Page 124 of Maybe We Can Fake It

All of a sudden, loud music starts playing from somewhere.

It only takes a few seconds for me to recognize “This Is What Love Is.” My favorite Skyler James song off his newest album.

Then something weird happens.

It starts with May and the people she’s standing with. They’re dancing to the music. And that wouldn’t be entirely weird, except they’re all moving in sync with each other. Like they choreographed it.

That’s when Andrew and Toby cross from the other side of the grass to join them. Now a group of people are coming up the pathway toward me, all of them grinning as they move to the beat of the music.

And oh. My. God. It’s a freaking flash mob.

Before I know it, I’m surrounded by people dancing as Skyler James sings the opening lines.

Spent too long waiting for the right time

Thinking we needed permission

For a love that’s just yours and mine

Holy shit, I can’t believe this is happening. Did May do this for me?

It’s impossible not to smile as I watch everyone. There’s Roddy from the bar. And Sal the mailman, whose dancing skills are unexpectedly good. There’s a bunch of my employees from the inn who weren’t working this afternoon. The sheriff, out of uniform. All of May’s friends. Cheryl and Mark, the owners of the art supply store. A couple yoga instructors. Colleen. Angy, who owns the bakery. And so many more people.

It looks like half the town is here. For me.

Or maybe they’re only doing this because so many people in town love a spectacle. But it feels like it’s for me.

The only way this could be better is if Colleen were holding a cinnamon roll.

Suddenly, the crowd breaks into two, each group moving past me now, still dancing. As I turn around to keep watching them, I see something even more unbelievable than this flash mob.

Travis.

There he is, walking up the steps on the other side of the gazebo. He’s holding a speaker in one hand and a microphone in the other. And as I gaze up at him, he raises the microphone and sings, his voice ringing out over Skyler’s.

This is what love is

So baby, embrace it

This is what love is

We won’t let them take it away

Wow. He’s a really bad singer.

And this is fucking amazing.

It doesn’t seem real. It’s like I’m having an out-of-body experience. Or maybe I crashed on the way here and hit my head, and none of this is actually happening at all.

But no. If I were imagining it, Travis wouldn’t sound like a frog with laryngitis.

My heart is racing, and I’m smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. Travis keeps singing to me as everyone else dances all around the gazebo. I’m not paying attention to the dancers anymore though. I can’t take my eyes off the man I fucking love.

Oh shit.

Ilovehim. I really do.

He looks so out of place up there, in the center of all this chaos. But he’s smiling back at me as he sings, and kind of laughing at himself too. And even though he’s wearing his typical flannel and jeans outfit, like I’ve seen him in a million times, I swear he’s never looked so fucking hot.

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