Page 7 of The Great Maple Mistake

Cody

July: Seven weeks until the Cook-off

Maplewood sure does love its festivals. When I saw them all written on Aunt Viv’s kitchen calendar, I wondered how everyone doesn’t get sick of so many in a row. Seriously, a festival a month? Wouldn’t they lose their charm? Surely the anticipation tapers off as the year goes on. If this weekend’s Frozen Fest is anything to go by, boy am I wrong. The town is as worked up for this festival as they were for Pride, which was only two weeks ago.

And that’s cool. Really. I love the buzz in the air and the happy chaos. There’s only one thing I’d change about it. “Hey, Cody.” From behind me, a feminine voice says my name, and there are definite sexual undertones. I turn to see a pretty woman in her mid- to late twenties, with long brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, wearing denim cutoffs and a tight baby-blue V-neck T-shirt. “Wanna try my maple buns?” She winks and thrusts a tray of pastries drenched in maple syrup in my direction.

Oh,hellno. I hold my breath and shake my head, backing away as fast as I can. Maple Bun lady stares wide-eyed, pointing at something behind me. And then I bump into someone. Spinning around, I grab for them, trying to keep us both from toppling over. A few things happen at the same time. I recognize Alex, register the camera in his hands, and realize we’re both going to hit the ground. I can’t let himorthe camera get hurt because of me. Mid-air, I grab him around his waist, execute a twist, and hit the ground with a thud that rattles my teeth. Thankfully, Idomanage not to crack my head on anything. And now I have a very handsome, very nice-smelling Alex sprawled on top of me. His eyes are such a pretty hazel. Well, the parts I can see. His pupils are so wide that there’s only a sliver of color at the edges. And his lips look really soft. “Sorry about that.”

“I’m not.” His voice is a bit winded, and his gaze drifts to my mouth as he licks his lips. Perfectly plump lips that are so close, if I lean up just a little, I could easily kiss him. His smile is slow and sensual, and oh god, I’m chubbing up. When his grin turns wicked, I know he’s felt it. “So. Very. Not. Sorry.”

“But what if I’d broken your camera? Or you?” I’d have felt so awful!

Alex repositions himself on top of me, and I gasp as his hip grinds against my cock. I press my fingers into his back, stopping his movement as I try to keep from groaning. His gaze drops to my mouth before snapping back up to my eyes. “But you didn’t.”

I stare, mesmerized by everything about him, ready to close the distance between us and kiss him in front of everyone. Before I can, someone clears their throat. We both look up to see a tall man with floppy brown hair and an amused expression on his face. His blue medical scrubs have cartoon dogs and cats all over the shirt. “Hi, Alex. Enjoy your trip?”

Alex groans. “What, are you seven?”

“Twelve. Give me a little credit. Who’s your friend?” He nods at me.

Alex props his chin in his palm and grins up at the guy. I don’t even mind that his elbow is digging into my sternum. “Finn, this is Cody. He’s new in town. He’s a fireman.”

“And an EMT.” I reluctantly remove my hand from Alex’s back and extend it up to Finn. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Laughing, Finn leans down and shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you.” He glances between us, one eyebrow quirked. “You two comfy?”

“Mmm. Very.” Alex grins and pats my chest. “Cody is an expert at cushioning falls.”

Finn blinks. “What happened?”

“It was my fault.” I carefully return my hand to Alex’s back and not his ass where I’d really like it to be. But I didn’t ask permission. No asking? No touching. My golden rule of dating. Not that we’re dating. “That person at the bakery booth offered me her buns, and they were drenched in maple. And I can’t do maple.” I shudder at the thought.

Alex smiles down at me. “Cody accidentally backed into me, knocking us both over, then valiantly cushioned my fall with his body.”

Finn nods, his expression serious, but his eyes say he gets that Alex is being a tiny bit dramatic. “As one does.”

Alex points a finger at him. “Exactly. He saved meandmy camera.”

“Well, now that you and your camera are no longer in danger of smashing on the ground, do you think maybe it’s time to stand up? The crowd has to walk around you both. I’m worried you’re going to be trampled on.”

With a dramatic sigh, Alex extends a hand to Finn, who grasps it and hauls him to his feet. I roll up and onto mine, shoving myhands into my pockets so I don’t reach for Alex’s. “Anyway, sorry again. I didn’t mean to bump into you or knock you over.”

Alex smiles, and it lights a spark in my chest that has heat radiating out to the rest of me. “No worries. I know how you can make it up to me.”

Is that innuendo in his tone? “How?”

“Let me buy you lunch.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Shouldn’t I be buying you lunch? I’m the one who ran into you.”

He shrugs. “Okay. I’m not picky. But I am hungry.” He holds out a hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Well, if that isn’t an invitation to touch him, I don’t know what is. I pull my hand out of my pocket and take his. He tugs me to a booth with a sign that says “BBQ and Burgers.” The line is only a few people deep, so it shouldn’t take long to get food. I scan the menu quickly and sigh with relief. The burger doesn’t seem to have maple in or on it. “I have to warn you, I’m not usually a picky eater, but I can’t do maple.”

They both stare at me, eyebrows raised in shock. Then Finn narrows his eyes. “Allergy?”

I shake my head, but before I can explain, we’re interrupted by an older woman in a white T-shirt, a hip-length, studded, black leather jacket, red plaid capris, and black Doc Martens. Her pure white hair is styled perfectly beneath her black beret, and her lipstick is the same red shade as her pants. I can’t see her eyes because they’re hidden behind what appear to be genuine Ray-Ban sunglasses. On most people, it might look ridiculous, but she pulls it off, even though she’s at least in her seventies. Maybe older. “Oh, you poor boy. Allergies are the worst! And to be allergic to maple! I hope it’s not a contact allergy because you’ll be hard-pressed to avoid the sticky stuff here.” She puts her hand on my arm and gives me a surprisingly strong squeezefor someone so tiny. She can’t be more than five feet, two inches tall, because I’m at least a foot taller than her.

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