Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“This is amazing.”
“I know. It never gets old.”
MacKenzie rested her head on Devin’s shoulder Friday night as they watched the fireworks show for the third night in a row.
Tonight they decided to join the crowd and watch a concert from a little-known country music duo and then stay for the fireworks.
It would be slow getting back to the truck, but they were willing to deal with it.
She sighed happily. “It seems weird to see fireworks and it’s not even the Fourth of July yet. ”
He chuckled. “We do an even better show then.”
And she didn’t doubt it for a minute. It seemed like this little town had a way of making everything better, more enjoyable.
Last night, before the sun went down, they tried the ATV trails.
She had never ridden one before, but after a quick lesson, she felt confident driving her own.
The trails and the view had been spectacular, but she didn’t realize just how sweaty and dirty she had gotten until they had gone home after the fireworks.
“Oh, my God! Why didn’t you tell me how gross I looked?” she cried out from the bathroom after checking her reflection.
“You didn’t look gross,” he replied from the bedroom. “Besides, it was really hot out today. Everyone looked like that by the time we left.”
Somehow she doubted that, but kept her opinion to herself.
However…lesson learned.
Today, she packed some body wipes in her bag along with a compact so she could check her appearance when she started to feel a little too hot.
And now, laid out on a blanket and staring up at the sky, she felt so completely at peace and it was wonderful. Between the fresh air, the fireworks, and the man beside her, life was good.
“Do you think it’s the same show every night?” she asked. “I mean…can it really be the same? I get so giddy every time the show starts that I forget if it’s the same fireworks from last night or the night before.”
“I’m not sure. Either way, it’s been really impressive.” Then he paused to watch the show in the sky. “I kind of feel like every night I’ve seen something new and things we’ve already seen, so…”
“I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s still fun to watch.”
On the blanket beside them was the Donovan family–Billie, Chloe, and Ashlynn.
Reid had a shift with the fire department, so he wasn’t with them.
And then on the other side of their blanket were Jade, her son Silas, and Levi Donovan.
MacKenzie smiled every time Silas got excited about something he was seeing.
He must have said, “Wow!” about a dozen times already, and the show was only halfway over.
“Remember being a kid and being amazed at everything,” she said as she snuggled closer to him. “I don’t think Silas has blinked once since that first rocket went off.”
Devin glanced over at the boy and grinned.
“I’ve been hearing him for the last few minutes and his face is just total awe.
I remember looking the same way every year at the Fourth of July festival.
I’d say all kids look like that, but I have a feeling a lot of the adults here are looking the same way. ”
She chuckled. “I know I am.”
And then they simply lay in companionable silence and watched the rest of the show. After the big finale, neither was in any rush to get up and go. Other than sitting up, they just watched the throng of people making their way toward the exit.
Apparently, the Donovans felt the same way.
“I think three’s my limit,” Billie said with a small laugh. “I’m all for a good fireworks show, but I think I’m going to skip tomorrow and Sunday.”
“You can’t skip Sunday,” Chloe argued lightly.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s the last night of the festival! They’re probably going to do something really spectacular!”
But Billie didn’t look convinced. And as the sisters continued to discuss why each one was right, MacKenzie pulled out her phone just to see what time it was. There was a notification from Facebook Messenger and she tapped it without really thinking.
Her mother had responded.
Suddenly, she felt like she was going to be sick and she did her best not to go into a full-blown panic attack in front of everyone.
“You okay?” Devin asked. “You suddenly tensed up.
She’d ask how he knew, but she was still leaning against him even though they were sitting up. “Oh, um…yeah. Sorry. I zoned out for a minute.” After immediately closing out of the app, she looked over at him and smiled. “Sorry.”
He chuckled. “You don’t have to apologize. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Devin, we have one last snickerdoodle cookie left from our stash,” Jade called over. “Any chance you’d like it?”
“Hell yeah!” He got to his feet and walked over to the other blanket and MacKenzie nearly sagged with relief even as her mind continued to race.
She hadn’t seen more than her mother’s name, so she had no idea if the message was a good one or a bad one. Was she excited to hear from her daughter, or was this a message telling her to forget she even existed?
And she was a little too nervous to go back in right now and look for herself.
Hell, she wasn’t even sure she’d be willing to look at it tonight at all. Maybe after a good night’s sleep she’d be in a better frame of mind, but not right now.
Definitely not right now.
“MacKenzie?” Ashlynn said in a tone that said she’d called her name more than once.
“Uh, sorry. What?”
“We were curious if you could help us with the local business tent on Sunday,” Ashlynn explained.
“They change up the decorations every day because a different group of businesses are featured each day. We’re all on the committee for Sunday and thought maybe you’d like to help.
Books & Beans is going to have a table and so will my salon, so we’re all meeting here early to get it done. You in?”
“Um…sure! How early?”
“Maybe around ten? Will that work?”
“My car’s not ready, so I’ll have to ask Devin to drive me, but…”
“Drive you where?” Devin asked as he came and sat back down beside her.
“We asked MacKenzie if she’d like to help us with the tent on Sunday. We have to be up here around ten, but I can totally pick her up if you just want to meet her here later.” Then she paused. “Or…aren’t you volunteering in one of the other booths on Sunday?”
This was the first MacKenzie was hearing of it, and she looked at him quizzically.
“I uh…I think so. I have to double check my calendar, so…”
“Hey, you two!”
MacKenzie looked up and saw Will smiling down at them, his arm around an adorable blonde. “Hey, Will,” she said, smiling even though she was still majorly annoyed with him. “Did you enjoy the fireworks?”
“Always,” he said. “I’m glad I finally found you. You both cut out before me earlier and I just wanted to let you know I took the Mustang out for a test drive and I think the problem was a hose that was a little loose. Everything’s good now.”
“Oh,” MacKenzie murmured and beside her, Devin made a small non-committal sound. “Thanks.”
“See you tomorrow!” Will said with a grin and walked away.
Well that took a little wind out of her sails.
The damn car was fixed again. It was pure luck she had been able to stick her hand into the engine the other night and shake that hose until it had almost come off.
There was no way she could do that again.
She glanced over at Devin, who was staring up at the sky, and wondered what he was thinking.
Was he even thinking about what Will had just told them, or was he simply enjoying the beauty of the night?
With no other choice, MacKenzie pushed all thoughts of the car–and her mother’s message–aside and went back to focusing on her friends.
There was nothing she could do now about the car.
At some point tomorrow, she’d have to deal with it and figure out what her next move was going to be.
But for tonight, she was going to enjoy her time with Devin.
They had ridden the rides. Three times.
They had tasted all the food. Three times.
They had played all the games, watched the fireworks, and talked to just about every person in town over the last three days.
As much as he loved Sweetbriar Ridge and the festival, he knew he was using it as an excuse to keep MacKenzie from leaving.
And with Will announcing her car was fixed–again–Devin had a feeling their time was coming to an end.
She was sitting snugly beside him and the night sky was filled with a million stars that had never seemed quite this perfect.
It had been years since he’d been up this high on the mountain and back then, he never would have sat still long enough to just look at the sky.
Now he couldn’t seem to stop looking at it because it was almost as if he were close enough to touch it.
He hugged MacKenzie close and kissed the top of her head.
“I wish everyone would go home,” she said softly.
Devin couldn’t help but chuckle. He knew exactly what she meant. “Me too.”
Lifting her head, she looked at him and smiled. “I was thinking how beautiful the night is and how perfect the weather is and how amazing it would be to make love under the stars.”
It was as if they were of one mind. “That does sound amazing.”
She sighed. “But unfortunately…”
“Hold that thought,” he interrupted and pointed up to the sky. “Make a wish.”
“A wish?”
He nodded. “Haven’t you ever wished on a star?”
“Not since I was nine,” she said with a small laugh.
“Then maybe it’s time you tried it again,” he murmured against her ear. “Ready? Pick your star, then close your eyes and make a wish.”
She shivered slightly in his arms. “Are you going to make one too?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay then. Let’s do this.”
They both grew silent and he knew the instant she was done with her wish, because she sagged against him just a bit more.
I wish MacKenzie would stay…
After a moment, he carefully maneuvered away from her and got to his feet.
“We’re leaving too?” she asked.