Page 76 of Lucy Loves Him Not
I giggled nervously.My art hanging for everyone to see?
He chuckled kindly. “Come on, you don’t have to be some painter or something. You could nominateanything. Do you knit? Or take photos?”
“I paint, actually,” I said, and a little bubble of pride filled my chest.
His eyes took interest. “Well, there you go!”
“I’ll think about it and see if I can come up with anything.” It took a lot for me to secretly auction off something under onlymy initials.Offering up my art alongside my coworkers at the summer festival where so many people know my name?
My heart sped along like a little tornado in my chest.
The day was long and we wrapped things up hours later than we planned. People slowly filed home until only a few of us were left downtown. The sky was a reddish plum like spilled wine. The air dropped a few degrees cooler.
“It’s going to be incredible,” Victor said, leaning against the big stage still under construction behind City Hall. One of the few big building projects. “It’s insane to see downtown turned into a construction zone like this.”
I pulled my sweaty curls back into a low bun as we spoke. “It’s going to be so cool to see it in its final form. We’ve never done it this big.”
Adam walked up and every nerve ending my body stood at alert. A few other team members walked up with him. Everyone chattered over dinner plans and excitement for what was to come, but Adam’s focus was heavy on me, nearly tangible, like I could wrap it up around me like a comfy duvet.
“Talk to me about your day,” he said, official and businesslike. I had notes to go over with him, but I felt tongue-tied. I dug through my leather tote for my folder. “You hot?”
“Um, yeah?” I answered, eyes still searching my bag.
“Everyone hot?” he asked the crew around us. Everyone nodded in response. “Cold drinks on me. Let’s head to the Tavern down the street off Perrin and Main.” Everyone cheered. I’d secretly hoped maybe we’d end the day with the two of us over dinner. But I had to remember we were in work mode.
During the walk there we discussed my notes. Adam answered my questions and set up reminders in his phone. We couldn’t contain our excitement over how the festival wascoming together. We’d had our local news coverage as usual, but neighboring cities and counties were talking about us, too. Hotels were getting booked. We had swung for a carousel, a Ferris Wheel, and a mini roller coaster at the last minute. I desperately wished I could call Grandma and tell her proudly, but I knew in my bones that she was already in heaven beaming with pride.
At the Tavern, we were seated at a long table for our whole crew. Everyone was buzzing with excitement about what was to come.
I was buzzing over more than work. My body was humming over the aftershocks of me and Adam finally giving in to our feelings.
He carried over a tall, sweet iced tea for me and a beer for himself. As he handed it to me and we brushed fingers, my body remembered how his fingertips felt against my skin.
Adam sat beside me, placing his arm on the back of my chair like it belonged there. Victor’s eyes noted it. I watched as other people noticed and then quickly looked away.
We were a loud bunch, ordering more drinks and rounds of french fries, fried tomatoes, and chicken wings. All of us were hot, hungry, and full of laughter.
Victor stood up, animatedly telling us a story, as I leaned back in my chair laughing. Adam rubbed the back of my shoulder with his thumb, warm and rough.
“You want me to steal you the last fry?” I whispered as I noticed the plate dwindling. He nodded. I reached over to bring it to him, and instead of offering me his hand, he brought his mouth closer and ate it right out of my fingers. My mind was short-circuited. He grinned as he swallowed the bite.
Danaya was sitting beside me. She caught my eye and gave a knowing nod. People were grinning at us. Coworkersand volunteers realized Adam and I weren’t forced together anymore. We were desperate for any chance to be together.
I scooted closer to him until I was leaning off my chair. Under my breath I asked what I’d been secretly wondering since we got back to Sweet River, “So thisisa thing?”
He grabbed my chair and pulled it so close our chairs were basically a bench underneath us, and said low and steady, “This iseverything.”
Ispend every Fourth of July with my family. It was July 2 now, and there had been surprisingly no plans made until my mom called me that morning to tell me that the Rhodes women were all heading to the family’s lake house a couple of hours away.
“Mom,” I groaned into the phone, still in bed. “I can’t be there. I’m sorry, but the festival is literally the weekend after the Fourth. It’s days away. I have to be here to help.”
“I’m only asking for a couple days. The festival has never stopped you before. You can zoom right back on July 5,” Mom negotiated. “Gracie is stuck on the couch here with her ankle.” She knew how to pull on my strings, using my sisters. “Plus, I need all the Adam details.”
I slapped my hand over my forehead. “I have to work all day today. The festival is so much bigger than it ever was before.” I kicked the sheet off. “MaybeI can drive up tonight afterward. That’s a big maybe. I’ll need to talk to Adam about the next couple of days. If he says yes, I’ll need to be right back after the Fourth. No matter what.”
“Of course, honey,” my mom said as if the plans were already set. “Do you want potato salad or egg salad with the burgers?”
Adam was stuck in meetings all day, so I didn’t get to say much to him beyond a short phone call where he told meeffusively, “Go be with your family!” So, after a long day of running around in the hot sun, I threw my things into a duffle bag and pointed my car toward the lake. The sky cracked with thunder as I drove. When I finally made it there a couple of hours later, rain poured over me as I dashed from the car to the cabin.
