Chapter 14
fourteen
. . .
beau
Nerves race up my spine as I pull into Piper’s driveway.
You can’t even tell there was a storm recently.
She’s even planted flowers in front of her house.
Who knows where she got the time to do it.
She’s either at the winery, with me, or…
on dates. Hopefully after tonight, that last one won’t be something she’s doing anymore. All of my fingers and toes are crossed.
The curtain in the window shifts. Is she watching out for me? That’s new. Usually, I get here and walk right in. She’s almost never ready for anything we have planned. I’ve made it a habit to tell her we need to be at a location slightly earlier than we need to be.
I put the car in park and open the door to see if she’s ready. Before I can take a step, she’s already walking down the sidewalk. Her hair is up in a ponytail that bounces every time she takes a step. I half expected her to be in a pair of leggings, but she has on shorts and a flowy top.
This is not the norm for her. Anytime we go to town functions she’s usually sporting a t-shirt and leggings. Hell, she doesn’t even wear makeup most of the time. Today is different. I need to figure out why.
“Did you forget how to say hello?” She waves at me as if she’s not the only thing in the universe I focus on.
“Sorry. It’s just.” I wave my hand up and down over her outfit. “This is different. You don’t even have on a ball cap.”
“Occasionally I do dress like a functioning adult.”
I move around the car to open the door for her before she makes it over here. “I know that.” I wait until she’s seated with her small bag in her lap before leaning in. “It’s just not your usual outfit for a day of getting on rides and eating junk food.”
She only shrugs instead of answering my unasked question. Fine, if she wants to be mysterious, I’ll play along.
The parking spaces around the square are full. Dang, people got here early today. It’s not even lunch, and families are already milling around booths. Maybe they want to get the school stuff out of the way before they let their kids loose on the rides. I don’t blame them.
“Looks like we’ll have to walk a bit.” I turn toward one of the stores that’s okay with people parking in their lot during town events. “I guess I underestimated how many people would be here this early.”
“Pfft. Some people have already come and gone. It gets way too hot out here.”
“What if their kids want to hang out at the carnival?” We were always here early and late as teens because we’d help some of our favorite teachers set up their booths for extracurricular activities. That never crossed my mind.
It might also be because I came with the Summers every year, too. My parents would give me money in case I wanted anything, but they never showed up to anything except graduation.
“They’ll probably bring them back tonight once it cools off.”
She has a point. It way too hot to be outside all day long. I’m pretty sure the city has put up tents with mist sprays. At least, I vaguely remember them doing that when I was a kid.
I park the car as close as I can to the square. We still have to walk almost a mile. I guess it’s a good thing Piper wore a pair of tennis shoes today instead of heels or flip flops.
“Are you ready for this?” I ask after I open the passenger side door.
She slides the long strap of her bag over her head so that it hangs across the front of her. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
We walk side by side down toward the festivities.
Is she walking closer to me? We’ve always entered areas like this, but I swear I just felt her shoulder brush against mine.
I know I shouldn’t read too much into it, but maybe she’s finally starting to show she has more than friendly feelings toward me.
Keeping my cool until I get the courage to tell her how I feel is going to be difficult.
Groups of people are hanging out in various areas. Families are clustered around the school booths. It’s nice seeing the community together. Even if these types of fairs happen at least once every three months. It’s not something I saw in the town I lived in before I moved here as a kid.
I grunt as I get elbowed in my side. At first, I think it’s a kid running by, but Piper is digging in her bag for something and not paying attention to where her arms are moving.
“Sorry.” She winces as she finds what she’s looking for and pulls it out. “I should have gotten these out before we got out of the car. I didn’t realize how many people I would need to dodge.”
“What are those?”
Her cheeks turn red, and I don’t know if it’s from the heat or embarrassment. “Business cards. I talked with the city manager, and he said it was okay for me to hand them out.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize we were doing marketing things today.
” My words are low and I’m almost certain I mumbled them.
Disappointment courses through me. I thought we were going to have a fun day out.
Something to make us feel like we were kids again, and completely unrelated to work. At least for a few hours.
“I figured it was a good idea. And it’s technically free since the cards were in a box, buried behind a bunch of files.” She stops and grabs my arm, noticing the change in my mood. She’s the only person who knows how to read the subtle shifts. “I’m not handing them out all day.”
“It’s fine, and not a terrible idea. Though most of the people here already know about Starlit Fields.”
“That’s what Dad said, too. But there may be new folks in town.”
She’s not wrong. Our small town is rapidly growing, and I worry we’ll lose the charm I’ve come to love.
We spend the next few hours passing out cards to overworked, and overstimulated, parents.
They gladly take them with the promise of a slow pace and good wine.
I know for a fact some of these folks have been to the winery, but they need the reminder that it’s okay for them to take some time to themselves.
With our hands now empty, we take in the food trucks, games, and rides.
“So, should we eat?” I grab her hand and pull her toward a trailer with corn roasting over an open fire and get in line.
“Yes, I’m starving. I didn’t eat anything before you picked me up.”
“Why not?” I know her, and she’s not one to skip meals unless she’s nervous. Talking to people comes easily to her though. If she planned to hand out cards today, she knew she was going to be sweet talking folks.
“Nerves, I guess.” She glances at her hand still in mine, but she doesn’t remove it. “I want to bring more business to the winery, and if the things we’re doing don’t work, I don’t know what will happen going forward.”
“It’ll work, I promise.” We’re almost to the front and I glance to see if they have anything else. The board lists corn and drinks. There is a table off to the side with various condiments to add to the corn. “Just one? Do you want anything to drink?”
“One is fine. And water, please. It’s too hot out here not to stay hydrated.”
She’s not lying. My shirt is damp from all the walking and I could use some water, too.
I place our order and once we have the roasted corn in our hands and fixed up the way we like, I search for a shaded area to sit. All the tables are full and I spot an open space under a tree. We’ll have to sit on the ground, but I know she won’t have an issue with it.
“It feels good to sit down.” She says as she plops to the ground. “We haven’t even been here that long and my feet are killing me.”
“Maybe we should add some cardio to our marketing meetings.”
“You’re so funny.” She bumps into me before taking a bit of the corn. “This is so good.”
The moan that comes from her is more than I can handle, and I need a change of subject.
“So, you never told me. How was your date?”
It’s the last thing I want to bring up, but I’m curious. She usually tells me how horrible her dates are, but this time she’s been oddly quiet about it. Fear that it went well and is progressing to another date stabs me in the stomach. Maybe I’m not so hungry after all.
“It was fine.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Rob took me bowling.”
Rob? “Oh, so you’re telling me their names now. It must be serious.”
Another shrug. She’s doing everything she can to keep her eyes off me. “He asked me on a second date.”
“What did you say?” Please let the answer be no. She’s gone on a couple of second dates that haven’t gone anywhere. I shouldn’t worry.
“I haven’t answered him.” She finishes off her corn, and I’ve barely touched mine. “Let’s play some games. I think most of them are put on by school organizations and the profit is going toward their funds.”
“Let’s give these kids some money.” I’m grateful for the change of subject and activity. As much as I tell her I’m okay with listening to her dating shenanigans, I don’t know if I can stomach hearing about a date that went well enough for her to consider a second one.
“I cannot believe you talked me into getting on that death trap.” Piper clings to my arm as we step off the ferris wheel.
This right here is exactly why I suggested it. She is terrified of heights, but always willing to go on this ride with me because she knows it’s one of my favorites. It’s the one ride that slows everything down and you’re able to relax without a care in the world. Unless you’re Piper, of course.
“You could have said no.” I laugh. “It’s not like I forced you onto it.”
“I know, but I don’t see why you like it so much. You can get the same feeling down here with both feet on the ground.”
“Because you can’t see the skyline from down here.”
“Okay, you’ve got me there.” She reaches for my hand and pulls me in the opposite direction. “Now you get to go in the funhouse with me.”
It was the one concession I made for her.
I’m not scared of funhouses, but sometimes they are too cramped and make me feel like I can’t get out.
Like the walls are closing in on me. It’s not my favorite feeling in the world.
Especially since it’s how I felt my entire childhood having to tiptoe around my parents.
“Ten tickets,” the person running the funhouse announces as we approach. “Each.” He adds at the last minute.
“We should have gotten the wristbands,” I mutter under my breath.
“Probably,” Piper laughs and nudges me with her elbow.
I count out the twenty tickets and hand them over before taking the steps into my own personal nightmare.
“Do you think this is the same one they had out here when we were kids?” My steps are careful as we make our way over what feels like plywood to the first room.
“I doubt it. That thing was falling apart back then. I’m positive this is a new one.”
“If you say so.”
I follow her through each room, my hand never leaving hers. The one with stripes going in every direction always makes me sick to my stomach. It’s too much chaos and reminds me of the times my parents would argue after they thought I was in bed.
I can see reflections as we enter the next room. Mirrors cover every wall and the hallways splits into multiple directions. Why did they have to make this is a maze?
Though this could work to my advantage. If we get stuck in a corner and don’t have anywhere to go, she has to hear me out. This is my last chance or I’m going to chicken out the way I always do.
We turn left, then right, and another right. Honestly, seeing ourselves in every direction is disorienting. It’s definitely not a space you can hide from yourself. Everything is on full display whether you like it or not.
“Shit, we hit a dead end,” Piper says loud enough to be heard over the music blasting through the speakers. She turns around and slams into my chest. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were so close. We should turn around. I know how much you hate this attraction.”
How convenient. She said the one thing I want to talk to her about. I walk her backwards until she’s between me and one of these God forsaken mirrors. Focus Beau.
“What are you doing?” She glances up at me. “You hate this place.”
“I want to talk to you.” Honestly, the ferris wheel would have been a better place because there was absolutely nowhere to go. I guess the best part is if things don’t go the way I’m hoping, we can leave easier.
“A-about what?” Her voice is soft and barely above a whisper. Our close proximity is the only reason I can hear her.
“My feelings toward you.” She opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off. “Look, I know you think that night was a fluke. That I only kissed you back because I was in shock. But, Piper, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve wanted to taste your lips since we were teenagers.”
“No.” She shakes her head and tries to head back down the hallway, but stops when my hand meets the mirror, blocking her escape. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”
“I’m really not, Piper.”
“Yes, you are. We’ve been best friends for years, you’re just confusing the emotions.”
There she goes again trying to write off the connection between us. “What can I do to prove it to you?”
She’s looking around trying to figure out how she should answer this question. A war raging inside her head. Finally, she smirks because she’s come to a decision and it’s one she doesn’t think I’ll follow through with.
“Kiss me.”
She’s wrong. My lip crash into hers with zero hesitation.