Chapter 1 #2
Holding up the flyer, Will knew he was still smiling like an idiot. “Meet in the Streets. The first annual Meet in the Streets festival. Check it out!” He handed the paper to Devin but immediately began reading it all rather than letting Devin see it for himself. “A Sweetbriar Ridge original festival to introduce all the new businesses to the community! All the businesses are going to have curbside displays set up with food and giveaways, plus a carnival that’s going to be set up on the field between the elementary and middle schools! There’s gonna be live music, a few carnival rides and games, arts and crafts vendors, all kinds of food, and…a kissing booth.”
“Oh no,” Devin groaned, and quickly shoved the flyer back in Will’s hand.
“What? What’s so ‘oh no’?”
Devin turned and looked at him with an expression that said it all. “Seriously?”
“Okay, fine. But this could be it! This could finally be my chance!”
“Will, seriously, dude. Let this go. Move on already.”
If it were that easy, Will would. But for some reason, he couldn’t. Three years ago, during the re-opening of Summit Ridge and the summer festival, he was working at the kissing booth when she stepped up. Long red hair, big green eyes, and a smile that was just this side of naughty. It was like every romantic stereotype you could imagine—Cupid’s arrow, being thunderstruck, tongue-tied, seeing stars…you name it, Will felt it. But after one mind-blowing kiss, she was gone.
Except…she showed up again for the Fourth of July festivities.
And the Fall Festival.
And the winter holiday one.
She’d come back for those events for three years running and each time, she’d kissed him stupid and then disappeared. And the worst part, besides her disappearing? No one seemed to know who she was! Will had made himself—and half the town—crazy trying to find out her name and where she was from, and every time he got the same response; no one had any idea.
How was that possible? How could someone show up for multiple town events for three years with no one noticing? By the third time he’d seen her, Will tried his best to strike up a conversation with her, but the line at the booth was always long and sometimes a little rowdy and she had cut him off—with a kiss—before he said no more than hello.
And by the time she stepped away, all the blood in his head had gone south and he was too dazzled to even remember his own name, let alone remember to ask hers!
He had been anxious about having to wait so long for the Fourth of July festival—since it was only the end of April—and now Jade Donovan threw him a lifeline.
Maybe he’d go across town and find her and kiss her anyway.
Beside him, Devin cleared his throat. “And what makes you think this time is going to be any different? You’ve been unsuccessful for three years. Three! What makes you think you’re going to succeed at this new festival?”
“Because this time, I’m going to have a plan,” Will said simply.
“As opposed to all the other times when you…you know…had a plan?”
Will rolled his eyes dramatically. “Those weren’t very well thought out. This time I’ll make sure that I have a backup at the kissing booth, so as soon as she goes to walk away, I can quickly step out and go after her!”
“Will,” Devin began calmly, “that’s what you said two years ago at the Christmas festival. And what happened?”
“I spilled hot chocolate on myself and burned my arm.”
“And at the Valentine’s Day right after that?”
“I knocked over the candy heart display.”
“And do I even need to remind you about what happened on the Fourth of July?”
“Did we really need that many fireworks?” he asked incredulously. “Everyone seemed fine with the sparklers that were left. It wasn’t a big deal!”
“Do you hear yourself? And for the record, it was a big deal. People enjoy the fireworks show and thanks to you that year, we only had enough fireworks for a five-minute show!”
“Why was there a drink stand so close to the supply of fireworks? Maybe that’s the real question here!”
Laughing, Devin patted him on the back and turned to walk away. “I don’t think this town can handle another one of your plans, Will. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Oh yeah? Well, not all of my plans fail. Remember my plan that helped you and MacKenzie get back together? That one worked spectacularly! I got the whole town involved!”
Devin turned back and smiled. “You’re right. It did, and it was spectacular. And I believe we’ve thanked you for that numerous times.”
Will nodded and smiled back. “Yes, you did. But that just shows that my plans can work.”
“One time out of twenty doesn’t really support that statement.”
“It wasn’t twenty times…”
Devin leveled him with a stare. “Really?”
“Okay, how about this—if my plan fails this time, then I’m done. I’ll give up on her. Hell, I’ll give up volunteering in the kissing booth for all Sweetbriar Ridge festivals forever. How’s that?”
“A little extreme.”
Will’s shoulders sagged. “So what am I supposed to do? How can a woman come to town for all these events when she clearly doesn’t know anyone? And nobody even sees her!”
“Will, people have seen her…”
“But they don’t know her. And I’m back to square one.”
They stood there in silence for a moment until Devin finally said, “Then I guess you better get planning.”
“That’s the plan,” he said confidently. “But first, I need to finish the tune-up on Mrs. Francie’s Tucson.”
“Then I need you to see if you can find the oil leak on Cheryl Marshall’s Corolla. She and her husband are planning a trip to Virginia Beach this weekend and are in a bit of a hurry.”
“I’m on it!” And for the next four hours, Will took care of both cars. Unfortunately, Cheryl’s car needed a new valve cover gasket and it probably wouldn’t be in until late tomorrow afternoon because he was going to have to order it. Walking into Devin’s office, he found MacKenzie—Devin’s wife—typing furiously on her laptop. “Everything okay, Mac?”
She barely glanced up at him. “One of our suppliers raised their prices,” she said through clenched teeth as she continued to type.
“O-kay…but…isn’t that normal?” It didn’t seem to be anything rage-inducing, but what did he know?
Pausing, she looked up at him. “They doubled their prices, Will, and that’s not cool.” Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath before addressing him again. “So, what can I do for you?”
“I need to order a valve cover gasket for a 2018 Toyota Corolla.” Nodding to the garage bay, he explained, “It’s Cheryl Marshall’s and she and her husband were hoping to go to Virginia Beach this weekend so they’re in a bit of a rush for it.”
Frowning, MacKenzie turned back to her computer and began scrolling and typing for a solid minute before she looked back at him. “Done. It will be here sometime before noon tomorrow. Do you want me to call Cheryl and let her know?”
Smiling, he nodded. “That would be great. Thanks, Mac!” He went to walk away when she called his name. “What’s up?”
Now she was grinning and looking a bit more relaxed. “Devin told me about the new festival and your quest to finally find this elusive redheaded kisser.” Her smile grew. “Have you thought of having an artist draw a rendering of her and placing posters all over the festival?”
She was teasing, and Will didn’t take any offense at it. “Nah, seems like too much trouble. I’m just going to make sure there are always two of us on duty at the booth.”
Chuckling, MacKenzie shook her head and straightened. “Since it’s only a one-day festival, I’m sure you can find enough volunteers for that, but you may need to enlist the help of a personal trainer.”
“Um…a personal trainer?”
She nodded.
“I’m sure I’m going to regret asking this, but…why?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way…”
“But…?”
“But you’re like a bull in a china shop, Will. You just run blindly! And every time you do this, you cause damage. You need to hone your skills.” Pausing, she studied him. “You know how in football, a running back’s job is to like…get the ball and then run through all the opposing team’s players?”
“Obviously. You know I’m a huge football fan.”
She just gave him a patient look before going on. “Then imagine that the redhead is the quarterback and the kiss is the football. You get it, and then you are going to have to run through the crowd to catch this girl.”
For a moment, Will just stared at her. “That’s not…completely accurate. And I thought you hated football?”
“Not the point, Will!”
“Okay, but in your scenario, she’s the quarterback who throws me the ball, and then I chase the quarterback. That makes no sense. It would be…”
“Oh my God!” And yeah, she was frustrated. Laughing, but frustrated. “Why are you like this?”
“I’m just trying to understand your logic, Mac!” he replied, turning on the charm. “I appreciate you trying to put it all in a language I would understand, but…I’m still lost.”
“The point I’m trying to make is that you run wild. You need a little more finesse. Maybe talk to someone who can train you on running obstacle courses so you can practice not running into things. I think I speak for the entire town when I say we’d all appreciate it.”
Laughing heartily, he shook his head. “That’s hysterical! You want me to run an obstacle course?” More laughing. “Mac, I adore you, but that’s just crazy!”
“No, what’s crazy is you ruining another festival because you’re a big, clumsy oaf!”
That sobered him. “Hey, there’s no need for name-calling.”
“And there’s no need for you to make a fool out of yourself chasing after a ghost and knocking over everything in your path.” Reaching out, she touched his arm. “You’re a great guy, Will. And you know everyone in town loves you.”
Dammit. “But…?” he asked wearily.
“They’re talking about putting a lock on the booth so you don’t plow through yet another festival.”
“I hate that Devin told you about all that.”
“Oh, it wasn’t just Devin,” she explained. “Jade told me, Billie told me, all the guys here in the garage told me, Mrs. Baker at the post office…”
“Okay, okay, okay,” he huffed. “I get it. People in this town like to gossip. Sheesh.”
Only now he felt foolish.
Or…more foolish than he already did from all his past failures.
Ugh…why am I putting this much effort into chasing a girl who clearly doesn’t want to be found?
Good question.
Fortunately, he was saved from having to continue the conversation when the phone rang.
“Sweetbriar Ridge Auto Care! This is MacKenzie. How can I help you?”
That was his cue to leave. With a quick wave, he made his way back out to the garage bay and pulled the Corolla out and parked it out in their parking lot. There were other cars that needed the spot in the bay. Back inside, he checked the schedule before consulting with Devin on which car he needed to work on next.
The rest of the day flew by. When he was done for the day and said his goodbyes, he stepped outside and just sighed. Going home alone was getting old, but so was going and hanging out at all the usual places. He couldn’t wait for the new bar to open up just because it was someplace different. The sign had gone up earlier this week, but the opening date kept getting moved. So where did that leave him?
“I guess I’m going home,” he murmured as he climbed into his pickup. He’d made a batch of chili last weekend, so he knew he could heat that up for dinner. Then maybe he’d watch some TV, and if he got bored, he’d go out to his garage and tinker on some of his projects. It was his usual pastime and it was perfectly fine, but he was also bored.
“Hey, Will! Wait up!” MacKenzie called out as she jogged out of the shop and over to his truck. He rolled down the window and waited.
“Everything okay?”
Breathless, she nodded. “Would you mind dropping something off at the bar for Max Calloway? He ordered a pump and a couple of gas tanks and…”
“Gas tanks? Seriously?”
“Oh, yeah. They’re a blend of CO2 and nitrogen, which is known as beer gas. His supplier was jerking him around, so he reached out to Devin and we ordered them for him. I’m hoping that means The Ridge will be opening soon!”
“Let’s hope so,” he agreed. “And sure. I don’t mind dropping the stuff off to him. I go past there every night on my way home.”
“Awesome! Thank you! Let me just go and grab everything!”
Will was already climbing from his truck. There was no way he was going to let her carry anything. “I got it, Mac. Just tell me where it is.”
“You’re the best, Will. Thanks!”
Five minutes later, he was back behind the wheel and pulling out of the parking lot. He loved driving through the downtown area. So much had changed over the years. A lot of new life had been breathed into the town and, for some goofy reason, it just made him smile to see it all. Books & Beans was probably his favorite. He loved coffee, and thanks to the shop, he started to enjoy reading.
“Note to self: stop in there tomorrow and see what’s new on the shelves.”
In no time, he was parking in front of the bar. The building actually housed a yoga studio too—owned by Max’s wife—and Will thought it was the oddest combination, but it seemed to work.
No sooner was he out of the truck than Max Calloway was walking over to greet him.
“Hey, Will!” he said, shaking his hand. “Thanks so much for delivering this stuff. We are so close to finishing and hope to open late next week. I’ve been practically living here while we make all the final adjustments, and Devin getting these tanks and the pump was a real lifesaver. I’m trying to get home to Hailey and our baby, so you’re saving me a lot of time.”
“That’s right! I heard that you and Hailey had a baby. Congratulations!”
“Thanks!” And like any proud new father, Max immediately pulled out his phone and began showing Will pictures.
But, thankfully, not too many.
“Here, let me help you carry these inside,” he said when Max put his phone away.
As soon as he stepped inside, he stopped. “Holy crap, Max. This place looks amazing!”
Grinning, Max walked behind the bar to put two of the tanks down. “You think so?”
“Oh, absolutely! All this dark wood just freaking shines! And the TVs? Just enough so people can watch a game, but not too many that it’s overwhelming.” Turning, he took it all in. “Pool tables? Darts?” Laughing, he walked over to where Max was. “You created the perfect man cave!”
“Well, we’re hoping it’s not just guys that want to hang out here. Hopefully the female population will come and check us out.” He took the tanks from Will. “Our goal, really, was to create a place that wasn’t specifically geared for families. So many of the places here in town went that way. Even the pub became more family-friendly than I ever thought it could. No matter what time of day or night you go in there…”
“There are kids,” Will finished for him. “Yeah, I noticed that too. It felt weird sitting at the bar, drinking a beer when ten feet away there was a group of kids coloring at their table.”
“We’re not saying kids can’t come in, but we’re hoping people get the vibe we’re going for here.”
“The high-top tables really don’t give off a family dining vibe.” He chuckled. “And it’s awesome! I can’t wait for you guys to open. When I left the shop earlier, I was thinking about how I was bored with all the same old places here in town to hang out. You’re going to be seeing a lot of me!”
Max shook his hand again. “I’m looking forward to it!” His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket and smiled. “It’s Hailey. She’s probably wondering when I’ll be home.”
Taking a step back, Will waved. “That’s my cue to go. Have a good night and hopefully I’ll be seeing you next week!”
“You know it! And thanks again, Will. I appreciate the delivery.” Then he answered his phone, turning all his attention to talking to his wife.
That seemed to be happening more and more. Most of Will’s close friends were all either married or engaged. All the guys who worked the kissing booth with him were single, but they weren’t guys he usually hung out with. He was feeling like the odd man out more and more.
That had him thinking of his mystery girl.
Could she be the one?
“Only time will tell,” he murmured, walking back out to his truck. “Only time will tell.”