Chapter 1: Fairground Lights
The music reached Silvia long before the lights did.
It drifted through the thick July air in lively bursts—fiddle strings dancing over the low hum of conversation, the metallic clang of carnival games, and laughter that seemed to carry for miles across the open Virginia fields.
Silvia Cosca stood just inside the shadow of the trees.
The fairgrounds stretched out before her like something out of a dream. Lanterns hung from ropes tied between tall wooden poles, glowing warm and golden against the deep blue evening sky. Rows of game booths flickered with electric bulbs while children darted between them with sticky fingers and wide smiles.
Everywhere she looked there was movement—people talking, laughing, spinning on rides, wandering beneath the lights.
The Ferris wheel rose high over the field, its bright colors blinking red, blue, and yellow as it turned slowly against the night.
Silvia stayed where she was.
At the edge.
Where the darkness of the woods swallowed the glow of the fair.
She leaned lightly against the trunk of a tall oak tree, careful not to move too much. Even standing this close made her heart beat faster than usual.
She knew better than to come here.
A young colored woman had no business wandering the fairgrounds in Bridgewater.
Not alone. Not after dark.
Still… every summer she found herself drawn back to this place.
Just to watch.
Just to see the lights and hear the laughter and imagine—if only for a few moments—what it might feel like to walk among them without fear.
A warm breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying the sweet scent of kettle corn and roasted peanuts toward the tree line.
Silvia closed her eyes briefly and breathed it in. It smelled like summer.
Like freedom.
She opened her eyes again and watched the people moving through the fair.
Young couples walked slowly past the game booths, girls in bright dresses and boys with sleeves rolled up in the warm evening air. Families clustered near the food stands while children tugged impatiently at their parents' hands.
Everyone seemed carefree.
Everyone looked like they belonged.
Silvia folded her hands in front of her waist and smoothed the soft cotton fabric of her pale blue dress. She had chosen that one tonight without quite knowing why.
Perhaps because it was her prettiest.
Perhaps because, even if no one saw her, she wanted to feel a little beautiful standing there.
A sudden burst of laughter cut through the music.
Silvia turned toward the sound.
Near the center of the fair stood one of the game booths, a ring toss set up with rows of glass bottles glittering beneath hanging lanterns.
A group of young men had gathered there.
They were laughing loudly, nudging one another as they took turns tossing wooden rings toward the bottles.
Silvia watched them with mild curiosity.
Then she noticed him.
He stood a little apart from the others, holding three rings loosely in one hand. His dark brown hair fell across his forehead in soft waves that caught the lantern light whenever he moved.
His sleeves were rolled casually to his forearms, revealing lean muscles shaped more by work than vanity.
One of his friends clapped him on the back.
“Alright, Wiggins,” the man called.
“Let’s see if that college brain of yours can aim straight.”
Silvia’s attention sharpened.
Wiggins.
The young man just laughed.
It was an easy sound—warm and bright—and something about it made Silvia’s chest tighten.
He stepped forward and tossed the first ring.
It bounced off the neck of a bottle and fell uselessly to the wooden counter.
His friends groaned dramatically.
“Terrible,” one of them declared.
The young man shrugged playfully.
“Just warming up.”
Silvia found herself smiling. He tossed the second ring.Another miss.
His friends erupted in teasing laughter.
“Hopeless!”
“Should’ve let me go first!”
But the young man just grinned wider, green eyes sparkling as he rolled his shoulders and lifted the final ring.
This time it landed cleanly around the neck of the bottle. The booth keeper rang a small bell in triumph. The group cheered.
The young man lifted both arms in exaggerated victory while the booth operator handed him a stuffed bear nearly the size of his torso.
Silvia couldn’t help it. A soft laugh slipped from her lips.
She immediately covered her mouth, startled by the sound of her own voice.
But it was too late.
The young man looked up. Even from across the field, Silvia felt the moment his eyes found her. He stilled slightly.
Curiosity flickered across his face.
One of his friends said something beside him, but he barely seemed to hear.
Instead, he leaned closer to them and spoke quietly before setting the stuffed bear down on the counter.
Then he began walking. Toward the tree line. Toward her.
Silvia’s heart jumped into her throat.
Oh no.
Without thinking, she stepped backward into the deeper shadows of the woods.
Leaves rustled beneath her shoes as she moved behind a thick oak tree.
What had she been thinking?
Coming this close. Letting herself be seen. She pressed her back lightly against the rough bark, hoping the darkness would hide her. But the footsteps continued. Slow. Careful.
Not the hurried pace of someone chasing. More like someone approaching a shy animal they didn’t want to scare away.
Silvia peeked cautiously around the tree.
He had stopped just where the lantern light faded into shadow.
Up close, he looked even more handsome than she’d realized. His dark hair fell in soft waves across his forehead. His jaw was strong and sculpted, though softened by the warmth of his expression. And his eyes—
They were green. Bright and curious.
He looked toward the trees and spoke gently.
“There’s no need to be shy.”
Silvia didn’t move. He stepped a little closer.
“I promise I’m not dangerous.”
The hint of amusement in his voice made her cheeks warm. Slowly, she shifted farther behind the tree trunk, though she didn’t run. He seemed to understand.
He approached until he reached the tree and leaned casually against the opposite side, hidden from the fair by its wide trunk. For a moment they stood on either side of it in silence.
Then he leaned slightly around the bark, peeking at her.
“Well now,” he said softly. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing hiding out here?”
Silvia lowered her eyes quickly. Her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her dress.
“I’m not hiding,” she murmured.
He lifted an eyebrow.
“No?”
She shook her head.
“Just watching.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“Fair enough.”
He leaned his shoulder against the tree.
“Best seat in the place, if you ask me.”
Silvia smiled faintly. When she looked up again, he was studying her closely.
Not in the bold way some men did.
Just… curious. Kind.
“I’m Mark,” he said.
Silvia hesitated. Then she giggled softly.
“Silvia.”
He repeated it quietly. “Silvia.”
Something about the way he said her name made warmth spread through her chest. Mark tilted his head thoughtfully.
“You look familiar.”
Silvia blinked. “I do?”
He nodded. “Feels like I’ve seen you around town.”
She shook her head quickly. “Not likely, sir.”
He laughed. “Sir? That makes me sound like my father.”
She smiled shyly.
Mark opened his mouth as if about to ask another question—
But then a voice shouted from the fair.
“Mark!”
One of his friends waved from the ring toss booth.
“You disappearing on us?”
Another voice followed. “You scared of a rematch, Wiggins?”
Mark sighed softly. “Seems I’ve been summoned."
Silvia nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He gave her a playful look. “There you go again.”
She covered another giggle. Mark stepped backward toward the fair.
But before leaving, he paused.
“I’ll find you again,” he said.
Silvia blinked. “You will?”
He smiled with quiet confidence. “This town isn’t that big.”
Then he added softly, “And something tells me this isn’t the last time we’ll meet.”
He turned and walked back toward the lights. Halfway across the field he glanced over his shoulder. Even from a distance, she could see the charming smile he gave her. Then he disappeared into the crowd.
Silvia stood beneath the tree for a long moment. Fireflies flickered softly in the darkness around her.
Eventually she turned toward the road that led home. She had taken enough risks for one night.
But as she walked through the warm Virginia night, one hopeful thought followed her all the way down the quiet road.
She hoped he meant it. And that somehow…
Mark Wiggins would find her again.
