close to her when large groups passed. He noticed the way Jenna’s skirt swayed as she twirled Kate around when they passed a tent full of people square dancing. He’d never seen anything so beautiful yet so painful in all his life.
The clouds that had stayed east of them for most of the day rolled in obscuring the sunset and bringing with it a cool breeze. Ben watched Kate and Jenna peruse the artists’ stalls when something in his periphery grabbed his attention.
Earlier in the day, a man wearing a baseball cap had lingered nearby while Kate and Jenna were at the face painters’ tent. There were several artists painting designs on eager children, and he just assumed that the man was waiting for his child. But it did seem odd how the man’s gaze was locked on Jenna.
Now, much later, he was almost sure the same capped man was still watching them. In the dim light, he couldn’t make out much about the man other than that he was of medium build, but there was something about the man that seemed off.
As Kate and Jenna stopped to watch a magician surrounded by a large crowd, the man moved closer to them. Jenna picked up Kate and was holding her on her hip so she could see the show. The capped man pushed through the crowd and stood behind Jenna. Ben’s pulse jumped as he raised his hand then dragged his fingertips across Jenna’s back, pausing to finger a few strands of her hair before melting back into the crowd. Jenna turned her head slightly. She probably thought it was just a person pushed forward by the jostling crowd.
Ben had seen it as clear as day and set off to confront the man. “Hey! I saw what you did back there,” he called out, following the man as he darted past stalls and tables.
Between the growing crowds and the darkness, it was difficult for Ben to track the man. Weaving through groups of people, he tried to keep the man in his sights, but the labyrinth of tents and tables kept him just out of reach.
Sidestepping around an elderly couple, it was as if he was moving against the current. The ball cap seemed to be moving farther and farther away when he collided with someone and looked down to see it was Zoe.
“Jesus, Ben! Where’s the fire?”
His gaze darted between his sister and the man.
Zoe frowned. “What happened?”
He wiped the sweat from his brow. “There was some guy following Jenna and Kate.” His heart was jumping in his chest, and he could hardly believe it when his sister laughed.
“Ben, look around.” Zoe gestured to the pavilion where Jenna was now dancing with Kate and a few other little girls.
She was smiling and laughing, and she looked so beautiful that he had to remind himself to breathe. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the slim lines of her body beneath her skirt and her golden hair now up in a messy bun with loose tendrils falling on her neck.
“Hey,” Zoe said with a wry grin.
“What is it, Zoe?”
“I hate to break it to you, big brother, but everybody’s looking at her.”
Ben scanned the crowd around the pavilion. His sister was right. Several men threw glances, some more obvious than others, Jenna’s way. Even women were watching her.
“Are you sure Jenna and Kate were being followed? It’s a madhouse around here.”
Ben blew out a frustrated breath. “Maybe, maybe not?”
The crowd had grown considerably in the last hour. The fireworks were set to start after sundown, and things at the festival were always a little haywire before they began.
Dusting cookie crumbs off his shirt, Sam joined Zoe and Ben. “She’s like the Pied Piper of Langley Park,” he said, gesturing to Jenna and her gaggle of little girls.
Jenna glanced away from the children and met Ben’s gaze. She gave him an embarrassed smile as the little girls danced around her.
“Looks like we might get some weather,” Zoe said, motioning to the lightning in the distance.
“It’s that time of year,” Sam replied with a yawn.
“All right, lazy bones, why don’t we give poor Jenna a reprieve,” Zoe said, taking Sam’s hand and joining Jenna and the children on the pavilion dance floor.
Sam picked up Kate, and Zoe ushered the remaining little girls over to watch a woman making balloon animals. Jenna was left standing alone as the first few notes of Eric Clapton’s ballad “Wonderful Tonight” began to play.
Jenna turned to leave, and Ben’s heart rate kicked up. His limbs twitched. His body was nearly vibrating. He needed to be close to her. Unable to hold himself back, he walked up the steps to the pavilion and cut off her departure.
She stopped and met his gaze, confusion clouding her eyes.
He offered her his hand. Jenna looked at it warily as if he were handing her a stick of lit dynamite.
She shook her head. “I don’t think—”
“It’s just a dance,” he countered, knowing that was a lie.
She bit her lip. He could tell she was turning something over in her mind, but she put her hand in his.
Several people had gotten up to dance, and soon the pavilion was full of couples swaying under the twinkling lights.
He gathered Jenna into his arms and inhaled, smelling the faint lavender scent of her shampoo. She shivered, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of his touch or the cool breeze that picked up and caused the hanging lights to sway as if they too were moving to the beat.
“Are you cold?” he asked, pulling her in closer.
She studied his face as if she were trying to decipher a code. “Why are you dancing with me?”
He released a pained breath. “Because I couldn’t stay away from you any longer.”
“I don’t know what you want from me. Did I do something to upset you?” Her brown eyes were full of questions.
"It’s not you.”
“It’s something,” she whispered.
A chorus of giggles erupted nearby, and Ben and Jenna looked over to see Kate and her friends sitting on the steps of the pavilion. Their hands were cradling their little chins as they watched them dance.
“I think we have an audience,” he said, then raised his arm and slowly twirled Jenna around to the little girls’ delight. He finished the turn and brought Jenna back to him.
“She’s amazing, you know?” Jenna began.
“Who?”
“Your daughter, she’s wonderful.”
Ben smiled. It was the first real smile to grace his lips all week. He’d been fighting his demons since the episode in the garage. Memories of Sara haunted his dreams, and he tried to block
out the torment the only way he knew how—by spending his time focused on his job and his daughter.
But it wasn’t working.
Looking over at Kate, he saw how she was staring at Jenna. “I think we’re both falling for you.”
“Ben, I don’t understand, I…”
But she wasn’t able to finish.
The ping, ping, ping, sounds of rain echoed on the tin roof of the pavilion, and a sharp crack of lightning followed by the angry rumble of thunder caused the band to stop playing. Another bolt of lightning struck, and lights in the pavilion went dark as the wind whooshed through. The sound of cups and plates crashing to the ground filled the air.
Cell phone flashlights broke out through the darkness and moved erratically as the rain fell harder. Jenna felt little arms grab around her waist.
“Pick me up,” Kate cried, grabbing a fistful of Jenna’s skirt.
Ben turned on his cell’s flashlight and shined it down on Kate. “It’s all right, Bean. Remember, it’s springtime. We get lots of storms this time of year. I’ll carry you.”
“No, I want Jenna.”
“It’s all right. I’ve got her,” Jenna said, pulling Kate in close.
Kate trembled in Jenna’s arms. Ben tried to reassure his daughter, but his words were drowned out by an eerie mechanical sound penetrating the crackling air.
Tornado sirens.
17
“We need to get home,” Ben said, wrapping an arm around Jenna while Kate cowered in her arms.
“Isn’t your office closer?” she asked.
“No basement. We need to go home.”
“What about Zoe and Sam and your mom and Neil?”
“They’ll be okay. I’m sure they’re on their way home right now. We need to get Kate home. She doesn’t do well with storms.”
Jenna tightened her grip on the little girl. “All right. Let’s go.”
They walked down the slick pavilion steps and were met with sharp wind and biting rain as the sirens added an extra layer of urgency to their movements.
Walking with Ben’s arm wrapped around her, Jenna turned into him hoping to shield Kate from the relentless wind. Police officers were directing the anxious crowd, but Ben and Jenna found themselves at a standstill, huddled with other families trying to leave the gardens.
“I know a better way,” Ben said, ushering them away from the crowd and onto a narrow stone path. “We’ll come out right across the street from the firehouse.”
The firehouse was off Prairie Rose just a block or so from Baneberry Drive. From her morning runs, Jenna knew it would take them less than ten minutes to get home from there.
A bolt of lightning illuminated the layered clouds hovering ominously above them, followed by a palpable rumble of thunder. The stone path narrowed and changed to one of packed gravel, giving Jenna an opportunity for better footing compared to the slick stones. But with the rapid downpour, each step was like trudging through the shallow end of a pond with mud and water splashing up on her calves.
She glanced up at Ben. He was navigating the twisting path, doing his best to pull the branches, dancing deliriously in the wind, out of their way. Kate was uncharacteristically quiet through the whole ordeal, but Jenna could feel her little heart beating a mile a minute.
Finally, they made it to the north gate leading out of the botanic gardens and onto Prairie Rose Drive. The old wooden door, barely used, creaked loudly, and Ben had to give it an extra shove before it opened wide enough to allow them to pass through.
Jenna was glad to be out of the gardens. But out on the open sidewalk, they were without the dense, protective foliage and had to endure the full force of the storm.
“Let’s cross over to the firehouse,” Ben said, shielding his eyes.
Soaked to the bone, they stood under the firehouse awning taking a brief respite from the pelting rain. Ben stroked Kate’s back, looking her over, then turned his gaze to Jenna and tucked strands of wet hair behind her ear.
“Do you want me to take her?” he asked, raising his voice over the gusts of wind.
“I don’t think she’s going to let go.”
“We just need to get her home. We’re not far. Can you make it?”
Jenna nodded, and Ben wrapped his arm around her. They walked up Prairie Rose past the community center and then headed north on Baneberry Drive.
As they neared the house, Ben released his arm from around her shoulders. “I’m going to run ahead and open the door. I’ll be right back.”
“Here we are,” she whispered to Kate. “I can see your house now. We’re home safe and sound.”
Ben jogged back and guided them up the brick walkway and into the safety of the darkened house.
He ran a hand through his soaked hair. “Looks like the power’s out here, too.”
Jenna hadn’t realized the true force of the storm until they were inside, and she heard the wind whistling through the old home as pellets of hail battered the roof and windows.
They’d made it back just in time.
Ben put his hand on the back of Kate’s head. “We’re home, Jellybean.”
Kate didn’t answer.
“Head down to the basement,” Ben said, handing Jenna a flashlight. “There are candles and some bottles of water down there. I’ll go get some towels and dry clothes for us.”
The adrenaline was beginning to subside, and Jenna felt the fatigue in her arms set in as she held Kate propped on her hip with one arm and gripped the flashlight in the other. Step by step, she went down the staircase and entered the cozy basement. Shining the light around the small space, she saw an old blue couch and matching love seat arranged in an L-shape in the middle of the room.
“I’m going to set you down on the couch, Kate. I just need to light a few candles.”
Kate didn’t reply, but she loosened her grip and allowed Jenna to set her down. Kate rested her head on the bolstered arm of the old couch as Jenna shined her flashlight and found a bookshelf containing candles, more flashlights, and bottles of water. She found the matches on the highest shelf, lit the candles, then placed them around the basement. An old side table sat where the couch and love seat met, and Jenna put several candles on it, illuminating Kate’s pale face.
A few minutes later, Ben came down the basement stairs. Lit only by the candlelight, she had to remind herself to breathe. His hair was wet and tousled, and he was wearing some worn sweatpants and a t-shirt as the candlelight illuminated his strong arms and broad chest.
Stop. Just stop. She had to silence those silly schoolgirl fantasies.
“Here, it’s the best I can do.” Ben handed her a towel and one of his old t-shirts along with a pair of boxer shorts.
He went over to Kate and took off her wet clothes, then helped her put on a pair of dry pajamas. He spoke softly, and she complied with his requests but remained silent.
Jenna took the clothes and walked over to a corner where she was partially obscured by a hot water tank and stripped off her soaked outfit. His shirt was soft and well-worn. It was several sizes too big and the boxers threatened to fall off when she tried to walk, but they were blessedly dry, and that trumped fit tonight.
After hanging her wet clothes on an old drying rack, she walked over to the couches and sat down on the love seat. Ben was sitting next to Kate on the larger couch with his laptop balanced on his knees.
“See, Bean. We can watch the storm pass by on radar cast. It looks like the worst of it is south of us. I thought this might help you feel better during the storm.”
Kate paid no attention to her father’s computer screen and made a beeline for Jenna on the love seat and curled up in her lap like a frightened cat.
Jenna patted Kate’s back. “Did I ever tell you that when I was a little girl, I was terrified of storms?”
Kate shook her head ever so slightly. She still refused to speak or make eye contact.
“I lived in an old farmhouse with my Aunt Ginny in a teeny-tiny little Kansas town
called Ballentine. I bet you’ve never even heard of it, have you?”
Kate shook her head again. The little girl shifted and now had her head in Jenna’s lap, looking up at her.
“The farmhouse didn’t have a basement, so when it stormed we would go down into the root cellar.”
Kate furrowed her brow
“I bet you’re wondering what a root cellar is. It’s a funny word.”
Kate didn’t respond, but the ghost of a smile crossed her face.
“A root cellar is a little room, kind of like a basement, built underground. People usually store food inside of them, but they’re also a safe place to go when there’s a big storm.”
Kate gave her a tiny nod.
“To get to the root cellar, we’d have to run over to the side of the house and open two big red doors. And do you know what was behind those doors?”
Kate shook her head.
“There were these old wooden stairs that went down, down, down into the root cellar, and it was full of all sorts of things. Jars of pickles and jams. Jars of zucchini and asparagus.”
Kate wrinkled her nose, making Jenna chuckle.
“My Aunt Ginny would tell me, ‘If you could grow it, you could probably put it in a jar and pickle it.’”
Now Kate was smiling, hanging on her every word.
“We’d go inside the root cellar with all those jars and close the big doors behind us. My aunt would light candles, just like we did tonight, and we’d cuddle up together on a little mattress. Then we’d play a very special game. Do you want me to teach it to you?”
Kate nodded.
“I’m going to draw a shape on your back with my finger, and you have to guess what it is. But you have to focus all your thinking on what I’m drawing. Are you ready?”
Instead of answering, Kate shifted her body to expose her back.
Jenna started to draw a shape.
“Circle,” came the whisper of a voice.
Ben gasped.
“Is this okay?” she asked, meeting his gaze.
Eyes wide, Ben nodded.
Jenna smoothed the little girl’s hair. “You got it, Kate. Now I’m going to try to trick you.”
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 14
