CHAPTER 2
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Jason decided Lissa fit
perfectly in his arms. It felt good to be able to comfort her. Like the time
when they were kids and she'd skinned her knee falling off her bike.
She sighed, lifted her
head and stepped back. "I don't know what to do."
He took her hand and led
her to the couch and sat. "So tell me what was supposed to happen
tonight?"
She stared at him before
taking a seat beside him. "Haven't you ever celebrated Midsummer
here?"
"Maybe a while ago,
but this is around the time of my folks' anniversary. They mostly went out of
town to the place where they stayed for their honeymoon. I bunked in with a
friend."
"A bit of history. Nanna
was something of a pagan and liked celebrating some of the Celtic holidays,
especially the winter and summer solstice."
"Which is
Midsummer."
She nodded. "Years
ago she decided it would be fun to celebrate the day. She started it mostly for
herself, but it grew until most everyone participated."
"So what do they
do?"
"Mostly it's lots of
good food and conversation. But the balefire is the special part.
He frowned. "Balefire?"
"That's the old word
for bonfire. On a slip of paper, you write down something that's gone wrong
during the year or something you regret having done, and toss the into the
fire. You don't say what you've written, but as the paper burns, you can say,
'So mote it be gone'."
Sounded like a bunch of
hocus pocus to him. "Interesting."
"I'm guessing you're
skeptical."
Jason chuckled. "You
caught me."
"What's really
interesting, is that, crazy as it sounds, it works."
He was silent a minute,
considering what she'd said. "I can see how it might make sense. Sort of
like when you tell someone you're upset, you don't hang on to the
resentment."
"Exactly."
She hadn't said anything
about her grandmother, and he didn't see her in the camp. Probably explained
why this was important to her.
* * *
Melissa shifted, trying to
ease the tightness in her chest. She couldn't give up. "Sitting here isn't
getting anything done."
"What can I help
with?"
"I'm not even sure
where to begin." She blinked away tears that threatened to spill over. "This
is not how this day is supposed to go. I want to do this to honor Nanna Jo's
memory."
"Maybe that's what
you need to write on your piece of paper this year."
She smiled. "That's
the best advice I've heard today."
"So where do we
start?"
She appreciated that Jason
was willing to pitch in. "I guess I need to treat this as if it's an
unknown product Dad's setting up a PR campaign for."
"Or like using a
client's amateur design to build the house of their dreams."
Lissa set her jaw and
stood. "We need to act as if this will happen."
"Let's get the food
ready first. Then we can figure out the rest."
"Sounds like a
plan." In the kitchen, she gathered the ingredients for coleslaw.
"I'm going to my camp
for the bratwurst I brought. And I'll pick up some of Mom's relish."
"Yum. She makes the
best relish. Better bring a lot. Everyone loves it."
Jason left and Lissa
started grating cabbage and carrots. She hummed one of Nanna's favorite tunes. Maybe
things would work out for the evening.
Just as Lissa finished the
coleslaw, Jason returned with brats and buns. He also brought some and fixings,
sliced onions and green peppers for grilling, a jar of sauerkraut, and of
course, mustard, ketchup and his mother's relish.
"Did anyone tell you
what a great guy you are?"
He stared at her for a
moment. "Not by a girl as pretty as you."
Her cheeks warmed. "I
wasn't looking for a compliment."
"But you got one
anyway." He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
She glanced at the clock,
noting the day was racing by. "Now that we're even in the mutual
admiration department, let's start setting up outside."
Distracted by her swirling
feelings, she had failed to pay attention to the weather.
"When did those
clouds roll in?" Jason pointed at the sky. "I didn't notice them when
I walked here."
"Let's hope it will
blow right past." She crossed the road to the open area circled by the
cul-de-sac and walked to the outdoor fireplace beside the fire circle. It had
been built right after the original camps were finished. Constructed using
stones from clearing the lots, the chimney was nearly five feet high. Inside,
there was a restaurant-sized grill, and either wood or charcoal could be used
for cooking. Families often shared meals and grilled here rather than at their
camps.
She checked to make sure
there was charcoal in the storage box. A couple of bags, that’s plenty.
As Jason helped her
arrange the picnic tables close to the fireplace and campfire ring, thunder
rumbled in the distance.
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