Page 4 of Choosing You

So there was her list of names.

Unfortunately, it didn’t mean anything to her. Without pictures, the names were pointless.

“I think you’re right, Bill,” Chloe said after finishing a forkful of potato salad. “But I want to say I remember one of them asking around about a girl who came to the booth. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like I remember one of those guys sort of going around town asking if anyone knew a specific girl he kissed. Was it Will? Does anyone else remember that?”

Sloane immediately looked over at Ashlynn, who seemed very focused on wiping a non-existent spot off of Noah’s cheek.

Will? Was her kissing booth guy’s name really Will? And he was looking for her?

That’s got to mean something, right?

Instead of commenting, Sloane picked up her sandwich and took a bite.

While silently trying to plot a way to look up all these guys on social media and see if she could finally put a face and name together.

If Jade Donovan walked in right now, he’d kiss her.

Like seriously take her in his arms and kiss her.

Of course, that might mean that Levi would kick his ass, but it would totally be worth it.

Will Campbell had never been more excited about a town festival than he was right now. Even though the town of Sweetbriar Ridge seemed to have more than their share of events in recent years, he had a feeling that this new one was going to be his favorite!

“What are you grinning at?” his boss Devin asked as he stepped away from the garage bay of Sweetbriar Ridge Auto Care and headed toward Will.

Holding up the flyer, Will knew he was still smiling like an idiot. “Meet in the Streets. The first annual Meet in the Streets festival. Check it out!” He handed the paper to Devin but immediately began reading it all rather than letting Devin see it for himself. “A Sweetbriar Ridge original festival to introduce all the new businesses to the community! All the businesses are going to have curbside displays set up with food and giveaways, plus a carnival that’s going to be set up on the field between the elementary and middle schools! There’s gonna be live music, a few carnival rides and games, arts and crafts vendors, all kinds of food, and…a kissing booth.”

“Oh no,” Devin groaned, and quickly shoved the flyer back in Will’s hand.

“What? What’s so ‘oh no’?”

Devin turned and looked at him with an expression that said it all. “Seriously?”

“Okay, fine. But this could be it! This could finally be my chance!”

“Will, seriously, dude. Let this go. Move on already.”

If it were that easy, Will would. But for some reason, he couldn’t. Three years ago, during the re-opening of Summit Ridge and the summer festival, he was working at the kissing booth whenshestepped up. Long red hair, big green eyes, and a smile that was just this side of naughty. It was like every romantic stereotype you could imagine—Cupid’s arrow, being thunderstruck, tongue-tied, seeing stars…you name it, Will felt it. But after one mind-blowing kiss, she was gone.

Except…she showed up again for the Fourth of July festivities.

And the Fall Festival.

And the winter holiday one.

She’d come back for those events for three years running and each time, she’d kissed him stupid and then disappeared. And the worst part, besides her disappearing? No one seemed to know who she was! Will had made himself—and half the town—crazy trying to find out her name and where she was from, and every time he got the same response; no one had any idea.

How was that possible? How could someone show up for multiple town events for three years with no one noticing? By the third time he’d seen her, Will tried his best to strike up a conversation with her, but the line at the booth was always long and sometimes a little rowdy and she had cut him off—with a kiss—before he said no more than hello.

And by the time she stepped away, all the blood in his head had gone south and he was too dazzled to even remember his own name, let alone remember to ask hers!

He had been anxious about having to wait so long for the Fourth of July festival—since it was only the end of April—and now Jade Donovan threw him a lifeline.

Maybe he’d go across town and find her and kiss her anyway.

Beside him, Devin cleared his throat. “And what makes you think this time is going to be any different? You’ve been unsuccessful for three years.Three!What makes you think you’re going to succeed at this new festival?”

“Because this time, I’m going to have a plan,” Will said simply.