Page 9 of The Great Maple Mistake

“Um, when I asked Max for the water, he looked over at you and said, ‘Oh, is this for the guy who’s allergic to maple?’”

“Noooo. I swear, I’m not allergic to maple!”

Finn chuckles. “Yeah, we know. But it’s in the town rumor mill now. I hate to break it to you, but short of a small miracle, you might as well have a maple allergy because that’s what everyone is going to think.”

I glance at Max. “What if I explain?”

Alex is already shaking his head. “Not gonna help. Once this town is convinced of something, that’s it. But look on the bright side. Now no one will offer you their maple buns.”

I groan, unsure if I should be grateful I won’t have to eat anything maple, or worried that everyone will be upset if they find out my ‘allergy’ is fake. After what I just witnessed, I’m pretty sure no one will believe that I didn’t tell Rae myself. “The town’s gonna hate me.”

“Nah, we’ll vouch for you. Right, Finn?” Alex elbows him in the arm.

“Right. It’s not gonna help, though. Just suck it up, Cody. You now have a maple allergy. Enjoy your maple freedom.”

He and Alex seem unbothered by the turn of events. So why do I feel like this is going to come back to bite me in the ass?

Chapter 5

Alex

July: Six weeks until the Cook-off

The scent of old books tickles my nose, and I inhale deeply, feeling a sense of calm settle in my chest. I adore the library. I adore books. I could spend hours here and never get bored. In fact, I have. Frequently. Unfortunately, tonight I’m not here to look for a new novel or three. At least not until I’m done with the committee meeting for my latest brainchild, The Great Maple Cook-off. We’ve been planning for months, and tonight we’re having a check-in to ensure everyone is on track with their assigned tasks and offer help to anyone who’s hit a roadblock of some kind. It should be a quick meeting, so maybe I’ll have time to wander through the library after.

I take one more deep inhale and head for the community room. We’re not due to start for another twenty minutes, but I want to make sure the room is ready when everyone arrives.

Andre Thompson, the head librarian, already has the lights on, the whiteboard cleaned, and the table and chairs arranged for us. “Hey, Andre.”

“Hi, Alex. I think I have everything set for tonight, but if I missed anything, you can come find me or help yourself. You know where everything is.”

“I do. But I appreciate your assistance getting the room ready.”

Andre waves away my thanks. “No problem. Unless you can think of anything else you need, I’ll leave you to it.”

“I’m here, and I’m early!” Finn strides through the doorway, and for the first time in forever he’s not wearing scrubs. He’s in a Phish T-shirt, khaki shorts, and white Converse high-tops.

Laughing, I gesture to his outfit. “Did Drake drop off clothing, or did you actually make it home before coming here?” His sheepish look is a giveaway. “Ahh. Drake. I figured, since I don’t recognize that T-shirt.”

Finn blushes, but strokes the T-shirt like it’s a prized possession. “He also brought me dinner, so I’m even fed.”

“Which means you won’t be hangry, and we all owe Drake a debt of gratitude.”

Finn flips me off as Andre claps his hands, focusing our attention on him. “That’s my cue to leave.” He grabs Finn’s shoulder on his way past. “Good to see you.”

“Same.” Finn drops into one of the chairs and groans, putting his hands on his stomach. “I like having a boyfriend.”

Laughing, I give him a shove and drop into the chair next to him. “Fuck off.”

“You’re just jealous because that hot fireman hasn’t made a move yet. But he will.”

I have my doubts. It’s been a week since we had our tumble at the festival. I figured we’d exchange numbers, but it didn’t happen. I considered going back to the firehouse to ‘bump into him’ but that seemed a little reckless. Firefighting is no joke, and he’s there to work, not flirt. I also don’t know what his vehicle looks like. Or his schedule.

Finn rubs his hands over his flat stomach and groans. “I ate too much. And now we’re going to talk about food. What have I done?”

“We’ll run it off tomorrow morning. Stop whining.”

I can see Finn’s hand coming up to flip me off, but he aborts the motion as Brie Zervudachi steps into the room. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?”

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