27. Duke
TWENTY-SEVEN
DUKE
“Do people really eat an ice cream called playdough?” I ask Maggie when I make it to the front of the ice cream line at The Candy Jar.
She smiles and my eyes track her lips, wondering what they would feel like against mine. Not the time or place for that line of thinking. I don’t know if she’d slap me if I tried to make that move on her, and in her own store no less.
Sure, now that I’m not a timeshare salesman, she’s changed her tune about me but I still don’t want to ruin what we’ve built so far. Kissing her on the cheek the other day had been a great slip up, much like calling her dear near the beginning of our relationship, the not-so-friendly connection we’d had at the start.
“There is a cult following for it. I think requirements to join are usually for those under the age of ten.”
“I’m okay not being included in that one. Let me get strawberry.”
“Strawberry?” Maggie asks, leaning forward as if she didn’t hear correctly.
Sighing, I say, “Yeah, I think today will be a less adventurous journey for my taste buds. But I’m sure it will still be good.”
She scoops the ice cream and hands it to me. “If you’ll pay Hope, I’ll finish up with these last few customers and then we can go.”
I don’t know why I like the sound of that. At this point, I’d like to go just about anywhere with her.
Nearly ten minutes later, I’ve finished my waffle cone and we start walking over to the town square.
“How was work today?” I ask, turning to look at Maggie as she walks alongside me. She’s holding my arm again, and I like that she’s not so funny about distance and space anymore.
“Good. How was brainstorming for your future today?” she says with a smile.
“Still working on it. We’ll see how it goes.”
“If you could do anything, without worrying about the money, what would you do?”
I think about that for a moment, trying to come up with something that would work for a suitable answer, something that felt right.
“I guess a business that would still allow me to interact with people. I wrote down a few ideas to present to Troy. Maybe I should help out part time, get to know the business before I try to buy them out. I’ve also tried to think of a few ideas for the office space. Beauty salon, health food place, etc.”
“So, you don’t want to become a hermit lumberjack in the woods. Got it.” We both laugh at the same time and again, I’m struck by the ease we have in our conversation now. I don’t know when that changed, but I’m grateful for it.
“Yeah, I prefer people interaction and keeping all of my digits,” I say, wiggling my fingers in front of her face.
“Probably a good choice. Even if you work for Troy, you’d need an idea for the office space. And it would be good to have a backup ready to go. Do you want to do something with animals? You’ve got Champ and he’s so fun.”
I nod. “He’s definitely a ball of energy. I like animals, but I don’t think I could go back to school and become a vet or anything.”
“You could start a pet store,” Maggie says. “Or an animal playground. A doggie wash for when people get off the beach?”
I like the sound of that. “That could be a good idea. I’ll put it on my list of better ideas.”
“What’s on there so far?” she asks.
“Doggie Wash,” I say with a laugh.
“What’s on the other list?”
Shaking my head, I say, “A whole lot of stuff that I don’t think would work year-round here in Willow Cove.”
“Ah, yes, that’s definitely something to consider as well.”
We’re almost to the town square and I’m surprised at how many people are already there. “Let’s go over by one of the sidewalls so we can sit down,” I say, gently touching her lower back to guide her through the crowd. It feels intimate, but with everything we’ve been through the past several weeks, it feels right.
We sit down and don’t have time to say anything else as the mayor stands at the microphone.
“Welcome back, Willow Cove residents and guests. We hope this scavenger hunt was something you’ve loved. Hopefully you were able to explore the beauty that is here and get to know the businesses and people in this great community. We’re ready to announce the winners of the prizes for this event, and let me tell you it was difficult to come to a final decision on this, based on all of your amazing photos.”
Barnabee nudges Mayor Dobbs and we can hear him say, “Tell them what the criteria for picking was.”
I have to hold in a laugh as the mayor shoots daggers with her eyes at her assistant.
“We had a panel of judges who gave points for creativity, ingenuity, and overall interaction on each of the posts.” Mayor Dobbs holds up an envelope and shows the crowd that it’s sealed. I don’t know if we need to go to that degree for a town competition.
“The winners of the vacation are…”
I’m holding my breath, hoping that for some wild reason we’ve won the scavenger hunt. “The Judsons. Their duet and several of their other posts were some of the best a ccording to the judging criteria.”
That’s probably true. And to be honest, they definitely deserve a trip somewhere fun.
“We have a few other prizes donated by the wonderful businesses of Willow Cove,” the mayor continues. I’m surprised she didn’t leave the vacation package for the end to sort of drum up the excitement, but whatever works, I guess.
There are a lot of happy people as they head up to get their certificates after being called. Georgie and King win a trip to the new spa opening soon and King looks like he’s less than excited.
“Winner of the five thousand dollars, donated through various businesses in town goes to…” Again with the suspense, but I’m trying not to focus on the answer too much. I know the results are already in, but what if my thinking about winning it will jinx it?
“For some creative photos and trying to go outside the box, Duke Jacobson and Maggie Dean!”
It takes a second for my brain to register that we won the money. I turn to Maggie, grinning. She’s doing the same and then I pull her in for a hug, surprised how well we fit together. She smells amazing and I’m not sure if that’s just a candy smell, or if that’s her regular perfume, but I haven’t noticed it before.
“Come get your certificate, you two,” the mayor says over the microphone.
I pull back from the hug and see that Maggie’s cheeks are bright red. Maybe she’s as affected by our hug as me?
“Go get it,” Maggie says, waving me up to the platform.
She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I don’t think I’ve ever won anything before, well more than something at the fishing pond at the town carnivals we used to have. Maybe Willow Cove had been exciting before and the mayor remembered those times. I hadn’t connected it all until just now.
The mayor hands me a check with both my name and Maggie’s on it, made out for five thousand dollars. Sure, that might not last a long time right now, but half of it will help me pay back my grandfather.
“We’ll have to go to the bank to cash it and then split it,” I say, sitting next to Maggie again. I’m so excited that I pull her in for another hug.
She laughs and says, “I think you should use it. Put it in the bank and get your next business venture started.”
My excitement disappears at the suggestion. I should be over the moon that she would want me to have this, because then I can use it for more than just a loan repayment, but why is she suddenly giving it to me? Is it a charity thing?
“No, we worked on it together. I thought you were just as gung-ho to win as I was.”
Maggie nods. “I was and I’m glad we did win, for my competitive side. But I think you could use it. Maybe you can start up that doggie daycare or whatever. Or book a trip somewhere. A cruise, maybe? All the food and drink you could want.”
I can’t read her expression fully. Why is she so solemn all of a sudden? “I need a buddy to go on a cruise.”
Her eyebrows raise and she says, “I’m not the buddy for that. I struggle with seasickness.” She laughs and I’m a bit sad about that. I thought we were making progress in our relationship, but it seems like I was mistaken.
Maybe we’ve just been able to settle into a solid friendship instead of me being the enemy now.
But why do I want more?