For a moment, no one speaks. The old tension sits there between us like it always has since I left town.
“Looks like you’re doing something good here,” he says.
The words aren’t dramatic. They aren’t emotional. But coming from him, they mean everything.
I nod. “Thanks.”
Mom slips an arm through Dad’s. “We’re proud of you, you know that, right?” she says, gently.
Dad doesn’t correct her. He just looks at me and gives me a small nod.
It isn’t forgiveness, and the disappointment hasn’t magically disappeared. But it is something. A step.
“I should get back to helping,” I say after a moment.
“Oh, yes, of course, honey, don’t let us keep you,” Mom says.
I start to turn before Dad speaks again, “Son.”
Turning around, dad gestures toward the fundraiser and the theater. “Good work,” he says.
Smiling, I say, “Thanks, Dad.”
I walk back toward the booths, and notice Violet, who’s watching the interaction from across the square.
Feeling my heart quicken as soon as I glance at her, she’s wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, her escaping curls around her face, and the sunlight catching the freckles on her nose. Even in a sea of people, she has this way of standing out, of drawing your attention without trying. My stomach does a slow, nervous flip as I walk toward her.
She notices me. “Hey, Everett! Here’s a coffee for you,” she says, handing me a steaming hot cup of coffee and giving me asmile. The kind of smile that made my chest tighten and my head go slightly fuzzy.
“Hey,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, though I know it sounds anything but casual. “Looks like you’re busy.”
Her eyes sparkle like the ocean, and she brushes a strand of hair from her face. “Well, you know me, if I am going to do something, I’m going to do it right.”
I grin. “Well, you’ve outdone yourself.”
She tilts her head and laughs. “Outdone myself? It’s just a few tables, a stand and some pastries.” But the way she says it, with that playful roll of the eyes, makes it clear she is pretending to downplay the work, even though I can see the careful arrangements of muffins and croissants, each lined up just so, and the little chalkboard sign listing everything.
“Seriously, you’ve got everything covered. Look at this.” She gestures to the petting zoo, where a couple of kids are giggling as they feed the miniature horses. “You started all of this by buying the theater. You have outdone yourself, Everett.”
Once things slow down at her booth, Maddie takes over, and Violet and I are walking side by side. It’s taking everything in me not to hold her hand and pull her close. I can’t stop stealing glances at her. The way she leans slightly forward to talk to a vendor, the soft tilt of her head when she laughs. She has this way of making everything around her feel effortless, calm, like there is no rush.
As we pass the petting zoo, a little goat sticks out its head, just asking to be pet. We both bend down to show the goat some love and our hands brush. A tiny spark shot right through me. Her breath catches, just a little, but I notice.
We make our way to the theater, walking past the movie marathon setup. People can drift in and out as they please. Families sitting in the chairs, laughing and sharing popcorn, andteenagers sitting with their friends, pretending like they aren’t having fun.
“You look like you are in a deep thought,” Violet mentions, tilting her head up at me.
I let out a long breath. “You’ve challenged me to step out of my comfort zone, Violet. You have made me believe in myself, that I can succeed at something I’ve never done before. And seeing how much fun people are having out there, it reminds me why I wanted to do this in the first place.”
Violet’s smile softens, and she nudges my arm with her shoulder. “Well, I’ll take credit for that, I guess.”
I chuckle. “You can take credit for a lot more than that.”
We walk around the food trucks and games. She laughs with a vendor, talks with some townspeople who are regulars at her café, and she teases me as she beats me at a game of ring toss. It is effortless, playful, and I realize I don’t want this day to end.
Walking throughout the booths and games, I lean down slightly, “You make this all feel fun and easy, Violet. Like it’s supposed to be.”
She looks up at me, eyes warm, and I can almost see the trust she is starting to have in me, the way she lets herself relax around me. “You make it easy, too,” she says softly.
