Page 5 of Keeping it Local

He leaned back against the counter, looking around. People were starting to come in now, and I knew he’d be swamped the rest of the day.

“Yeah, I just have to keep my head down, not get distracted,” I said.

“Ryan coming up for one weekend isn’t going to do that.”

I chuckled. “You’re right. I know you’re right.”

“I’ve got to ask though. How’d it go with—who was that on Friday? She seemed fun.” He gave me one of those looks that let me know he liked to live vicariously through my extracurriculars.

“Went well.” I laughed. “Summertime tourists—doesn’t get much better than that.”

“If you say so.” He tapped on the counter before welcoming a big group who walked in.

As much as I’d sworn off women since Anne, I still indulged myself in the tourists coming through town. I sure as hell couldn’t get mixed up with a local, but I wasn’t a monk either. No one could go that long. Except maybe Lane. The guy didn’t date, and I never saw him with a woman—ever. When I first moved here, I’d asked Lane to keep me in check and not let me fall for anyone. And he kept to his word on that. I knew if I tried to date someone for real, it’d only end badly, and I’d fall too quickly, too hard, and I didn’t have time for that. Not when I was trying to get my life in order for something bigger. Something real.

Not that I had any idea what that was yet.

Chapter 3

Beth

“I’m so glad you decided to help!” Megan clapped her hands. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Looking at her, I shook my head.

“Ahem,” I said. “I don’t know how much I volunteered versus was ‘volun-told.’”

“Ah, same thing.” She shrugged. “You’re the one who said she wanted to meet people!”

Little did she know I was still floating from my dance with Johnny. Everywhere I turned, I was expecting to run into him, but after being here a few days, I had yet to meet him again.

Megan lived a few blocks outside of downtown, so we walked to the Community Center for the first planning meeting for the Blueberry Festival—the big end-of-summer party that brought people in from all over the state. My family occasionally drove in to rent a booth, but it had been several years. They would shut down the streets, and vendors would set up everywhere—food booths, drink stands, rides, a rock-climbing wall, the big bands around the area, and a giant parade. This was the first year Megan was put in charge of the entire festival, but if she was nervous, she didn’t show it.

When we got to the center, it was already packed with locals, smiling, hugging, and shaking hands. Megan greeted and chatted with a bunch of people I didn’t know. Young and old, they were all here and ready to support the town. It was an older building, and all the chairs were lined up like we were at a school assembly. Megan made her way to the stage to talk with the mayor, and I tried to find a spot in the back corner where I wouldn’t be in the way.

I was about to sit down when my phone rang, and as I looked down, I saw my mom’s face. We’d been missing each other the last few days. Taking a quick look around me, I decided to step outside until we started.

“Mom?” I asked, plugging my other ear when I got outside.

It was tough to hear her because the rain had started. It was pouring. One minute, the sun was shining, and the next, there was a wall of water coming toward me.

I huddled under the awning that wrapped around the building, but I still felt the pelts of rain hitting my face as the storm approached and the clouds loomed.

“Hi Beth, sorry to bother you,” she said.

“You’re not bothering me. What’s going on?” I wanted to make sure nothing had happened with Dad. He had been off recently, and part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop while I was away. “I’m heading into a meeting shortly, but is everything okay?” I wiped my forehead that my hair was plastered to at this point, and I could feel it dripping off my nose.

Wonderful.

“Nothing urgent. I shouldn’t have called.” She paused. “I’ll just talk to you later.”

“Mom!” I tried to catch her before she hung up. We had talked quite a bit since I had been gone, but only about the business. “What’s going on?”

“Well, now I just feel silly. I know you have somewhere to be. I just—I just miss you. I wanted to chat. I wanted to see how your day was.”

“I miss you too, Mom.” My heart sank. Especially after everything with my dad, my mom and I had become extremely close. She had turned into one of my best friends over the last few years, and not talking everyday like we were used to felt weird. “Things are good here. Getting settled in,” I continued. “I’m actually outside the community center right now with Megan and going to help out with some festival stuff. Should be fun. Remember the Blueberry Festival that we used to go to?”

She laughed her throaty laugh, and it made me smile. “Yes! I remember that.”