Carol has second thoughts.

Chapter 11

The breakfast crowd at "Carol's Cookies" was finally dwindling. While Tim took care of the customers who had walked in, Carol pasted on a smile and tended to the counter and seated customers. Like every morning, she handily managed the customers, but what she really wanted to do was to crumple in a corner by herself.

"Carol, honey, how about one of those raspberry butter crème cookies along with a cup of joe?" The Stockbridge Mayor brought Carol out of her musings as he and his aide sat at the counter.

Unfortunately for Carol, Jack McCoy's presence in Cottonwood was the highlight of Stockbridge's town talk. Although Carol pretended she was tending to breakfast requests while wiping the counter, she could not help but listen to what had occurred at Cottonwood yesterday.

"…I'm telling you," the Mayor said, continuing the story to his aide, as he took another gulp of the coffee, "that hot shot district attorney McCoy presented quite an impressive case! You should have heard how he was calling for statewide, even national reform for the judicial system of all small towns in the country, not a tiny feat, nope, not at all."

The young aide nodded, "I heard about it from the sheriff. The sheriff even told me that at one point, when Judge Thorn had interrupted him, that Jack McCoy yelled at the judge to sit down and keep quiet, right there, smack dab in the middle of all the proceedings!"

Carol kept her head down and grinned to herself at that one, knowing it would be just like him.

"Hoo-ey! I remembered that!" the Mayor cheered, "I've been wanting to say those very words to that egotistical Zachary Thorn myself!"

The Mayor chortled to himself.

"So I gather that Judge Thorn won't be a judge no longer?" the young aide inquired to the mayor, taking a bite of his muffin.

"No siree, Bob!" the mayor shook his head, quite satisfied, "Jack McCoy made mincemeat out of the guy! Why, at one point in the proceeding, Thorn was going on about how he was simply a small time judge and all, and he couldn't understand why he was being picked on and all, and McCoy cuts in to say it's 'cuz justice decided it was harvest time!' Get it? Picked. Harvest time."

At the mention of "harvest time", both the mayor and aide snickered.

"I'd wish I could have seen Judge Thorn's reaction to that!" the aide exclaimed.

"You don't need to call him 'judge' no longer, my boy!" enthused the mayor, as he ate his raspberry creme cookie, "from now on it is Mr. Thorn when you see him-if he dares to show his face, that is!"

Good for Jack, Carol thought, as she finished wiping the counter. The Mayor noticed Carol, who was now starting to replace the napkins in the container.

"Carol, honey, you should have seen him! That Jack McCoy! A real natural persuader if I've ever seen one," the Mayor analyzed.

"You don't say now, Jasper!" Carol pretended to have just started listening. Her eyes sparkled with interest, encouraging the mayor to continue. The mayor nodded enthusiastically and repeated everything that had occurred at the courthouse that day. It sounded even better to her the second time around.

"I'm telling you straight up, he got that natural charisma thing going on," the mayor went on, " and clever as hell, if you'll excuse my French. Mighty impressive! If you ask me, he could talk the squirrels right out of them oak trees!"

Carol's responsive smile back to the mayor was genuine. She could not have been more proud of Jack. And he had done it on her behalf. She thought about what Jack had accomplished. Here she had been thinking that she would have been happy if he had just convinced the judge to issue an apology. Instead, not only had Jack McCoy disbarred the unworthy judge; he had initiated a change to the legal system for the entire country! Truly remarkable!

Yet she had just let this incredible, charismatic person walk out of her life. What was she thinking? She tried to push any further thoughts of Jack aside, but it just made her think about him more.

Tim had just hung up the phone as Carol waited on the last of the customers. He now walked over to Carol.

"Biz seems to have died out a bit," Tim stated, as Carol was refilling the Mayor's coffee cup, "I figured maybe I'd make that delivery to the museum now."

"Actually, Tim, I could do with some fresh air," Carol said as she took off her apron, "do you mind keeping a watch on the store while I do the delivery?"

"Not at all," Tim said, flashing his familiar grin, "I'm happy to oblige! Maybe Ella will drop by this morning!" Tim had a crush on Ella Flowers, Stockbridge's prettiest and brightest college coed.

Carol gratefully touched Tim's arm and then went in the back room to pack the order of cookies the employees from the museum had ordered.

Meanwhile the morning air whipped Jack in the face as he hit the sidewalk after leaving the shop. He continued strolling down the trimmed sidewalks of the nostalgic town. But now the town appeared distant and desolate. It seemed as if he had overstayed his welcome. Home was not here. He started to head towards his room at the inn.

As he walked, loneliness enveloped him and old memories of Claire entered his mind. His Claire. He had not thought about her for the past two days, which was unusual. He recalled the days of utter despair when he heard Claire had died and the black wish that had dominated him. He had wanted to die alongside her. It was only his work that had kept him sane. Back then he thought he would spend the rest of his life thinking only of her. He recalled thinking that perhaps it was true; that one was only afforded one great love in one's lifetime.

The very idea that another woman could capture his attention, his emotions, all his waking thoughts had filled Jack with newfound optimism. Never in a million years had he considered the possibility of losing his heart and head to a small town owner of a cookie shop. But inexplicably, Carol had worked on him like…well like a delicious cookie; both were a sweet treat, and like a cookie, her absence left him with emptiness and a craving. It was Carol that had captured his wistful thoughts lately.

The Norman Rockwell Museum came into his view. The classically white museum building was situated at the Old Corner House on Main Street. Influenced by the architecture of New England's traditional public buildings, it was surrounded by a grassy enclosure with a steeple-crowned entrance porch.

Memories of making a cookie delivery on that first day with Carol emerged in his mind. How wonderful it had been just being with her, watching her lovely face, listening to her low soft tone.

For a short time, Carol was able to fill the empty void in his life that his career had never been quite able to fill. Carol had consumed his thoughts, and his heart had been filled with indescribable happiness. Looking back, he should have been honest with her from the start and let the chips fall where they may. It was his fault now for this invisible barrier that existed between them.

He felt his feet leading him towards the museum structure, despite his head telling him to return to his room to pack. He wanted to relive his time with Carol before he left for good.

Meanwhile, Carol balanced the huge box of cookies with both hands as she headed to the museum. She also had thoughts of the first day at the museum with John, or rather, Jack McCoy. Back then she would have described him as bashful and gentle. And now came the realization that John James didn't even exist. All this time, it was the celebrated and brilliant District Attorney Jack McCoy of New York City she had been attracted to. Yet, to her, he was more than just a vibrant, successful district attorney. He was someone that touched her heart.

She forced herself back to the present. She had a business to run and couldn't afford to just spend her time with wasteful daydreaming. Jack McCoy, for all she knew, could already be gone. She didn't blame him. What was there to stay for? He had his exciting life back in New York City; places to go, people to see. In addition, he had a challenging career just waiting for him. This small town could not offer him anything; it was just a short time diversion for him. Perhaps that was all she was to him, too. The delivery box seemed to weigh her down. Or maybe, that was the ache in her heart.

Jack headed towards the museum.

Carol headed towards the museum.

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