Page 44 of Espresso Your Love

I raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’ve been putting out fires all morning.” He smirks.

A laugh bubbles out of me, and I shake my head. “Yes, it feels like one crisis after another. But we’re all good now. I have to set up a photo booth. Will you walk with me?”

“Absolutely.” He falls into step beside me.

“Are you ready for your first Meadowbrook event?” I ask him.

“I am. Will you get a break to enjoy it too?”

I shrug. “At some point, I’m sure I will.”

“Whenever you get a break, come find me. You can show me all the must-see spots.”

“Deal.”

Someone calls out to Ryan as we reach the truck.

“I’ll see you later then.” He gives an excited grin as I wave to him.

“Is that your boyfriend?!” Millie shouts next to me.

“Millie!” I whisper yell then look over to Ryan who’s already looking back towards us.

I bite my bottom lip and wave. He grins and keeps walking. A flush of warmth hits my cheeks, but I quickly brush it off.

While she takes this job very seriously, she’s still a teenager, and I’ll have to remember that. Maybe he didn’t hear her and had just glanced to look back.

“Come on, let’s finish setting this up.”

The rest of the morning goes smoothly with very minor hiccups, nothing serious. But it is one thing after another. When I finally get to breathe, the festival is about to open. I walk over to the center of the town square and go up the stage where we’ll have live music.

“Hello, wonderful vendors!” I say into the microphone. “Welcome to the Autumn Festival. We are so glad you’re here.”

The small crowd erupts in cheers around me.

“We have ten minutes before the gates open so if there’s any last minute details that need to be addressed, now is the time. Otherwise, let’s make this an unforgettable event and give our guests the best day!”

I exit the stage and make my way towards my team of volunteers.

“Here we go! Gates are opening soon. Always keep your radio on you, but don’t forget to have some fun too!”

I glance around the town square. It’s been transformed into an autumn wonderland filled with hay bales, wooden crates, and a variety of fall vegetables. When the sun sets, twinkling lights will illuminate the area, strung from the trees and vendor booths.

I make one last trip by the activity tables and vendors’ booths to see if anyone needs anything. I made sure to include a variety of kid-friendly booths with plenty of games and activities, like pumpkin painting, candy corn hole, and potato sack race.

We also have a variety of food, drinks, and desserts from both local vendors like Coffee Loft and Sweet Sisters Bakery, as well as neighboring towns. And let’s not forget the classic fall activities like a hay maze and bobbing for apples. Plus, a few unique vendors, like the escape-the-mini-trailer experience. Everything looks wonderful as I check in at each booth.

“Cass!” Ash squeals, pointing to the hay maze sign. “Everything looks a-maze-ing.”

I give her a big hug. “Isn’t it unbe-leaf-able?”

She bursts into laughter. “You’re just as corny as I am.”

“Oh, don’t you look gourd-ous tonight?” I wink at her, admiring her chosen outfit.

She giggles. “I had to put a little extra effort into tonight. I mean, you never know who you’ll run into.” She shrugs with a smirk on her face.

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