Chapter 34
Caleb pulled Kate to him in a one-armed hug. “Thank you for being here, and for accepting Rhys.”
“He’s so in love with you. I could tell just from the way he looked at you, and then when he picked up Mallow, I knew everything was going to be all right.”
“You really could tell?”
“Yes, the way the two of you look at each other. It’s sickening.”
“Stop that.” He bumped her with his shoulder, and she pushed him back.
“Just don’t start going on about how you wish I’d find someone too.”
“All right. I’ll keep my happiness to myself.”
“Good.”
The warmth Caleb felt from Kate’s acceptance of Rhys was intensified when he saw her reaction to Cloud Nine. She turned around wide-eyed, taking it all in.
“The pictures you sent were great, but it’s so much more amazing in person. It’s so inviting and colorful, and so you.”
“Thank you.” Caleb hugged her and tried not to cry with joy.
“I can’t get over how perfect it all is: the decorations are beautiful. Your fall vibe is just right, but then you’ve got all the signs with rainbows and clouds and doodles. It’s all so fun. And your signature drinks are just the kind of over-the-top thing you do best.”
“It’s everything I wanted it to be, and so far, the customers are happy, and I have regulars now.”
“Of course you do. How could anyone come here and not want to come back?”
“You are a little biased.”
“Maybe, but I would tell you if I didn’t like it. I was ready to tell your boyfriend off.”
“That’s because you’re protecting me. You want me to be happy.”
“And you are, right?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t sure he’d ever had a better day in his life. He and Rhys were working the festival together. Kate was here. She loved the shop. It was more than he could even have imagined a few months ago when he started this project.
He introduced Kate to Natalie, who was in charge of the shop for the day, then brought her upstairs to show her the apartment and get Mallow settled where she could be comfortable for the rest of the day.
“I know the place is small, and I haven’t had any time to fix it up.”
“It’s big enough, and it’s cute. You’ll make it look better once you’re not working all day, every day.”
He huffed. “You’re one to talk about that.”
She sighed. “I guess that’s true, but I’m so proud of you. And I see why you and Rhys fit together now.”
“So you’re no longer holding it against him that he needed time to get himself together?” Caleb asked.
“I still don’t like it, and he better not pull shit like that again, but I like him. You were right. He was worth waiting for.”
“Wait, did you just say I was right about something?”
“No.”
“Yes you did.”
“All right, just this once.”
Caleb grinned. “I won’t hold my breath for it to happen again.”
“I’m sure you won’t.”
Rhys put the finishing touches on their booth. Caleb wasn’t back yet, and he still had some time before the festival officially opened, so he went to look at the Driftwood Doughs booth. He wanted a chance to see what they’d decided to sell at the festival.
“Wow, you’ve got a huge selection,” he said as he looked over their pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies and the cute little cats decorated with royal icing, black ones but also white like Mallow and striped ones as well.
They had pastries and muffins and even tiny little apple cakes covered in loads of delicious buttercream. They were going to do very well today.
“It’s the most we’ve ever brought,” Finn said. “Tessa insisted we’d still sell out.”
“Based on how many people are already here, I agree. Did you turn in your baked goods entry yet?”
“Yes.” Tessa held up crossed fingers.
“The cake is so good. I don’t know how you could lose.”
“Keep your fingers crossed anyway,” Finn said. “There are a lot of creative bakers in the region.”
That was true. Competition was always stiff at the festival. “I’d better get back to my booth.”
“All right,” Tessa said. “Let us know if you need any help.”
“You do the same.”
When he returned, Caleb was there alone. Kate had stayed at Cloud Nine to spend some time playing with Mallow and freshening up. She’d be back to see the booths in action and enjoy the festival in a little while.
“She likes you,” Caleb said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. She told me she did.”
“Thank goodness. I was so worried.”
“I know, but you did great.”
Rhys let out a sigh of relief. The hardest part of the day was already over.
Once the festival got going, he and Caleb hardly had any time to talk.
There was a constant stream of customers, and their pumpkin chocolate chip latte was selling like crazy.
Rhys wondered if they’d have to have someone from Cloud Nine bring them extra supplies.
Even doing that, they might not make it until the end of the day.
“If the judges love this as much as our customers do, things will be great for us,” Caleb said when the line slowed enough that they weren’t both serving customers.
“Don’t get overconfident.” Rhys could deal with disappointment much better if he didn’t get his hopes up.
A few hours into the craziness, Natalie and Sam came to hold things down while Caleb and Rhys went to get lunch and see a few of the other booths.
The food trucks were set up in the grass parking lot across from the square, which was normally public parking for town visitors.
They wandered around for a few minutes, looking at different food offerings, until Kate joined them.
They let her pick what she wanted. She chose a food truck selling lobster rolls that turned out to be exceptionally buttery and delicious.
Rhys managed to find them a picnic table by swooping in as a family gathered their things and left.
“So what do you think of the festival?” Caleb asked Kate after they’d all had a chance to take the edge off their hunger.
Kate sighed as she finished a bite of lobster roll. “I think this is probably the best festival I’ve ever been to. Not that I go to all that many. But if you two do more things like this, I’ll be coming up here for them too.”
“I’m so glad you’re enjoying it,” Rhys said. “I don’t really like crowds, but it’s always exciting for the town when Frostwick Harbor gets to host something like this.”
Kate smiled. “I couldn’t believe how good Tessa and Finn’s pastries are. I had doughnuts from Briarwood Orchard too. I was hoping to try a funnel cake too. I’m going to be stuffed when I head home.”
“Just walk around for a while, and you’ll make some room,” Caleb said.
When they finished their late lunch, it was time to go relieve Sam and Natalie, so Kate took Caleb’s suggestion.
The rest of the afternoon was just as busy as the early hours had been. The lines nearly overwhelmed Rhys and Caleb at times, but somehow, they managed to keep going until it was time to shut down the booths and gather for awards announcements.
Rhys was vibrating with tension as he and Caleb walked toward the podium, where the mayor would give out the ribbons. Kate joined them, and so did all their friends. Everyone was eager to find out if Driftwood Doughs and Rhys and Caleb’s combined efforts would win.
The first prize awarded was for apple treats. The Johnsons, a couple who owned a farm just outside of Frostwick Harbor, won with their cinnamon caramel apples. Rhys and all his friends cheered loudly.
The general baked goods category was next. Rhys wasn’t at all surprised when Tessa and Finn took first place.
Several announcements later, it was finally time for the beverage contest. Rhys worried he might pass out from the stress as the mayor opened the envelope that would reveal the winner. He held one of Caleb’s hands, and Kate held the other.
The mayor cleared his throat. “The winner of Best Fall Beverage is Cloud Nine and Frost + Foam.”
Caleb, Kate, and all their friends cheered immediately, but it took Rhys a moment to process that they’d actually won.
Just as he did, Caleb hugged him, lifting him off his feet and spinning him around.
When Caleb set him on the ground, Tessa pulled him into a hug, followed by his friends and then Kate.
They’d really won. Combining their skills had been the right thing to do.
Several people from town, including Agnes and Mrs. Murphy, made their way over to congratulate them. All of them raved about how much they’d enjoyed their entry. Rhys could barely process it all. He just nodded and said thank you again and again, as the world seemed to swirl around him.
Frostwick Harbor residents took over half of the prizes that day. Agnes had to be over the moon. Her push to do their best had really worked.
“We really did it,” Rhys said to Caleb as they walked back to their booth.
“We did. I knew we would.”
“Working together was the best choice I could have made.” Rhys wanted to kiss him, but that would need to wait.
“I’m so glad you changed your mind about it.”
Slowly, the crowd dispersed as festival guests headed off to dinner or back home, and everyone with a booth began to pack up for the night and figure out what supplies they’d need to do this all again the next day.
Rhys and Caleb took their ribbon and placed it carefully in one of the boxes they were packing up. The next day, they would display it proudly on the front of their booth.
“We’d better have a lot of pumpkin puree and chocolate ready for tomorrow.”
“We will,” Caleb said. “I made tons. I knew I could use it in the shop if it didn’t sell here.”
“I think we’re going to need it all.”
“Me too,” Caleb said.
Kate had stayed behind to say goodbye to Tessa and the other people she’d met, but she hurried over so they could say goodbye to them. “This has been the best day. I wish we’d known about this festival years ago.”
Caleb nodded. “You’ll have to come back next year.”
“I’m already planning on it. I hate that I have to leave, but I do need to get back.”
He studied her for a moment. “Are you sure you’re not too tired to drive?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine.”
“All right, but be careful, and let me know when you get there.”
“I’m the older sister. It’s my job to worry about you.”
“Kate.”
“I’ll let you know when I’m home safe, and I’ll let Mom know, too, because she’ll call if I don’t. She’s loving all the pictures I’ve sent.”
Caleb grinned. “She texted me too. She can’t wait to meet Rhys.”
Rhys’s heart rate skyrocketed. “I… um… I’m not sure—”
“We’ll give it a little while,” Caleb said. “I won’t push you right into that, but if you can handle Kate, you’ll be fine with Mom.”
Kate hugged them both and insisted they didn’t need to walk her to her car. She’d been thrilled about the luxury of finding easy parking within walking distance, which was funny, considering this would be the most difficult weekend of the year to park in Frostwick Harbor.
In the center of the square, some town council members were already working on starting the bonfire that was a tradition for Saturday night during festival weekend, but Rhys had been around people long enough. He didn’t want to stay for the bonfire, but he also didn’t want to deny Caleb the chance.
They took the things they’d packed up back to Cloud Nine and checked on Mallow. Rhys wanted to pull Caleb into his bedroom, but instead, he said, “Do you want to go back and talk to people and see the bonfire?”
“I do, but…” He was clearly not sure how Rhys felt about it.
“Then let’s go.”
“Really? I thought you’d want to stay here. You’ve got another whole day of this tomorrow.”
“I know it’s a lot for me, but I want you to see the bonfire. As long as we don’t stay long, I’ll be fine.”
Caleb gave him a slow once-over. “I don’t think I’m going to want to stay for long either, but thank you for being willing to go with me.”
They walked back down the street into the square.
It was darker now, and the fire was fully going.
They made their way to where their friends were standing.
Caleb hugged Finn and Tessa and took the chance to congratulate them again on their win.
Everyone was so excited about how many prizes had gone to Frostwick Harbor businesses.
The festival was already a huge success.
Rhys leaned back against Caleb as they stood watching the flames rise higher and higher. People were drinking hot chocolate and cider that was being sold from the only booth that remained open for the evening.
The mayor gave a speech, and everyone applauded, excited for the festival, for the beauty of the leaves, and the camaraderie of the town.
Caleb was so happy to be there. He was absolutely certain he’d made the right choice moving to Frostwick Harbor. This was the kind of life he had dreamed about, and he was living it now. Hopefully, he was going to get to live it with Rhys for a long time, maybe even forever.
He leaned down to whisper in Rhys’s ear. “Are you ready to go?”
Rhys nodded, and they waved goodbye to their friends, knowing they would see them the next morning.
They could still hear everyone celebrating as they walked along the street. There were only a few people out who weren’t at the bonfire. When they reached the front of Cloud Nine, Caleb turned to Rhys and took both of his hands. “This has been one of the best days of my life.”
“Mine too,” Rhys said. “I’m so glad we did this together. I’m so glad that I got over being afraid. I know everyone’s talking about us, but right now, I don’t even care.”
Caleb grinned. “Neither do I.” Then he kissed Rhys, cupping his face in his hands and holding him in front of the shop he’d designed as they celebrated the partnership they’d made for the festival and now for the future. He was exactly where he was meant to be.