Hi all, this just came to me today. I know I have a few irons in the fire, so bear with me.
It was about two years after the incident when Carla Bryce was accused of murdering Jack Franzen. Carla was day foreman at the shoe factory and was doing great. Business had improved quite a bit after Owen began offering the shoes through catalogs and even those new cable tv shopping networks.
Carla's son, Kevin, was also doing great. He was a great student, fine young man and kept himself busy doing odd jobs for people around town. His biggest employer was a toss up between Seth and Jessica.
Kevin was getting quite adept at landscaping, thanks to Jessica and he was a quick study at Seth's office. As the boy grew and entered puberty, Seth helped him work out situations that only a father would understand. Of course, the money Kevin earned helped at home and now he was determined to save up for a car.
"Hi Mrs. Fletcher!" Kevin greeted as Jessica got out of the cab. She was back in Cabot Cove in time for the Founder's Day festival. This month of June would be particularly busy with town events. The weather wasn't too hot yet and Jessica needed a break from The Big Apple.
"Kevin! How are you? I see you've been busy here."
"Well now that school's out I have a lot more time and I knew you were coming home so I wanted to make sure the yard looked good."
"How did you know I was coming today?" Jessica asked with her usual curiosity.
"Oh, Dr. Hazlitt told me. He always knows what you're up to." Yes, Seth had made sure that he and Jessica remained close friends even if they didn't see each other as often. He would visit once in a blue moon but his home was Cabot Cove while Jessica was content with sharing her time in New York.
"Well I wish I could invite you in for something to eat but I need to do some shopping."
"Oh that's okay Mrs. Fletcher. I'm actually going to head into town to see Dr. Hazlitt and then I'll head on home for lunch. Are you going to the Founder's Day festival?"
"Of course and I'm even going to bring a few pies for the picnic," Jessica vowed.
"Great! You bake the best pies, next to my mom of course." Jessica smiled at the comment and waved. She walked into her house, opened a few windows and made her shopping list.
Seth was more than eager to drive her to and from the market and helped with the bags as they entered the house.
"I can't wait to slice into one of your cherry pies Jess. How many pies are you making?"
"Well, definitely apple and cherry, of course, I think a blueberry cobbler would be nice. What do you think?"
"You don't have to ask me! I'm happy with anything you make." They both laughed.
"Since you're going to be busy baking how about I order a pizza and we can have dinner. Been a while."
Jessica agreed and she got to work making her crusts while Seth got the pizza. The two talked about the goings on in Cabot Cove. One thing that wasn't discussed…Seth taking Jessica to the celebration.
Jessica tried to put it out of her mind and she certainly wasn't brazen enough to suggest or even remind Seth of anything. It gnawed at her but she tried to put more focus into her baking.
Beep, beep, beep. "Uh oh." Seth looked at his beeper. "Emergency at the hospital. Gotta go." He put his plate in the sink and before heading out he said, "I'm glad you're home Jess."
She was up quite late so she slept until 8 the next morning. As soon as her feet hit the floor she was ready to bake up a storm. She hadn't heard from Seth and assumed he'd been busy.
The day flew by and by 8 o'clock she decided to call Seth and see how he was doing. The phone rang and rang and it went to his answering machine. She assumed he was pulling a double shift. No doubt he'd be by in the morning to pick up her and her pies and deliver them to the picnic.
Next day the sun was shining and just a light breeze off the water made it perfect weather. Jessica decided on a nice sundress, espadrilles and a sweater tied around her neck. She packed up the desserts and called Seth. Again, no answer. The celebration would be starting any minute and she was stunned Seth was no where. She was starting to get worried but realized he was probably just busy. Yes, that's what it was. She only hoped he wouldn't miss the festivities due to an emergency at work.
She managed to reach Loretta Spiegel and asked for a ride. "No problem, be right over."
As the two drove into town Loretta commented, "Where's Seth? Thought he'd be taking you to this? I know he's been gushing about your return for days."
Jessica didn't seem to think so. Something was a bit different about Seth and Jessica couldn't put her finger on it.
"Beverly was in earlier in the week and said all doc talked about was Jessica coming back in time for Founder's Day. Well you know how Beverly is."
Loretta parked her Mustang and helped Jessica carry the desserts. A bunch of picnic tables had been set up with checkered table cloths. It seems a lot of people brought something. Mrs. Farley's preserves were lined up in jars. Sassy from the bakery had some savory items. It looked wonderful.
Soon throngs of people approached Jessica welcoming her back and asking questions about New York. She caught something out of the corner of her eye. The tweed cap was hard to miss. It was Seth and on his arm was Marla Bryce. He patted her hand as the two walked into the center of town. Jessica watched them and her breath caught in her chest.