Chapter 7 #2
“Great idea.” Taylor raised his hands to his mouth and hollered. “Work fast. Chels said pizza’s coming in thirty minutes.”
Taylor’s smile turned smug as cheering and clapping erupted. “My work here is done. I’ll go pick up the food.” He bowed and sauntered out the front door. He peeked at her over his shoulder, caught her watching him, and winked before moving out of sight.
Taylor was distracting her…again. Was this how it would be until he left?
The pesky strands of hair fell in her eyes again. “Does anyone have a bobby pin? Or scissors?”
CHELSEY STEPPED OUTSIDE The Gathering Place to take a quick breath of fresh, hot air.
The sun burned off the last of the haze and beat down in all its full, sunny glory.
There was still a bit to do, but with the promise of pizza the volunteers’ speed had quadrupled.
They were all tired. After the last bit of décor was in place tonight, she planned on shutting and locking the doors of the GP early Friday night and let everyone have a few hours off until midmorning Saturday when picnic baskets were being dropped off and food delivered.
Annie and her catering crew came around the water feature. They were pushing a cart that held flats of strawberries, and another group pulled a wagonload of plastic gallons full of white liquid. They all wore black t-shirts with Bake Me Happy over a stitched strawberry.
Chelsey opened the door for them. “Ohhh. Is that the cream? Can I sneak a gallon home?”
Annie grinned. “The one addiction in Juniper Valley that’s legal.”
“That’s not all that’s legal, Mom,” said a lanky teen as he walked by with the wagon.
Annie shook her head. “I don’t want to know.”
Chelsey laughed. “Do you need any help?”
“We have a couple more loads. My helpers have got it.” Annie called out in the direction of the kitchen where the helpers had disappeared. “Right?”
“Yeah, Mom.”
Chelsey shared a wry smile with Annie. Teens, she seemed to say, but her motherly love and pride were also there. “I’ll accidentally leave a gallon in the back of the fridge.”
The Comptons’ Escalade pulled up to the curb and a cheeky Taylor leaned out the window and winked. “I have twenty pizzas here for a Chelsey Hooper?”
Two of Annie’s boys ran to the car. “We’ll help.”
Chelsey directed everyone to the back lawn while Annie directed her kids to help Taylor. She went back in and had some of the volunteers help take long tables outside for the food. It was a beautiful day with plenty of shade for people to eat their food.
“Can I have your attention?” Chelsey said to no avail. She tried again and still no one paid attention.
A shrill whistle stopped everyone where they stood. “Go on, hon, we’re listening.”
“I really need to learn how to whistle like that,” Chelsey said to Wendy.
A chuckle went through the crowd.
“I wanted to thank all of you for your hard work, time and dedication to bringing this vision to light.” Chelsey’s vision blurred as she looked out over all those who put in so many volunteer hours.
She hastily wiped the moisture from her eyes.
“You have all gone above what was expected of you and I think this will be the best auction Juniper Valley has seen yet!” She pumped her fist in the air.
The crowd cheered along with her. They jumped up and clapped and Wendy added her whistle to the cacophony.
“To the best auction ever,” Wendy said as she raised her hands and clapped. “And to the best boss in all of Colorado.”
Chelsey’s cheeks heated as everyone cheered. She didn’t like being in this kind of spotlight.
“Now go out back and eat!” She gave Wendy a grateful smile. Wendy was always there, willing and very able to help. Wendy could run this event better than anyone Chelsey knew, including herself.
Once people were settled down with a slice or two of pizza and a soda, Chelsey glanced around for Taylor. He sat on a bench in the shade of a maple tree, holding a small pizza box on his lap. He motioned for her to sit by him.
A slow grin spread across Taylor’s face as she walked toward him. “I ordered your favorite.” He opened the box for her to see. “Mushrooms, pineapple and tater tots.”
“Our favorite pizza, dork.” Chelsey’s face warmed up at her own words. She ducked her head and took the plate he handed her. “Except the olives, of course.”
“That’s why they’re only on my side of the pizza.” Taylor waved his hand over the pizza box.
“Your side looks bigger.” She added a little whine to her voice for fun.
“That’s because I paid for it, so I get more.” Taylor put two big pieces on his plate. “You won’t be able to eat more than what’s on your plate anyway.”
“Because you’re going to eat all the rest, aren’t you?” She put two small pieces on his plate with a smile. Their banter happened just like she remembered—easy, fun and natural. Did Taylor feel the connection between them again? The bigger question: Why did she feel it?
“You know me well.” His eyes softened as his gaze swept over her face, landing a moment on her lips.
A shiver ran up Chelsey’s back at the way Taylor looked at her.
She dropped her gaze to her food and took a big bite.
She didn’t think she knew him well anymore at all.
All she had were the memories. There hadn’t been any communication between them over the years, only what Taylor’s mom “let slip” occasionally.
Her heart and mind were more and more at odds with each other since Taylor Compton appeared at the GP a few days ago.
But Chelsey always came back to the time in her life that changed her forever: when he left without saying good-bye. Summer had been so hard after he left. Not that she didn’t have plenty of guys asking her out, but because she’d compared them all to Taylor Compton.
Taylor cleared his throat. “Do you remember the first time we added tater tots to pizza?”
Chelsey chuckled. “You couldn’t bear the thought of having ‘naked pizza’ so you threw some on then added more cheese.”
She took a bite then wiped her mouth on a napkin. “I knew tots were your favorite. You tried to put them on everything, like grilled cheese sandwiches and stir-fry.”
Chelsey laughed. “That was a complete failure.”
“Agreed. Soy sauce doesn’t taste good with potatoes.”
The air settled a little uncomfortably between them. She wasn’t sure how to make the silence between them easy again. It’d been too many years and too many tears.
Taylor cleared his throat. “This is a really nice area back here. Is it used much?”
Chelsey blinked a couple of times and tried to catch up.
“They usually host smaller receptions and parties. The gazebo is used a lot. During the summer, we have concerts in the park there and in the winter Santa and Mrs. Claus hand out treats. In between all of those activities, it’s a popular place for couples to become engaged or get married.
” Chelsey’s words came out more as a croak.
Why was her mouth suddenly so dry? Had to be dehydration.
She opened her water and took a sip. “The library does a fundraiser every summer here too. Tea and Books they call it.”
Taylor nodded thoughtfully. “I think Mom mentioned meeting Julie Daines at that event. Made her year, I think. Mom’s year, not Julie’s.”