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?"

to shake Jessica's hand, but Larkin beat him to it, practically elbowing him aside as he grabbed

held her hand tightly, as if

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,

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 time. This is, without a doubt, the most meaningful gift I've ever

praise for Jessica was nothing

heard Larkin say it depicted the Zimmerman family's ancestral home, the room

heritage site in

was thick

"Larkin, would you let me get a word in edgewise? I'd like to shake this young lady's hand too, but you haven't given me

relented. "Alright, alright, say your

the cultural bureaus 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

like he could barely restrain himself from dragging Jessica off to apply right that

Smith himself couldn't help but start making his