Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"What's silhouette papercutting? Never even heard of it."

"Even if you haven't, Lorenzo said it's a lost art. That means it's rare-and probably worth a fortune."

A few people nearby were whispering among themselves.

Sheila's face paled noticeably.

Sallie, on the other hand, felt a little relief; at least she hadn't embarrassed herself.

Lorenzo stood up and walked over to Jessica, his manner incredibly polite. "Excuse me, miss, may I ask who made this piece?"

Vince chimed in immediately. "She did."

"Really?"

reached out to shake Jessica's hand, but Larkin beat him to it, practically elbowing him aside

hand tightly, as

gift you've given me is truly priceless. You've recreated the Zimmerman family's ancestral home-my family's home. All that remains of it now is a single faded photo, and the details in

at the piece, unable to tear his eyes away. "But you've brought it to life so beautifully. That little boy there—that's me, when I was a child. And the woman beside him is my mother. The moment I saw your papercutting, it was as if I'd been transported back in

his praise for

everyone heard Larkin say it depicted the Zimmerman family's

family estate was now a landmark heritage site in the

moment, the air was thick with

too, but you haven't given me half a chance." Lorenzo had once headed the city's cultural bureau. After retiring, he returned to Riverside, where he and

relented. "Alright, alright, say

all over the country are eager to support applications for heritage preservation. Not long ago, I heard from my old colleagues that nobody has yet applied to get silhouette papercutting registered

from dragging Jessica off to apply right

himself couldn't help but start