Chapter 30
Festival Repair Team
Happy Fourth, guys! We’re expected to get a few breaks in the rain today while we’re working. Let’s meet downtown at 8:00 a.m. Thanks again for your help!!
The storm was off and on like a toddler playing with a light switch. All of us working downtown got used to the rain on our clothes and in our hair. The sky was still gray and angry.
I started working downtown long before Adam, who was trying to get some office work done with a mile-long list of phone calls to return. Victor showed up as my co-captain until early afternoon when Adam was finally able to make it. He was in relaxed jeans, a worn tee shirt, and a Rangers ball cap. He caught me taking him in, a pleased half-grin creeping up his face.
“How’s it been?” He walked straight to me. My butterflies fluttered awake.
“Great. I’m glad we made our game plan yesterday. It’s helped everything go smoothly,” I said.
“How’s it been with the pouring rain?” he asked, looking up at the currently dry sky.
“Nothing can slow us down.” I flexed teasingly. He grabbed my arms and pulled me to him, nose to nose. My body wanted to melt into his, but now, my defensive brain knew he might leave.
Adam was grinning down at me like golden sunshine on this rainy day, but the butterflies in my gut reminded me. But he might stay.
“Where do you need me most, Lovely Lucy?” he asked. I wanted to yell, here with me. Instead, I settled for having him work beside me the rest of the day.
“Guess what?” Adam asked. We had been cleaning the storm aftermath. Our big trash bags dropped to the ground for a moment while we took a much-needed water break. “Last night after everyone left, Dylan called me.”
“Adam.” I felt myself light up at the news, eagerly grabbing his forearms. I knew how much it meant to him to have his brother reach out. “How’d the call go?”
“He was checking up on me after the tornado. He’d heard about it on the news. I didn’t even know our family checked up on each other.”
“Maybe you guys do now?”
“We wound up talking for a while. He thought the peanut butter shake message was funny. He’s been reading some Gaiman, so I was recommending some short stories.”
“I always like an Adam Approved read.”
“He even told me he’s thinking of proposing to his girlfriend.” He took a swig of his water.
“Did you give him some brotherly advice?”
“Ha, I’m no one to be giving relationship advice.” Adam wiped his mouth. “I mean, I had to write up a contract to get the girl I like to spend time with me.”
“So what, if you have to pay me to hang out with you?” I gave a playful shrug.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s why you climbed into my lap the other night,” he said, his voice dropping low. Goosebumps everywhere. Then he added more tenderly, “Why you’re more excited than I am that my brother gave me a call.”
I swallowed. I want to write up a contract that keeps him in Sweet River for the foreseeable future.
“You and your brother planning to talk again soon?” I knew this was a big deal, even if he was playing it cool.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think? The conversation actually felt easier than I’d expected. I’d always been hesitant to call him, feeling like it might feel awkward or weird since it’s not something we’d done much. It was actually fun. We talked about random stuff. He was even talking about flying out. Maybe this fall we’ll go to a Cowboys game.” Then he shrugged. “But who knows.” Rain started sprinkling on us again.
“We’ll get him out here,” I said as if it was a sure thing that Sweet River was Adam’s place. That to see Adam, people would have to fly out here where I was.
I reached up and brushed his rainy curls out of his eyes. He grabbed me suddenly and spun me around in the summer shower, making me laugh. He dropped me to my feet and I pulled his face close to mine, sharing a soft kiss.
How could I go from wishing he’d never come to town to dreaming, hoping, praying he’d stay?
“Guys, it’s the Fourth of July. I know it’s been an insane workday, but we’ve got to get over and watch some fireworks,” Victor said as he slammed the tailgate of his truck closed. The sun was setting as Victor, Olivia, Adam, and I packed things up. “We’ve got to celebrate and have some fun.”
“Maybe we could crash someone’s party?” I offered, trying to remember what was going on in Sweet River tonight.
“You know what? I know a place,” Victor said. “Get in.” He waved toward his truck. Olivia climbed into the front seat while Adam and I squeezed into the back. Knee to knee, arm to arm. I was fine if we stayed back there the whole time.
“We need food first,” Adam said pointing to me. “I’ve seen what happens if this one gets hungry.”
“It must be a sister thing.” Victor let out a low whistle. “Liv’s the same way.”
Olivia and I didn’t deny it.
We swung by an old hot dog stand that was basically a town institution, a small hole in the wall nestled over by the library.
After we secured our dinner, Victor revved his truck out of the city and out into the wide, open country. He took a rocky turn down a ranch road, the truck bouncing. Victor was blaring some country song over the radio. Adam weaved his fingers through mine.
Victor neared the edge of a hill, turned the car around, and backed the bed up so we had a view of the cityscape below before putting the truck into park.
We climbed into the bed of the truck, joking over the sounds of a party on a ranch down below as we dug into our hot dogs and stuck straws into our icy sodas.
Olivia hung her legs over the side of the truck, looking out into the night. Victor was watching her from his spot sitting on the rim. Adam was leaning against the back window and I contentedly rested my head on his shoulder as I chewed a salty fry.
As the sky darkened, the party below us began their fireworks show. Dazzling pinks, purples, reds, and blues shimmered across a canvas of black. We went quiet as the fireworks cracked perfectly in our line of sight. Adam threaded his arm around my bent knee. He was warm, solid.
We could hear the party oohing and aahing along with us. One sparkly, orange firework fizzled out before it even really got to begin.
I nestled against Adam’s shoulder. I’d claim the spot next to him. I’d enjoy whatever we had even if we fizzled out before we got our chance to light up the sky. The match had already been lit. There was no stopping us now.
“You know,” Adam said, under the searing booms and cracks. “All day, I’ve been thinking we need something to honor your grandma at the festival. She was such a part of the festival for so long. We need to do something in her memory.”
Olivia glanced over her shoulder at us. “I love that idea.”
“It’s a little late in the game for anything big, but maybe we can ask the choir to sing one of her favorite songs to kick off the show?” Adam offered.
Olivia clapped at that idea. “Lucy, what song do we think she would like?”
I was nodding along and started brainstorming song ideas, but in the back of my mind, I couldn’t stop seeing the painting of Grandma by the lake.