idea how long it’s been since I had a real boyfriend? I mean, a reasonably available, totally single, relatively normal boyfriend? Over two years and that was a brief one. Since then I’ve fallen in love with a married man with five grown kids and the wife from hell and a single father with one of the most…interesting teenage daughters I’ve ever met.”
“At least you didn’t sleep with the married man…”
“I haven’t slept with the single father, either! And trust me, I’m not feeling any more calm because of that decision!”
Jillian smiled. “Love talk didn’t lead to sex talk?”
“No,” Kelly said, clearly disappointed. “I couldn’t let that happen. I don’t think I’d better get any closer to him right now. He has a complicated life. Issues with his daughter.”
Jillian grinned. “I met her. She liked my costume.”
Kelly lifted a brow. “Did she ask you to black out a tooth for her?”
“Hey, I liked her.” Jill laughed. “She’s a smart aleck.”
“Well, clearly you’re no threat to her. She wasn’t all that nice to me.”
“Oh, that’ll probably pass. When she gets used to you.”
“Jill, yesterday was pivotal for me in some ways. While we were hosting the town I fell in love with Virgin River. A person just won’t grind their molars flat in a place like this—there are too many good souls around to shore you up, lend a hand, make you laugh, make you feel like an important part of something. And here’s a perfect man, too—gorgeous, sexy, sincere, strong and ready. But I’m not equipped to take on a teenage girl who lives to press the edges of the envelope. And no one takes on Lief without taking on the daughter. She wasn’t dressed up for Halloween, you realize. That’s her look!”
Jill laughed. “What about the dad?”
Kelly thought for a moment. “I adore him,” she said after a moment. “He’s everything a woman could want in a man. And for as much as I think his daughter is too much baggage for me, I admire him so much for refusing to make her less than a priority. He’s completely devoted to her. And not out of some weird obligation—he really understands what she might be going through since losing her mother.” And then she went back to stirring her pot again.
“He sounds pretty perfect.”
“Yeah. Everything that makes me love him also makes me keep him at arm’s length. I’m just not ready.”
“And you’re trying to cook your way out of it?” Jill asked.
Kelly shrugged. “That’s what I do. Cook my way through the problems.”
“And what are you going to do with this stuff?”
“While I’m waiting for permits and licenses, I’ll keep giving it away as free samples, see if I can get anyone interested. Then when I’m legal, I’ll know where to take my stock.”
“Excellent idea!” Jill agreed. “Have you thought about selling on the internet?”
“I have absolutely no idea what that involves!”
“Let’s look into it,” Jill suggested. “Might be a good idea. If not, we move on.”
“We?” Kelly asked.
Jill put her elbows on the work island and leaned toward Kelly. “I love that you’re living here. I love having you use this beautiful new kitchen. I love that you can use what I can grow. We’ll make a great team. The longer I can keep this little love fest going, the better I like it.”
Just a few days after that conversation, Colin came into the kitchen while Kelly was up to her elbows in Nana’s sweet relish. It hadn’t taken her long to have a thousand jars of canned gourmet specialties stacked up and out of the way in the unfurnished dining room.
“This is just amazing,” Colin said. “You’re like a factory.”
Kelly shrugged off the compliment. “I’m pretty efficient. And it doesn’t hurt to have a nice big six-burner gas stove. While the relish simmers, I chop and mix. While the relish cools, I simmer a new batch. I probably produce over a hundred jars a day.”
“Have you heard from the health department yet?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling. “With the economy struggling, restaurants closing and growing in the off-season, they’re not busy. I’m going to have an inspector any day now. And this kitchen is going to get an A-plus.”
“And you,” he said.
“I’d better. I already have my state food handler’s certificate.”
“I have something for you to look at.” He put his sketch pad on the work island. “If I’m overstepping or none of this appeals, you won’t offend me by just saying so. I was fooling around, that’s