Page 16 of Deep Fried Devotion
Sunday morning arrived with golden sunshine and the bustle of vendors preparing for the fair's final day. Birdie woke in her tent with a smile already on her face, remembering Soren's confession the night before and the way his hand had felt in hers as they shared wine under the string lights.
She emerged from her tent to find him already working at his prep station, but when he saw her, his usual morning efficiency faltered.
"Morning," he said, and there was admiration in his voice that hadn't been there three days ago.
"Morning," she replied, suddenly shy despite everything they'd said to each other last night.
They moved around their morning setup with new awareness—not just of their professional rhythm, but of the way Soren's eyes lingered on her face, the way her pulse jumped when he handed her supplies and their fingers brushed.
"So," she said, checking her bubble gum base temperature for the third time, "last night was..."
"Like a dream come true," Soren finished, moving closer to her truck. "Though I should probably mention—I've never done this before."
"Done what?"
"Fallen in love with someone I work with. Fallen in love, period." He ran a hand through his hair. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
Birdie sighed happily. "Well, lucky for you, I have no idea what I'm doing either. We can figure it out as we go."
Before either could say more, the morning crowd began to arrive. Sunday at the fair always brought a different energy—families wanting to squeeze in one last visit before the fair packed up, couples on lazy weekend dates, regulars saying goodbye to their favorite vendors.
"There they are!" called out a familiar voice. Mrs. Henderson from the pie booth was approaching with several other vendors in tow. "The famous food truck couple!"
"We're not—" Birdie started automatically, then caught Soren's amused look. "I mean, we're..."
"Working on it," Soren finished, and the easy way he said it made her heart skip.
"Well, work faster," called Joe from the hardware booth. "We've all got money riding on when you two stop pretending this is just about business."
"You're betting on us?" Birdie asked, mortified.
"Honey, half the fairground has been betting on you since Friday," Mrs. Henderson laughed. "Mrs. Plum started a pool—she had you figured out before you did."
Mrs. Plum eventually showed up with a large basket and the satisfied expression of someone whose matchmaking efforts were proceeding exactly as planned.
"Good morning, dears," she said, unpacking what appeared to be a complete breakfast spread. "I thought you might be too busy to eat properly today, what with the reporter coming back and the Sunday crowds."
"This is incredible," Birdie said, accepting a thermos of what smelled like dark, strong coffee. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I have ulterior motives." Mrs. Plum smirked. "I want you two at your absolute best when that food blogger returns. Yesterday's feature is going to put Guilford onthe culinary map, and I intend to make sure he has nothing but wonderful things to write about."
They shared the breakfast Mrs. Plum had brought—fresh pastries, fruit salad, and coffee that was somehow exactly how Birdie liked it. More importantly, they talked. Really talked, for the first time since they'd started working alongside each other.
"Can I ask you something?" Birdie said, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup.
"Anything."
"Do you believe in love at first sight?"
Soren paused, a piece of pastry halfway to his mouth. "That's a loaded question."
"I'm serious. I've always thought it was ridiculous—how can you love someone you don't even know? But then..." She gestured between them. "This happened so fast. It feels crazy."
"Maybe it's not love at first sight," Soren said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's recognition at first sight."
"Recognition?"
"Like your soul recognizing what it's been looking for." He set down his coffee, his expression growing more serious. "I looked at you Friday morning and thought, 'She's going to change everything.' I didn't know how, but I knew."
