Page 56 of Under Pink Skies

“Trent,” I said, utterly surprised to see him here. “You made it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it, not after all your hard work,” Trent said, running a hand through his slicked back hair. I fought back a grimace.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” I said.

Imogen barely stifled her snort-laugh beside me, and I elbowed her gently.

“You must be Lucas, right? Pleasure to meet you,” Trent said, extending a hand toward Kameron, who Trent seemed to just now realize was standing there.

“Actually, I’m—“

“Look at the time,” Trent said, pulling out his phone. “Pro Ranger is about to take the main stage. Gotta run.”

Trent was gone as quickly as he had appeared. I rubbed a hand down my face as Imogen burst into laughter.

“Who wears a pressed suit to an outdoor festival?” Kameron asked, bewildered.

“Trent has always been like that,” Imogen said, shoulders still shaking with the force of her laughter. “Oh, my God.”

“Aren’t you going to tell Kameron how you kissed him?”

Imogen’s jaw dropped and Kameron burst out laughing. He clapped both hands over his mouth to try and stop the sound, but the damage was done. His shoulders shook with the force of it.

“I was young and naive to the ways of men,” Imogen said. “It happened once andneverhappened again.”

“And you,” Imogen whirled around to face me, one hand on her hip and the other pointing a finger in my face. “You swore to never tell another living soul. Youpinky promised.”

I threw my head back and laughed, my face turned towards the rising sun, the warmth of its rays wrapping me in a hopeful embrace.

“I’m so proud of you,” Imogen said, grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me in for a tight hug. The festival was nearing its end, and while it had been an incredible day, exhaustion seeped in. “You made this happen. Look at how happy everyone is. Even Willie is smiling.”

I glanced over to the Roadhouse, where Willie and Gale were behind a foldout table, handing out glasses of beer and wine, laughing merrily as kids ran past with their kites and younger folks stopped by to ask about the local breweries they worked with.

“We really pulled this off,” I said, somewhat unable to believe it.

“That you did,” a voice said from behind me, and I whirled to face him.

Connor stood there, clad in a short sleeve plaid shirt cuffed around his biceps in a way that left nothing to the imagination. His tan jeans also clung to his muscular thighs in a way that made me swallow tightly. I was grateful I hadn’t really had time to look my fill, because if I’d seen this man earlier in the day, I might have shirked all my responsibilities and begged him to come back to my condo with me, consequences be damned.

“You look gorgeous,” Connor said, completely unashamed as he took another step towards me.

“I’m going to—uh, bye,” Imogen said quickly, and I couldn’t blame her. I hardly noticed her leave as Connor continued to stare at me, a small smile on his lips.

“So.”

“So,” I said, allowing myself to smile.

“I heard a rumor from Kevin Phillips that there’s an after-party tonight at the Roadhouse.”

I swallowed again as he stepped in, leaning his mouth down to whisper in my ear. “Is that true?”

I shivered. For once, I didn’t care what this looked like to the people around us. Everyone was moseying their way towards the edge of town for the fireworks show, and most of the vendors were packing up to head home. Families with younger kids had already taken the shuttle back to the campsite, or were in the process of doing so. For once, I only focused on Connor and the lack of space between our bodies.

“Yeah—yes,” I cleared my throat. “Willie offered a free round of drinks for anyone who helped put on the festival, and well, you know how things spread around the youngins. Now it’s a full-on, invite-only exclusive party.”

“Will I see you there?”

“Yes,” I said. “Just going to make my rounds with the vendors and make sure no one has any concerns, and then I’ll be there.”

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