Page 46 of Finding You

ChapterNine

The rest of the reunion weekend–Sunday–they took part in all the events: the pancake breakfast and the afternoon picnic and softball game. And as much as MacKenzie couldn’t believe it, she’d had a really great time. She hadn’t played in the game–sports were so not her thing–but she sat on a blanket with all of her new friends and cheered everyone on.

When they’d gone home that night, Devin had hauled her into the shower with him and it was by far the sexiest and most erotic thing she’d ever done.

And loved every minute of it.

Now, as she booted up the computer Monday morning, it occurred to her that this was kind of the best her life had been in a long time. And if she were being completely honest, she hadn’t felt this way since before her father died. Not that she never had fun, but…this last week had shown her that it was okay to let her guard down a bit and that leaving Syracuse was the best thing for her.

That would only stand to logic that perhaps she was also doing the right thing by trying to reconnect with her mother. After all…there was the possibility that she hadn’t reached out in years because she thought that’s what MacKenzie wanted. Maybe she was going to be excited about the possibility of the two of them having a relationship again.

Devin unlocked the doors and smiled at her as he made his way out to the garage area. He told her he might have the car to a point where she could take it out for a test drive today, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. On the one hand, this was great news and meant she could start making her way to Oregon. But…she really wanted to stay for the festival, and she wasn’t quite ready to walk away from Devin just yet either.

“Ugh…how am I supposed to decide what to do?” she mumbled.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to figure that out because suddenly there were four people waiting in line to talk to her about either making an appointment to have their car looked at, or dropping off their car to get worked on today. Naturally, everyone was super chatty and she found that it was kind of endearing. They all wanted to talk about the reunion and asked if she went and enjoyed herself. Then she heard all the stories of what they loved about all the events. And once that topic was exhausted, it turned to the upcoming festival. And the best part? She could seriously actively take part in the conversations because she knew all about all of it!

Before she knew it, it was lunchtime and, rather than Will running to pick up their orders, MacKenzie volunteered. Of course, Will volunteered to watch the desk for her, and she had a feeling he just enjoyed having an extended break and that’s why he was always the one going out each day at noon.

They had ordered sandwiches from the café–which was only a block away–but opted to take a quick detour over to Books and Beans because she wanted one of their brownies and figured she’d surprise the guys with something yummy for dessert. Devin had given her the shop’s credit card to use to pick up lunch, but dessert was going to be on her.

“Hey, MacKenzie!” Jade called out from behind the counter. “This is a surprise!”

Smiling, she glanced around on her way over to the display case. “I’ve been meaning to come in here–and I’m supposed to be picking up lunch at the café–but I’m taking a few extra minutes for myself.” Winking, she added, “This place is amazing, Jade! I wish I didn’t have to go back to work because I’d love to just stay and browse.”

“We’re open until eight, so maybe after the garage closes, you can come back down. I’m sure Devin won’t mind.” Then her eyes went wide. “That reminds me, he asked me to order a book for him and I just got the confirmation that it will be here tomorrow.”

“Oh, great!” she replied, all the while wondering what kind of book Devin would order. “Um…”

“He loves a good thriller,” Jade explained. “And he seems to really like them in hardcover.” She paused and wiped down the counter. “I know he can order online and get his books much faster, but I really appreciate that he’s supporting my business.”

It never ceased to amaze her just what a good guy he was.

“Well, I’m definitely going to come back later,” she assured her. “But for now, can I get a half a dozen brownies, and four of the snickerdoodle cookies?”

“You got it!”

After she paid, she promised to be back later and made her way out the door and down the street toward the café. On the way, she got stopped several times by people she’d met who just wanted to say hello or to ask how she was doing. By the time she was stepping up to the café, her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Devin said and she could hear the concern in his voice. “Is everything okay? You’ve been gone for a while.”

“Oh, crap!” she murmured. “Sorry! I stopped by Books & Beans because I really wanted a brownie, and then I started walking back toward the café and got sidelined a few times by some people. I didn’t want to be rude, so I stopped and talked to all of them, but…”

He was laughing softly.

“What? What’s so funny?”

“I think you’re practically an official citizen of Sweetbriar Ridge now. You’ve experienced how a short walk through town can turn into something much longer.”

That made her laugh too. “Yeah, well…I’m standing right in front of the café and I promise I’ll be back with lunch in no time. Please apologize to the guys for me! And I’m bringing back brownies and cookies, so…”

“In that case, all is forgiven!”

When they closed for the day, Devin prepared himself to let MacKenzie know her car was done. Walking into the front office, he found her running the end of day reports. “Hey,” he said as he moved closer. “Everything look okay?”

“Oh, definitely. I updated your POS program and it looks like today beat last year’s sales for this day.” She smiled up at him. “That’s a good thing, right?”

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