Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Since Zoey had been tiny, the Redemption River Summer Fair was one of her favorite days of the year. Maeve never had time to make her a costume and always ordered it online. Now, however, she was part of the Carter family and Martha Carter was a whiz at running up a kid’s costume.
When Martha stopped by to drop it off, Zoey was wide-eyed with excitement.
“I don’t know if it’s duck-like enough,” Martha said, holding up the suit made of white terry cloth with big orange feet and a padded bill. “I’m afraid you might look more like a goose.”
“I’m happy with either,” Zoey said, and took it from her like it was treasure. “It’s awesome. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, Zoey.” The fondness in Martha’s eyes was unmistakable. When she ran off to get changed, Martha looked at Maeve and said, “She’s so cute, I just want to eat her up.”
“Now that would be a waste of a good costume,” Maeve replied with a half-smile.
Martha chuckled, giving her a playful pat on the arm. “I’m glad this has all happened, Maeve, I truly am. I think it’s been really good for Brodie.”
Maeve nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears—aware of how easily she blushed at the mention of Brodie—imagining him jetting off to Vegas and wondering if Martha knew.
“I know he acts like he doesn’t take anything seriously or care too deeply, but I can see that this is real important to him. I just wanted to say thank you, for telling him—for trusting him.”
Maeve didn’t know what to say. She’d never, in all of Zoey’s life, thought that Martha Carter would be on her doorstep thanking her with such warmth and kindness.
She thought fleetingly of her own parents standing there all formal, stiff like statues, seeing only the negatives of the situation.
No matter her increasingly complicated feelings for Brodie, it made her suddenly less fearful for who Zoey now had in her life. Grateful, in fact.
* * *
The Redemption River Summer Fair was held at the fairground on the outskirts of Autumn Falls, where the river looped around the land like a horseshoe. There was always a full schedule of events from the kids’ costume parade and Pee Wee animal showmanship to flower and plant judging and a carnival.
The Silver Pantry had a stall selling snacks and coffee, and a selection of beautiful homewares. Word had spread that Martha’s infamous coconut cake was for sale and there was already a queue snaking almost to the Ferris Wheel.
“Let’s go and see Brodie. I mean, Dad.” Zoey, in her white duck costume with its big yellow feet and beak, pulled Maeve by the hand to where they could hear Brodie on the microphone calling out the competitors for the dog show.
Logan was nearby with his horse, Jojo, who he was getting ready to show at the next event. When they went past he said, “Hey, Maeve, where’s Zoey?”
Zoey said, “I’m right here!”
Logan looked confused. “I can only see a giant duck.”
Zoey giggled, “It’s me!” while Logan shook his head and said, “You had me fooled!”
They wished Logan luck and carried on to watch Brodie, Maeve again reminded what it meant to have all that family around for Zoey, all that support. To know that she wasn’t quite so alone anymore.
She wondered momentarily what it would be like to be part of it herself, if her and Brodie were together. But she shut that thought down right away. Especially when she saw him up on stage.
Brodie was a natural. Putting nervous contestants at ease and cracking jokes when the animals did something unexpected.
The audience loved him. He’d dressed up for the role, wore navy pants and a tie, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbow, his hair slicked to the side like some old-fashioned movie star.
Zoey said, “He looks so handsome.”
Maeve could only agree. He was totally out of her league. Jetting off to Vegas! She rolled her eyes. Her life was so pitifully small-town in comparison.
When he saw them, he smiled and raised a hand in greeting, without even pausing his commentary.
Maeve leaned on the railing that surrounded the ring and watched him in his element. Unfazed by the attention, effortlessly self-assured, he had the adoring crowd in the palm of his hand. He was just so charismatic, it was hard to look away.
When it came to the kids’ costume parade, Brodie was very professional—Zoey didn’t get any special treatment—but Maeve didn’t miss the little wink he threw her as she waddled past where he was standing with the mic. The tenderness made her heart lurch.
She was in so much trouble.
The judges placed Zoey third, which she was very happy with because usually she didn’t come anywhere close.
She went and got changed but kept her rosette pinned to her T-shirt.
After the Pee Wee Rabbit Showmanship, Maeve suggested they go and look at the craft and food stalls and go on the carnival rides, just to get away from the fluttering longing in her chest when she watched Brodie on stage.
The mortifying term starstruck fan came to mind again.
Zoey, however, just wanted to be where Brodie was.
After Maeve had tried to distract her with carnival rides and cake, they headed straight back to the main arena.
The fencing for the events had been removed and everyone was milling around now in front of the stage.
Ren was there with Noah, who had a first-place rosette for roping tucked into his shirt pocket.
When he saw Zoey he said, “You see your Grandma Carter up there?” and pointed to where the Autumn Falls band were warming up on stage.
Martha tuning up her Dobro guitar. One of Maeve’s friends, Claudette, who worked with Bella at the theater, was on vocals, dressed in a gold mini dress, the sequins catching the light like a disco ball.
She was trying to coax Brodie to join her.
But he just grinned into the mic and said, “I’m here to dance not sing. ”
Claudette threw up her hands in good-natured disappointment.
Maeve found herself wondering if there had ever been anything between the pair of them, they had sung together a couple of times at town events. Was she jealous? She quickly berated herself for even thinking about it. Who Brodie chose to fraternize with was none of her business.
John-Luke, Bella’s stepfather and leader of the band, gave Brodie the nod that they were about to begin, and Brodie called out, “Grab your partners, people. There’s dancing to be done!”
Ren immediately pulled a very reluctant Noah onto what was now a dance floor, flashing with colorful spotlights from the stage, along with lots of other familiar faces from town. Zoey ran to join some of her schoolfriends who had made a little group at the front.
On the mic, Brodie scanned the crowd and said, “Now, I just need to find myself a partner.” His eyes found Maeve and that familiar crooked grin started to spread on his face.
Maeve shook her head.
Brodie’s smile only got wider. He raised his brows.
She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t the practiced flirt he was. She did things seriously, sensibly, things meant things when she did them. He, however, was the master of easy fun. She shook her head again, trying to convey absolute finality by crossing her arms as well.
Brodie seemed to take the hint and his gaze traveled further across the crowd, landing eventually on a tiny woman with a white bun, wearing a long floral dress. “How about it, Mrs. Hernandez?”
“Oh, you don’t want to dance with me, Brodie Carter,” she called out, waving away the offer. “Dance with someone your own age.”
Brodie shrugged, feigning dejection and said, “I’m trying to dance with Maeve Dixon but she won’t have me.”
All eyes turned to find Maeve at the edge of the crowd. She felt her face go beacon-red. “Oh, no, not me, I don’t dance.” She glared at Brodie who just grinned wider.
Mrs. Hernandez called, “Go on, dance with Brodie, Maeve! My knee is not up to it.”
Maeve held up a hand to protest.
“I don’t dance, either,” Noah shouted, from where he was being forced into it by Ren, “And look at me!”
“Have some fun, Doctor Dixon!” someone shouted. Maeve looked and saw Old Mr. Zimmerman, whose life she’d saved from a heart attack over New Year. “If anyone deserves some fun, it’s you, darlin’!”
Brodie stood there innocently up on stage, head cocked in increasingly smug amusement as Maeve came under pressure from the townsfolk—all desperate for their hard-working doctor to enjoy herself.
“Go on, Mom!” Zoey shouted. And the whole place seemed to smile indulgently.
Maeve sighed, knowing that refusal again would just cause more of a furor, and took a reluctant step forward.
When he saw it, Brodie docked the mic and jumped down off the stage to meet her, eyes glinting in triumph.
“Don’t,” Maeve warned.
“I never would,” he replied, any attempt to rein in his self-satisfied smile clearly failing.
“I’m only doing it because there would be too much attention otherwise.”
“Of course,” he replied, wrapping his arm round her waist and drawing her close toward him. She put her hand reluctantly on his shoulder and he laughed at her obvious hesitancy. “It’s only dancing, Maeve.”
He took her other hand and clasped it with his, their cool palms together, their bodies a whisper away, his head dipping just a little bit to look her in the eye.
Maeve feared her cheeks were apple-red and her heart might literally be thumping out of her body. It wasn’t only dancing.
Brodie looked down at her with that satisfied, cat-that-got-the-cream look still on his face.
The band played on behind them. “How was Vegas?” she asked.
“Same as Vegas always is.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“To be honest,” he said, “I spent most of the time thinking about coming back here to see you and Zoey.”
“You did not!” She bashed his chest. He caught her hand, clamped it in his, held it flat against his shirt. “I did,” he said, seriously.