Chapter 17
seventeen
DECLAN
“Declan!” Max shouts when he opens the front door to see me the next morning.
“You saw me a few days ago, kid.” I laugh, pulling him into a hug.
“I know, but I still missed you.” He looks up at me, resting his chin against me but looking up to catch my eye. “Don’t tell Quinn, but you’re my favorite today.”
I chuckle and squeeze him a little tighter.
“Hey! I heard that.” I look up from Max to see Quinn walking toward us. She’s dressed in tight black jeans, an oversized cream sweater, brown boots that are almost orange, and a beanie to match. She’s so effortlessly beautiful I can’t look away, and I struggle to recall what Max and I were talking about. “You said I was your favorite just this morning.”
Max laughs, turning to Quinn but falling back into me, knowing I’ll catch him. “If your favorite can change, then so can mine.”
I wrap my arms around his shoulders, leaning over him to catch his eye as he tilts his head back to look at me. “You’re my favorite too.”
“At least my favorite doesn’t change by the hour,” Quinn mumbles, but I catch the wink she throws Max to make sure he knows she’s joking.
“It’s pretty chilly out there today. You might want a jacket,” I tell Max, seeing he’s in jeans and a flannel button down, with boots of his own.
“I have another shirt under this one, but I’ll grab my vest too.” Max runs to the coat closet and begins rifling through it.
“What about you? Do you need something else?” I ask Quinn.
She smiles at me. “I’m wearing layers as well.” She scrunches her nose and continues, “Plus, a jacket or vest would not look good with this outfit.”
“Right, the outfit. How could I forget?” I roll my eyes but laugh while doing it. “Is your dad joining us?” Scott has a few more weeks in his current cast before being put in a walking boot, so I’ll be surprised if he’s up for it.
“He is, but not until later. Lucy said she would bring him with her. Caleb got a wheelchair from the hospital, so he’ll be able to get around easier than with the crutches.”
“Good.” I smile, still a little transfixed by Quinn’s beauty.
“I’m ready!” Max shouts as he runs back toward the front door, vest in hand.
“Then let’s go!” Quinn responds in equal excitement while grabbing her purse from the table by the door.
I open the door behind me and follow both of them out. “Are we meeting Caleb and Emily there?”
Max runs to my truck and climbs into the backseat, buckling himself in. I can see him practically bouncing in his seat with excitement from the porch.
“Yeah, specifically at the pie-baking contest. Emily entered this year.”
“She did? Which pie is she making? She makes quite a few flavors for the holidays.”
“Last I talked to her, she was thinking of an apple crumble, but she hadn’t officially decided.”
“Smart. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of pumpkin pies every year, but not a ton of apple.” I open the passenger door for Quinn, but she doesn’t move to get in. “What?”
“You weren’t kidding yesterday when you said you love the Fall Harvest Festival.” She laughs.
I roll my eyes at her again. “Get in, Bug.”
“Bug!” She scoffs at me.
“Yes. Bug, because you’re bugging me. Now get in the truck.” I try to remain serious, but once Quinn starts laughing, I follow right along.
“Are you ready for this? The competition looks tough,” Quinn asks Emily as she sets out her finished pie for the judges to taste.
It may be silly, but Ashford Falls takes its Fall Harvest Festival seriously. While we have the same competitors every year, and Marybelle Burns almost always wins, the pie-baking contest is one of the most popular events of the morning, along with the apple cider tasting in the afternoon.
This year will be a little more exciting, though. Rose and her friends have all entered, along with the few regulars who make the same pies they do every year. And Emily isn’t the only new participant, Abbey Selby has entered too. Both of them making pies I’ve never seen entered in the contest. Emily with her pumpkin apple pie and Abbey with a cranberry crumble pie.
For the five years I’ve attended this festival, Abbey has always participated in—and dominated—the apple cider tasting contest. Her apple cider is amazing. She could go into business making that stuff. So, seeing her enter the pie-making contest this year—she could give everyone a run for their money.
“Of course I’m ready. I know it’s cheesy, but I honestly just entered for the fun of it.”
Caleb laughs next to me. “Sure you did. The bragging rights you’d get for winning over Marybelle have absolutely nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, shut up.” Emily swats at him playfully. “He’s not wrong, though,” she tells the rest of us, making everyone laugh.
The judges—members of the town council—make their way over for their tasting, jotting notes on their clipboards before moving along.
“I think it’s so funny how seriously everyone takes this, even though we all know Marybelle is still going to win, like she does every year.” Quinn chuckles, grabbing a small taste of Emily’s pie. “Wow, this is amazing.”
“Now you know why this is still one of the most popular events.” Caleb leans over to kiss Emily on the cheek and then grabs a slice of pie.
“You never know. Maybe this year will be the year the council stops being afraid of what Marybelle will do if she doesn’t win.” I grab my own slice and dig in. Emily makes a few pies at Thanksgiving, but this one is hands down my favorite from her. “Good choice on the pumpkin apple pie.”
“Thanks.” Emily leans into Caleb’s side, smiling.
“Did you win?” Max runs up to us, Scott and Lucy not far behind him.
“Judges just came through for the tasting. We’ve got a little longer to wait and find out,” Caleb says, pulling Max into his side and ruffling his hair. “You have fun with Dad and Lucy?”
“Yeah! Lucy went with me through the hay bale maze and they took me bobbing for apples. I won a free hayride for later tonight!”
“Awesome. I’m sure Quinn will go with you. The hayrides used to be her favorite.”
“It’s my favorite too! Will you take me?” Max immediately turns to Quinn. “Normally, Declan takes me.”
“Well, don’t you want your favorite person to take you tonight?” Quinn asks, smiling down at him.
“Yeah, but you can come with us,” he says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
Before we can say another word, we hear a voice clear through the speakers set up throughout the festival. “Can we get everyone’s attention?” Red Weaver, the mayor of Ashford Falls, says from the little stage.
The crowd quiets down, and we all turn to look at the mayor.
“All right, we’ve got our winner, but before I announce who that is, I just want to say it was a tough decision this year. You all did an amazing job with your pies. I wish you could all be named the winner.”
“I swear that’s the same exact speech he gave the last time I was at this festival,” Quinn whispers from next to me.
I chuckle. “That’s because it is. He says the same thing every year before he announces Marybelle as the winner.”
“Can I get the contestants to stand before the stage here?” Emily and the rest of the contestants move to the front of the stage. Once they’re all lined up, Red continues. “All right, in third place, we have Rose Meriwether with her classic apple pie.” The gathered group offers a confused round of applause.
“That’s new,” Scott says quietly. “She normally takes second place.”
“Sometimes she and Esther alternate second and third,” Max says from Scott’s lap.
“In second place, we have Abbey Selby with her cranberry crumble pie.” The round of applause is louder this time.
“Well, that explains it. Abbey was a new participant this year, and it’s not surprising she would do well,” Caleb says. “Have you been by the bookstore when she brings in treats she’s made at home? They’re amazing.”
“No.” I look at him, confused. “You go to the bookstore regularly? You have time to read?”
“Well, no, but Emily took me in one day when Abbey had cookies. Now I stop by once a week to see if she has anything else,” he says a little bashfully, causing me to laugh.
“And finally, in first place, we have Emily Marks with her pumpkin apple pie, a fun twist on two classics.”
Everyone is quiet for a minute, shocked by the turn of events. Once the shock wears off, the entire Marks family hoots and hollers, Lucy and I right along with them.
“Go, Em!” Quinn shouts, shaking Emily from her frozen stance in front of the stage, going to accept the blue ribbon for first place.
“Marybelle didn’t even place? Has anyone tried her pie?” Scott asks the group quietly.
“I’m on it,” Lucy whispers conspiratorially before making her way to grab a slice of Marybelle’s pumpkin pie. We all watch as she takes a bite, her eyes going round. She grabs one more slice before making her way back to us. “Here you go,” she says, setting the two plates down on the table in front of us. “But I understand why she didn’t win. Something went horribly wrong,” she whispers as quietly as she can. “There’s no way they could have picked her this year.”
It’s comical how we all rush to grab a small taste of the pie after Lucy’s told us it’s not good. I instantly regret taking the bite as soon as I do it.
“Is that Marybelle’s?” Emily walks up to rejoin the group.
“Yeah, and it’s bad, very bad,” Max says like it’s the saddest thing in the world, causing us to laugh.
“Congratulations, baby. You deserve it.” Caleb pulls her in for a quick kiss, tucking her into his side after.
I’ve seen Caleb do that more times than I can count, but this time I get a little twinge in my chest, like I’m jealous he has someone to kiss and be with while I don’t.
Since Melissa, I haven’t craved that kind of relationship or any kind of relationship. Yeah, I’ve needed to release some pent-up tension, but a night in a neighboring town is always good enough. I don’t have to worry about someone catching feelings because I know I won’t see them again.
The idea of being in a committed relationship after everything I went through with Melissa has never really crossed my mind—at least, not more than knowing I’m not open to a committed relationship. Opening my heart up to someone else hasn’t been something I’ve been interested in.
I look at Quinn. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why that might be changing for me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not shocked by this tightness in my chest.
Quinn’s staring at the two of them, an almost wistful look on her face. But she quickly looks away, a frown growing instead.
I don’t know what that frown means, but if it means what I hope it does, it might be time for me to be honest, at least with myself, and admit my feelings for Quinn go deeper than friendship.
But is it something Quinn even wants? There’s so much going on in her life, so much unknown. Is it even the right time? Does she even want to stay in Ashford Falls long-term?
She’s never said anything outright, but the only reason she came home was to be here with her dad. What happens when he’s gone?
I’ve gone down that path before, compromising my wants to make someone else happy. While I can see myself falling for Quinn, I can’t put myself through that again. I won’t give up my dreams for someone else, and I won’t ask someone to give up their dreams for me.
“Where to next?” Emily asks, pulling me back to the moment. Now is not the time to think about any of that.