Free Fall (Uniformly Hot!) by Karen Foley

Author:Karen Foley [Foley, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-06-02T21:00:00+00:00

10

WITH JUST THREE days until the arts-and-crafts festival, the town of Coupeville was already gearing up for the thousands of tourists who would flock to the area to enjoy the celebration.

Maggie had dragged their exhibit tent out of storage and checked to ensure it had no rips or other damage. The weather prediction was for clear, sunny skies, and Maggie was grateful they wouldn’t have to contend with any rain or drizzle. Not only did that tend to drive away customers, but it was also no fun for the artisans who were trying to sell their products, either.

They had spent the past two days selecting the items that they would sell in the tent, versus the shop, including a variety of hand-blown glass decorations.

“I think we’re ready,” Maggie declared, looking over the items that they had set aside.

The festival would feature well over three hundred exhibitors, whose tents would extend along the entire length of the waterfront. In addition, there would be an antiques market, wine-tasting events, attractions for the children and evening concerts. The annual fair was the biggest event of the year, not just on Whidbey Island, but in the entire Pacific Northwest. Despite the fact she hadn’t helped prepare for a festival in over ten years, Maggie found herself falling into the familiar routine as if it had only been yesterday.

“It seems so strange to be getting ready for the festival without Eric or my mom,” Maggie mused.

Carly looked up from where she was redecorating the front window of the shop and gave her a wistful smile. “Every year for the past ten years, I’ve heard Eric and your mother say the same thing about you. It just never felt the same getting ready for the festival without you. You always looked forward to it so much, and you had more inventory to sell than most of the other exhibitors at the fair.”

Maggie ducked her head. “Well, I promise you that’s not the case this year.”

Her photos of the orca whale had come out astonishingly well, but with just three days until the festival, Maggie couldn’t decide how to present them. Did she want to sell them as postcards, or note cards, or as framed photos? She had little time to decide, and a lot of work to do if she wanted to produce enough copies to make selling them worthwhile. The festival tended to attract a wealthy clientele, and sales over the three-day event often outnumbered the sales they did for the entire year. Which was why Eric had begged Maggie to come back to help oversee the preparations, and ensure their success. This year, as in previous years, their tent would be situated near the shop, which would make it easy to invite interested patrons to browse their extended line of sea-glass jewelry.

“Well, I heard this morning that you can’t find a vacant room anywhere on the island,” Carly commented. “That’s good news, considering the economy. I’m thinking this might be one of the best festivals yet.

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