Page 20 of Rumors in Bayberry
“I know,” he said.“After we finish working at the maze, why don’t you show me around the rest of the festival.Maybe we can grab some dinner.”
“It is open until nine.That would give us a few hours.And we’ll definitely find something to eat.”The smile returned to her lips.“The festival has all kinds of good food.”
At that moment, their lunch was delivered.He checked the time on his smart watch.They didn’t have much time to eat.It was almost time for the maze to open.So, there wasn’t much talk as they rushed to eat their salads.
When they reached the maze, Sadie said a few words to the other workers.And then she walked away, and he was alone.He already missed her.
He took his position at the entrance.People were already lined up, waiting to get in to the maze.He collected the entrance fee, explained the maze, and offered each guest a red flag.The men never took one; he couldn’t blame them.He wouldn’t take one either.It was a pride thing.But a number of the women were smarter than the men and accepted a flag.
Business was brisk.Bayberry definitely had a successful venture with the Pumpkin Festival.No wonder they let the festival take over the center of town.Instead of the street closures hurting business, from what he could tell, it was drawing in more foot traffic.
He really liked what he’d seen of Bayberry.The people in this town were friendly and hard working.They took pride in their town and wanted the best for it.These were the types of towns where investing in their local paper was beneficial to both parties.
He still wasn’t certain about making a deal with theBayberry Gazette.He still had to see the numbers, and if he liked what he saw, then they had to be forwarded to the corporate office where Brad and his team would evaluate them.There were many steps before they’d have a firm deal.But this was a hopeful beginning.And he couldn’t ask for more than that.
Chapter Seven
Theirlasteveningtogether.
Sadie couldn’t believe the guy she’d met at dinner on Friday night had become so important to her so quickly.It just didn’t seem right that Reed would go away the next day, and she’d never see him again.And yet, that was happening.
Evening had settled over Bayberry.The sun had sunk low on the horizon, sending an array of oranges and pinks across the darkening sky.And she wasn’t going to let this evening end until they’d played all of the games and sampled most of the festival food.
She reached for Reed’s hand and wrapped her fingers around it.“Let’s go have some fun.”
His brows rose on his forehead.“What exactly do you have in mind?”
She grinned at him.“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Should I be worried?”
She let out a laugh.“Perhaps.”
“Oh boy.”He’d uttered it under his breath, but she still heard it and smiled.
As they walked, she noticed he didn’t withdraw his hand from hers.In fact, he laced his fingers with hers.It made her heart pitter-patter.
Walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand, felt natural.As though they’d done it a hundred times before.If only they had more than this weekend…
After a mental shake, she told herself not to get caught up in some romantic daydream.It was no big deal that he was holding her hand.Still, nothing would slow her racing pulse.
As they casually strolled through the festival, she was constantly seeing people she knew.There was ahellohere and ahow are youthere.No one stopped her to chat, most likely because she was with Reed.
She was certain being at the festival with him had stirred up rumors.In Bayberry, rumors were served up fresh twenty-four hours a day.By now, everyone was wondering who Reed was.She was going to let them wonder because she wasn’t telling anyone he was her dream date.He was kind, fun, and a gentleman.Being a gentleman never ever went out of style.
“Why don’t we stop here?”He moved toward one of the game booths.
She eyed up the milk bottle toss game.There were six bottles stacked in a pyramid form.She didn’t have good aim, so she never played this game.She’d be lucky to hit the side of a barn.
She glanced over at him as he reached into his pocket and fished out some cash.He gave it to the attendant.In return, Reed got three baseballs.“Are you sure you can do this?”
He lifted his head, and she spotted a twinkle in his eyes.“I was a pitcher in high school.I think I’ve got this.”
He certainly seemed confident enough to pull it off.With the ball in his hand, he rotated his right arm in a windmill fashion.His attention was solely on the stacked milk bottles.He pulled back and sent the ball flying.All six of the milk bottles fell in different directions.
Sadie clapped her hands and smiled at him.“You definitely haven’t lost your touch.”
Reed left the other two untouched balls on the makeshift counter.“Thanks.It actually makes me miss playing ball.”
