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?"

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

coaxing her to sit down beside him. The old man held her hand tightly, as if he couldn't

that remains of it now

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

and his praise for Jessica was

say it depicted the Zimmerman family's ancestral home, the room fell silent with

family estate was now a landmark heritage

was thick with admiration

but you haven't given me half a chance." Lorenzo had once headed the city's cultural bureau.

Lorenzo relented. "Alright,

preservation. Not long ago, I heard from my old colleagues that nobody has yet applied to get silhouette papercutting registered as an intangible heritage. They've been searching

barely restrain himself from dragging Jessica off to

but start