A few weeks ago, Liz would have laughed at the idea of giving back. To a town that had ignored her? But things had changed. Sure, Fool’s Gold wasn’t perfect. No place was. There were good things and bad things, the same with the people. She might have slipped through the cracks, as Dana had described it, but that was as much a symptom of the time. Back then, how you raised your children was a more private matter. People looked away, rather than get involved. She realized it was more important to see that the people in town had tried to change. And in doing so, they’d helped others.
“Maybe you’d like to come speak to our students in the fall,” Dana suggested. “We have a lecture series that’s very popular. I know you’d draw a crowd.”
Liz hesitated. “I’m not sure of my travel plans this fall,” she explained, which was mostly true. “I usually go on a book tour.”
“We could work around that.”
“Maybe,” Liz said, doing her best to sound doubtful. “I’ll think about it.”
Come back here and lecture? She didn’t want to have to make a special trip. Although if she was still living here…
No, she told herself. Not here. She couldn’t let herself be lulled by a few good days. Did she really want to spend the rest of her life in a place where people felt free to judge her when they didn’t know what they were talking about?
Never, she thought with a firm nod.
“I CAN GET YOU A DISCOUNT,” Ethan murmured.
Liz stared at the dresser made entirely of twigs. Not logs, not sticks, but twigs. Lots of twigs.
“How does he do that?” she reflected in a low voice. “How is it staying together?”
“You don’t want to know.”
The book festival took place in the main park in town, but as Liz and Ethan walked with Abby and Tyler, she saw there was a lot more than books for sale.
The booths were clustered by subject. All the crafts together, the cooking across from the travel section. Novels were at the far end, but Liz wasn’t due there for half an hour.
“She has a great crowd,” Liz noted, pointing to a large group of people surging toward a booth.
“Cookies,” he told her, grabbing her hand and keeping her close. “She writes a cookbook and offers samples.”
“Great idea. I should do that.” She frowned. “Although I’m not sure what sample I would offer.”
“Blood,” Tyler teased cheerfully from Ethan’s other side.
“Or dead bodies,” Abby said with a giggle. The preteen walked next to her. Melissa had gone off with a couple of girlfriends.
“Very nice,” Liz said. “Where do you two get your ideas?”
They both laughed.
This was fun, she thought as they stopped for lemonade at a stand, then strolled by the quilting demonstration. Part party, part county fair. So far everyone had been friendly enough, calling out to her. No one had said anything bad about her or Tyler.
“Is that a llama?” Ethan asked, pointing.
Liz squinted, then stopped when she saw a small llama in the shade. “Don’t they spit?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“It’s not a llama,” Tyler stated importantly. “It’s an alpaca.”
“They’re like sheep,” Abby added. “Their fibers are like wool and can be made into a lot of different things. Some of the fibers are really soft.”
“Llamas have ears shaped like bananas,” Tyler informed. “Alpaca ears are straight.”
Liz glanced at both of them. “Excuse me?”
The kids grinned. “A lady brought alpacas to camp last week,” Abby told her. “We spent a morning learning about them.”
“Impressive,” Liz said.
Ethan ruffled Tyler’s hair. “Nicely done.”
The boy shrugged, but looked proud.
They continued toward the far end of the park. The crowd got thicker and Liz noticed big posters featuring her books. It was strange to see huge publicity photos hanging from trees.
“Is that you?” an older woman asked, stopping her. “You’re Liz Sutton?”
Liz smiled. “Yes.”
“Oh, I’m such a fan. I can’t wait to have you sign my books. I drove in from Tahoe this morning. I told my Edgar that we were spending the day in Fool’s Gold and that I was going to meet you.”
The woman smiled at Ethan. “Hello.”
“Hi.”
Liz separated herself from Ethan and the kids and moved toward the woman. “I’m signing from one to three, then from four to six,” she said. An impossibly long time, but Montana had insisted. Now that Liz saw the crowd, she had an idea that maybe she would be selling books for that long.
“I think the lines are going to be long,” Liz continued. “Did you bring a book with you? If so, I can sign it now.”
The woman beamed. “Would you? That would be so nice. Edgar wants to get home before dark.” She sighed. “You know how men are.”
Liz nodded and got a pen out of her purse. She took the offered book. “What’s your name?”
“Patricia.”
Liz wrote a note, then signed the book and handed it back. Patricia patted her arm.
“You’re lovely. I knew you would be.” She winked at Ethan. “And your husband is very handsome. No wonder you have such nice-looking children.”
“Thank you,” Liz said.
Patricia excused herself and left.
“Why did she say that?” Tyler asked. “Dad isn’t your husband. You should have told her.”
Liz crouched in front of him. “She was trying to be nice. Sometimes it’s easier to accept the compliment than explain. Besides, both you and Abby
“Jason’s parents are married,” Tyler declared.
She stayed where she was, eye level with her son. “Yes, they are.”
“You and Dad aren’t married.”
“No, we’re not.”
“You didn’t get a divorce.”
“That’s right.”
She could feel Ethan hovering, sensed that he wanted to help. But what was there to say? Eventually Tyler was going to figure out that she and his dad hadn’t followed a traditional path.
“You didn’t get married at all.” The words sounded like an accusation.
“It’s complicated,” Ethan described, drawing Liz to her feet and putting his hand on Tyler’s shoulders. “There were extenuating circumstances.”
“I don’t care about that,” Tyler argued stubbornly.
Abby looked uncomfortable. Liz took her hand and smiled reassuringly.
“You should be married,” their son announced.
Liz held in a groan. “An interesting idea,” she said lightly. “But not one we’re going to discuss right now and certainly not here.”
“But I-”
“You heard your mother,” Ethan reiterated firmly. “She has a signing. This isn’t the time to deal with the subject. We’ll talk later.”
“I want to talk now!”
“Come on, Tyler,” Ethan said firmly. He glanced at her. “All right with you?”
She nodded and Ethan led Tyler away.
