Page 41 of Finding My Charming

“Elle, we will figure this out. I promise you I will not stop until we find your man, but staying in will accomplish nothing.”

Fine, maybe it was a dramatic perspective, but things seemed grim until an hour ago. I hadn’t even really spoken to Vincent the night of the party, but his picture made me feel something.

Something stronger than just recognition.

It was as if something in my soul had clicked into place. If that’s what happened with just seeing his picture I can only imagine what it would be like to see him again in person. Zero chance of that happening!

“Smile for me.” She held my hand until I flashed her all of my teeth. She barked out a laugh and squeezed my hand. “You’re a freak. I said smile, not… whatever that was.”

A grin broke free, and suddenly I was laughing with her. It was a good thing I had her around to keep me sane.

we arrived about an hour before the big event was set to start, which was about two hours too late for my mom. She was running around barking orders and pointing at things that needed to be done.

The scene would have been completely acceptable except for the little fact that we were all volunteers. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to be facing a mutiny.

I grabbed Ari’s arm and tugged her forward with me. Someone needed to intervene quickly. “Hi, Mom.”

She spun around and let out an exasperated sigh. “There you are! I’ve been waiting for you two for over an hour!”

Ari met my eye and bit her lip, obviously to hide her smile. “Sorry, Mrs. Benson.”

I checked my phone for the time and held it up. “It’s only one, Mom. I told you I was working until noon, and I needed to change after.”

She raised her clipboard in the air and threw back her head with a sigh. “Just get busy. We need people to set up the donation booths with their signs and several crates at each. Come and find me when you’re done with that.”

We stood there motionless while she turned on her heels and continued her tirade.

“So, I guess we should find those booths before she has an aneurysm.”

I nodded. “For the safety of the general public.”

“We’ll be heroes.”

We smiled at each other and walked toward the row of tables on the left side of the park. Did anyone look like they were in charge?

Standing in front of several rows of stacked crates was a man holding a clipboard similar to the one my mom was using as a potential weapon. I nudged Ari, and we made our way over.

“Hi, Officer Lennon.” My teeth pinched the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling too much.

He looked up pleasantly. “My, my… trouble has arrived. Hello, girls.”

Ari beamed and began twirling a piece of her long blond hair around her finger. “Hi. We’re here for you.”

I coughed, trying to divert his attention away from my best friend who was currently embarrassing herself. “My mom sent us over to set up the donation booths. Do you know where the signs are?”

He rubbed his scruffy, manly face. “The notes say they’re supposed to be next to the crates, but I haven’t seen them. I do know that we have enough for three to each table. Want to help me with those, and then we can investigate the missing signage?”

Ari giggled. “Investigate? ‘Cause you’re an officer?”

He smirked and nodded before taking a few steps away from her. Smart man.

I followed him and picked up one of the large crates. When I turned, Ari was standing in the same place watching him like, well, like a lovesick teenager.

Officer Lennon — Robbie — had been the high school heartthrob a few years before we were even freshmen and had since graduated to the town heartthrob position. He’d dated around but had never been known to get serious, which only fueled the obsession. Every woman in town over the age of sixteen thought maybe, just maybe… they could be the one to tame him and make him fall in love.

I think he is smart enough to realize the perfect position he is in and is going to ride it for as long as he possibly can.

It took us an unfortunately short amount of time to divide the crates and position the signs at the correct booth. I was hoping it would eat up more time, lasting until the start of the event, when we would be off the hook with my mom. Nope.