Chapter 20
Gideon didn’t feel much better than he had in his classroom as he waited next to the fall festival ticket booth Tuesday evening. He’d read the email at least five times Monday night before forcing himself to eat something. A complaint had been filed against him for improper conduct with a student, but the part that had him scratching his head was the time of the complaint. It had been filed Monday morning. Before class. Before the incident with Megs when the lights went out.
He’d stopped by Professor Donna Stace’s office, not to accuse her of filing a complaint after lighting into him that night at the recording studio. He couldn’t prove it was her and didn’t know if administrators would even give him any details on Thursday at the meeting they’d called.
The whole thing was driving him crazy. Mostly because he had done something inappropriate with a student, just not before the complaint had been filed. He wracked his brain trying to think of what could’ve triggered it, and came up empty.
Gideon shoved his hands into his pockets. The crisp autumn air nipped at his cheeks, but it wasn't the cool temperature that made him huddle into his jacket. He shouldn’t have come tonight, but the idea of sitting alone in his apartment with his own thoughts had seemed unbearable.
Alli sighed next to him. "Remember when we did that performance of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in college?" she asked. "You were Bottom, and I was Titania." Alli laughed. "And Matt you were Lysander. You spent the whole play trying to win me over."
"How could I forget?" Matt flashed a charming smile. "Funny how life imitates art sometimes."
Alli rolled her eyes. “Oh stop, you were never interested in me.”
“Only because Gids here had a corner on the market.”
Matt was teasing, he knew that. But as Alli’s cheeks flushed, Gideon thought he might be sick. She didn’t need any more reminders of who they used to be together. Alli had texted him all weekend, and while he’d tried not to give her the wrong impression, he didn’t want to be rude. Then Monday had happened, and he hadn’t gotten back to anyone for the past twenty-four hours.
When he’d shown up here and Alli had run to him with an excited smile, he knew he’d failed on that count. Alli most definitely had the wrong impression, and he didn’t have the energy to deal with it.
Alli sidled up next to Gideon as Matt stepped away to greet Randall who’d just arrived. “I haven’t gone to a fall festival in years.”
“Me either,” he grunted.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Are you going to do the corn maze?” Gideon nodded, not fully listening. Alli sighed. “Maybe Matt was right about all this.”
“What do you mean?” Gideon stared hard at the map on the post in front of them.
“Maybe we did all need a little romance in our lives.” Alli grinned. “This wasn’t ever all about the competition. You know Matt. He’s always been one for games and grand gestures. That’s why his books have done so well. It’s what women want.”
Then why was Matt still single? The thought didn’t hold much water since he, too, was still single and he’d never been one for games or grand anything. Except, apparently, ruining his career and the lives of his students.
Alli started to ask another question, but Gideon caught a flash of green over her shoulder. Megs. With a green scarf wrapped around her neck. She was walking toward them from the parking lot.
He’d thought about messaging her all day, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. What would he say? He hadn’t kissed her, had he? Those seconds were a blur, and he couldn’t figure out what reality was. Especially because he knew what the reality had been in his head.
“ . . . so explain yourself.” Alli moved her face in front of his line of vision, and Gideon blinked.
"Gideon, Alli, how goes the competition?” Randall put his arms around both of them, and Gideon breathed a sigh of relief. Saved by the ex-roommate. “I’ve let Matt know how annoyed I am that we aren’t in the same small group.”
Alli scoffed. “That was only for the one night, and it’s not like you and Cassie have been going out of your way to talk to us.”
“We talked with you up on St. Ambrose. Though this guy was off hiking through the underbrush.” Randall dropped his arms. “Since you’re here, I assume you and the hot ginger made it back to town?”
Gideon bristled. “Her name’s Megs.”
“Hot?” Alli said at the same time. “I thought you and Cassie—”
“Hey, if you don’t look once, you’re not a man, am I right?” Randall stepped back holding out his fists for a bump. Both of them left him hanging. He laughed. “See you two in with the ma?s.”
Alli shook her head. “Was that French or Spanish? He hasn’t changed one bit.”
“In college that all seemed less pretentious.”
Alli grinned as Matt’s voice rang out, "Alright, everyone! Gather round!” The contestants did as he said, and Matt’s team started snapping pictures as they circled up.
Gideon glanced to his left looking for Megs, but didn’t see her there. He wanted to turn and search for her, but didn’t want to be too obvious.
Matt rubbed his hands together. “I saved this for last because in this novel, this is the moment. This is the scene that every reader is dying to get to because our main characters have been going back and forth, will they, won’t they, and then here at this fall festival—not this one specifically—they finally do.”
“Your characters get it on in the corn maze?” Randall asked.
“No, Randall, this is a low-spice romance. They kiss in the corn maze.”
Randall looked more than a little disappointed as Matt went on. “So, let's grab some firewood and—”
A kerfuffle broke out behind their group, and Matt craned his neck to see what was going on.
A woman with lovely gray hair put her hands on her hips. “I’m telling you, Deb, I made these arrangements ahead of—”
“Oh what arrangements. You harangued Megs here to do your dirty work for you!” A taller women who looked to be slightly younger pointed at the woman accusingly.
Megs stepped between them, and Gideon sucked air through his teeth at the sight of her.
A few years ago, he’d gone on a trip with his brother to Thailand. They’d forced themselves to eat everything like the locals, which meant his mouth had been burning from sun up to sun down. But, at the beginning of the week, it had taken half his meal to heat his tongue and lips to the point that they were uncomfortable. By the end of the week, a single bite sent his skin burning.
After repeated exposure, instead of calming down, his body had been sensitized and started overreacting at the first taste of those Thai chilies.
He clenched his hands into fists as his skin flushed watching Megs. He’d had enough exposure to Megs, his body knew exactly what she meant for him, and he couldn’t cool the heat simmering in his veins.
Megs took control. “Okay, ladies, I think it would be best if we—” She glanced up as if just noticing Matt and all the competitors staring at them. The two squabbling women straightened and primped before smiling demurely.
Megs’ eyes flicked to and away from Gideon’s so quickly, he thought he imagined it. “Oscar, these are the Sugar Mamas.”
Gideon stepped back to see there were five other women standing behind Megs and the two mother hens. If it would’ve been physically possible, all seven of the older women would’ve had literal hearts in their eyes. Each of them held one of Matt’s books to their chests.
Matt lit up. “I’ve heard about you ladies, but I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting you in-person.”
The women tittered and gawked as Matt approached and clasped each of their hands, then signed the dedication pages of their books. Gideon watched Megs as she faded back behind the old bitties. She grinned as she watched them, and Gideon was transfixed. He knew he should look away, that at any moment she could look up and catch him gawking, but he couldn’t help it.
He had to talk to her. Had to apologize and ask her if she was all right.
“No, the Mamas can’t stay long,” Megs said in response to something Matt asked.
“Well, that’s too bad.” Matt sighed. “I was hoping you ladies would be able to join us for the fall festival.”
The first woman’s eyes went wide as saucers. She turned to Megs who Gideon could’ve sworn was subtly shaking her head, then turned back to Matt. “Well, Oscar. We’d simply love to.”
Betrayed. Betrayed by a mid-sixties hairstylist with a crush on Oscar Calloway. Megs shot daggers at the back of Colleen’s head as they all followed Oscar to pick up their baskets. The Sugar Mamas flanked him like sheep being herded by a border collie.
Tonight was already complicated enough, and Colleen had promised her introduction would be short-lived. Though, it had been Oscar who’d invited them. If he’d wanted tonight to be a publicity stunt, this would do it. The Sugar Mama’s, while not active on social media, were active in all the social circles in Sugar Creek. Word of their time with the famous author would spread like wildfire in the morning. Looking at Oscar’s grin, it seemed that was exactly what he was hoping for.
His photographer team was already taking videos, which, c’mon. That was going to look adorable on his social media pages. Megs was becoming more and more convinced that he was the one to leak their visit to the fall festival to the Star.
Megs hadn’t looked directly at Gideon yet, but she knew exactly where he was standing at all times. No surprise that Alli was right next to him. She was such an idiot. Meaning Megs, not Alli. Alli seemed very nice, even if Megs did resent her the teensiest bit.
Alli was free to care about Gideon. Kiss him, even. If she wanted to. Whereas Megs spent the last day of her life berating herself for wanting him. No, not just for wanting him. For kissing Gideon Adams in the back of his classroom.
How had that happened? She’d tried to leave after her presentation without talking to him, to keep their relationship strictly professional like he’d asked. But then he’d been standing next her. Then the lights had gone out. Then his arm was stretched over her like it had been in that tractor cab, and her frontal cortex had gone as dark as a black box theater. Nevermind lizard people, she’d been all lizard brain in that moment, and now she didn’t know how to make it right.
“Here we are. This will be our private fire pit for the night.” Oscar pointed to the circle of benches around the already crackling fire. Colleen and her friends approached the glow and held out their hands to the warmth.
"Oscar," Deb gushed, fluttering her eyelashes. "I've read every single one of your books. Twice!"
Annette chimed in, "I named my cat after your main character!"
Megs stifled a laugh and took up residence next to the fire pit. She’d get cider in a minute, once she was sure the Sugar Mamas weren’t going to gag and bind Oscar and take him home in one of their trunks.
Ruth nudged Rose, whispering loudly, "Remember that scene in his third book? I think it was chapter twenty-four . . . "
Rose giggled, "Oh, stop it, Ruth! You're making me blush!"
"Hey Megs, haven’t seen much of you lately.” Sean stopped next to her.
“Hey. I’ve been at all the events.”
He rubbed the stubble on his chiseled chin. “Yeah, you just don’t have much time for us common folks.”
Megs frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Sean nudged her shoulder and grinned. “I’m messing with you, I only meant it seems like you’ve joined the in-crowd.”
She blinked, not understanding.
“Oscar’s in-crowd, you know?” Sean pointed at Gideon, Alli, Randall and Cassie all standing near Oscar and the Sugar Mamas. “I don’t know why he’s keeping the rest of us around. It’s obvious he wants to throw one of his friends a bone.”
Megs chewed on her lower lip. “I don’t know if that is obvious, actually. Don’t you think it’s going to cause friction if he chooses one of his friends over the others?”
Sean pondered this. “Maybe.”
“I think Oscar just wanted to have some fun.”
Oscar put a hand on Rosie’s shoulder and she seemed to stand six inches taller. He grinned and laughed with them, making each woman feel like she was the Belle of the ball. Oscar was lonely.
The realization hit her as she watched him. Of course he was lonely. He was the only one of his friends to hit it big, and anyone he met now only saw him as a famous author. They didn’t know Oscar as Matt. They didn’t know him as the songwriter or the goofball who played card games at the pub before sets.
“Well, whatever. Have you tried the cider yet?”
Megs shook her head and sat down on the bench, hunching forward to catch more of the fire’s heat. “I’ll get some later.”
Sean motioned for Layla to join him, then made his way over to the booth. Megs listened to the ladies chatter away, mesmerized by the flicker of the flames in front of her. She was lonely, too. Not because she didn’t have people. She did. Her family, her friends. All of them were wonderful and mostly supportive when they weren’t judging her life choices. They loved her, and she knew it.
But there was a difference between being loved and being understood. That kind of love wasn’t nothing. But it wasn’t everything either. Maybe that’s what romance was. A love that transcended purely caring about someone and lived at a level of curiosity, want and need, and . . . whole-ness. I’m half happy.
Megs understood that more than she wanted to admit. She fit in just fine with other people, but it always felt like she was encased in a bubble. Like people could see her, but couldn’t get in no matter how hard she tried to invite them.
She looked up at Gideon across the fire. He had his arms crossed in front of him, and his lips were drawn into a line as he watched the fire and listened to whatever Alli was saying next to him. His eyes flicked up, and Megs quickly looked down.
The bubble always popped when she was with him.
“That was lovely.” Oscar sat down on the bench next to her, and Megs started.
She scanned the area next to the firepit. “Did Colleen and the others go to get cider?”
Oscar shook his head. “No, they’re headed home. Too much excitement for one night, I guess.”
“Well, you are pretty exciting.” Megs leaned back against the bench. “You realize you just made their entire years, right?”
Oscar shook his head. “No, they made mine. It’s women like that who’ve given me this career.”
Megs smiled. “And here I thought you’d be annoyed.”
“Why would I be annoyed?”
“I don’t know because people are probably always coming up to you and wanting to know more about your books or your writing process.”
Oscar laughed. “That’s the beauty of being an author. There aren’t that many people who know what I look like.”
“True.” Megs shoved her hands in the pockets of her puffy coat. All in all, the weather was kind of perfect for a night out. She looked up and saw the first few stars winking out.
“Come on, let’s do the corn maze. Gideon and Alli just went in, and I think we have to beat them.”
“Uh, no. I don’t do corn mazes.”
Oscar stared at her. “You’ve never done one?”
“No, I did one and that’s why I don’t do them.” Megs shuddered as she thought back to the time Bobbi and Haley had forced her to do the maze here at this same fall festival when she was fifteen. People dressed in hockey masks carrying chain saws jumped out at them, and Megs had had nightmares for weeks.
“Did you get stuck?”
Megs’ eyes widened. “No, I hated the people that jumped out and pretended to murder you, but getting stuck is an option?”
“Not if you have a map!” Melissa flapped a folded piece of paper at them as she, Sean, and Layla jogged past to the entrance of the maze.
“A map is cheating. It’s way more fun to try to figure it out. C’mon.” Oscar pulled on her arm, and Megs groaned and stood up.
They walked between the columns of corn stalks, and she already hated everything about it. Even with the flood lights overhead, there were too many shadows and dark corners. Oscar grinned at her, and he suddenly looked like a seventeen-year-old boy.
“Why do men like to be scared?” Megs looked down at the path ahead of them so her imagination wouldn’t create horrors where there weren’t any.
“Because it’s exhilarating. You know nothing bad is going to happen, but your body doesn’t. It makes everything feel bigger.”
“Which is why you chose this setting for your novel.”
His grin somehow grew wider. “Exactly. It’s the perfect opportunity for emotions that people are holding back to come roaring to the—”
A grim reaper lunged from the stalks, its face a grotesque mask of rot and decay. Megs screamed and bolted, not at all aware of where she was going. She stopped at a dead end, panting for breath. This was why she hated corn mazes!
She never should’ve let Oscar convince her to—Oscar. Where was he? Megs started to panic. She sucked in a lungful of air to force her heart to slow, and was about to run back the way she’d come when she heard a voice.
“I’m not in a bad mood.”
It was Gideon. Megs froze and listened, trying to figure out where his voice was coming from.
Alli sighed. “You haven’t said a word practically all night. Is it something I did?”
Behind her. They were walking down the aisle on the other side of the wall of stalks. The corn was planted too close together for her to see them, but she turned her ear in their direction.
Gideon exhaled, and their footsteps paused. “No, Alli. I’m just stressed about something at work.”
Megs’ heart leapt into her throat as she inhaled the musty stalks.
“What about work? You can tell me, you know?” Alli’s voice was terse.
“It’s not—I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Of course he didn’t. Who would want to admit that one of their students kissed them on campus?
“You never want to talk about it,” Alli muttered, and her voice moved a few paces past where Megs was listening.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“What I said, Gideon. You never talk about yourself. I’ve been trying so hard to get to know you again, and—”
“There was a complaint filed against me, okay?” Gideon didn’t snap at her, but his voice was pulled tight.
Megs was sweating now despite the chilled night air. Had she heard him right?
Alli retraced her steps. “What kind of complaint?”
“Someone filed a complaint for misconduct.”
Alli scoffed. “Misconduct? Like . . . what kind of misconduct?”
Gideon sighed. “I don’t know the details. I have to meet with administrators on Thursday.”
There was a pause, and Megs’ mind reeled. Someone filed a complaint against him? Who would do that? She thought back to that moment when the lights went out. There was a window in the door, and it hadn’t been that long since class had ended. If someone came back to ask a question or forgot a cord like she had—
Her stomach twisted, and Megs dropped into a crouch. Gideon could lose his job over this. If someone saw them kissing, they wouldn’t know that she’d been the one to instigate it. They wouldn’t know that Gideon had done everything he could to set boundaries, and she’d been the one to push them.
Gideon’s voice drifted away as he and Alli walked further into the maze, but Megs couldn’t move. She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her knees until a hand landed on her shoulder.
“Hey.” Oscar’s voice was soft as he pulled her up and held her against his chest. “I’m so sorry. You ran, and there was this fork in the maze, and I took the wrong path at first, and—”
“It’s fine,” Megs murmured. She appreciated his concern, but she wasn’t even thinking about the ghoul anymore.
Oscar pulled back and looked at her. “Are you okay?” Megs nodded. “I’m really sorry.”
Megs stepped back and Oscar dropped his arms. “I did tell you I didn’t like corn mazes.”
Oscar pursed his lips. “I know. I didn’t listen.”
At least he was willing to admit it. Megs blew out a breath. “Can we just find our way out of here please?”
Oscar nodded. “This way.” He grabbed onto her hand, and Megs didn’t mind. They raced down the aisles and witnessed a few other jumpscares, which meant the characters weren’t in place to terrify them when they passed.
“Are you ready for the final audition?” Oscar asked.
Megs laughed, out of breath. “I hope so?”
“Do you think all of this helped?”
Megs considered his question. On the one hand, ‘all of this’ was a lot to go through for an audition. On the other hand, she did feel more passionate about Oscar’s story because she knew him. Because she’d seen where he envisioned the scenes taking place. “Yes. I think this audition will be more authentic.”
“Well, I’m excited then, because your first reading was phenomenal.”
“Your assessments don’t matter, remember?”
Oscar laughed, and that was when their perfect system of avoiding the terrors in the corn maze broke down. Megs caught sight of the exit just as a zombie with flesh flapping off his arms and face burst out in front of them.
Megs yelped, but this time, Oscar yanked her next to him and made a sound reminiscent of a dying cat until the zombie disappeared back into the stalks. Megs laughed so hard, she clutched her stomach. When she stood straight, Oscar reached out and pushed her hair behind her ear.
Everything inside her stilled at his touch. What was he—?
Oscar slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, then leaned in. Megs jumped faster than she had the first time that cloaked figure had appeared in front of them in the maze.
“Oscar, no.” Megs stuffed her hands in her jacket.
He blinked. “Megs, I—”
“No.” Megs turned and ran for the exit. Tears sprung to her eyes as she exited the maze and darted across the clearing. She passed their fire pit, but only saw Melissa and Sean along with Oscar’s social media team.
She was grateful they didn’t notice her. By the time she got to her car, Megs was gasping for breath. She slumped down into the driver’s seat and dropped her head onto the steering wheel. Her thoughts skittered through her mind like a dropped bag of marbles.
She needed to go home.
It was the only idea that bounced to the surface, so Megs started the car and drove.