Page 92 of More Than My Hometown

I sputter out a laugh. Totally fair. We did lose Ewan somewhere along the way. Yes, the tent has filled up exponentially since we arrived—and it’s not like we were even close to the first ones here—but that doesn’t mean it should have taken him this long to have grabbed a couple of sweet teas. I’ve got ten bucks that says one of his brothers roped him into some stupid conversation and he needs rescuing. Or worse, he’s at the mercy of Aunt Hattie who put him to work.

“Let me go figure out where Ewan got to.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Pushing to my feet, I lean down, kissing her cheek. I’m no closer to an answer, but somehow, I am more at ease. At least a little bit. There’s still a chance I’ll choose wrong—but there’s more of a chance that I’ll make a choice that simply shapes the way my life goes. Or so I hope.

Then again, I thought that the last time. My decision then had shaped how my life was going. All my years traveling and seeing the world. Missing out on what was happening here. Missing Ewan.

Who is just as much of a consideration. Because it’s not just my life I’m shaping. It’s his. It’s ours. I don’t care how much he says we'll make it work, this is an us decision. And just how does he think we’re going to make it all work?

Okay, I take it back. I’m not at all at ease. I am still very wound up. And not in a good way.

Bam!

I slam into something solid, the sudden stop sending me backward, trying to catch my balance. Shit, I should have been watching where I was going. A pair of hands grabs my shoulders, steadying me, and I blink, still trying to regain my composure.

“Oh, shit, Maisey, are you okay?”

I nod, my wits back about me, my eyes settling on Seth Jennings, the town plumber. Average height, sandy-colored hair, and brown eyes, he’s the kind of guy that would probably get lost in the crowd if you weren’t looking for him, but always nice enough, going out of his way to help me whenever I needed it back in high school. Including driving all the way to Tifton to get supplies the night before our physics group project was due because I accidentally knocked it over and we had to start from scratch. Ewan used to tease me that Seth was only that nice to me because he had a crush on me, despite my protests that he was wrong. At least up until Seth asked me to prom, and then I didn’t hear the end of it.

I bet the second Ewan sees Seth talking to me, he brings it up again…

“Hi, Seth. I’m fine. I didn’t mean to plow into you like that.”

“Don’t worry about me.” He laughs, dismissing my apology. He doesn’t let go of me but instead gives me a long once-over, dragging his eyes up and down my body, checking to make sure I’m steady. “I’m more worried about you.”

Stepping back, I remove myself from his hold. “No need. Just stuck in my own head. Should have watched where I was going.”

“I’m glad I ran into you. Literally.” He laughs at his own pun. I force a smile, not wanting to be rude. “Your father mentioned you’d moved back and were working as an EMT for the town⁠—”

“When did you talk to my dad?”

The question fires out of me like a bullet from a gun. There’s no stopping it. Nor is there any stopping the creeped-out shiver that runs down my spine at the thought of Seth Jennings—a guy I haven’t seen or spoken to since high school—talking to my dad about me. Not that I blame Dad—I can promise he didn’t think twice about it. Especially if he was talking about me joining his team at the fire department as an EMT. I know how excited and proud he’s been. If the text I get at the start of every shift telling me so wasn’t enough of a giveaway, the way Mama gushes about how he “talks about it nonstop” is.

None of that explains why the town plumber was asking though.

“He mentioned it at one of the council meetings.”

Council meetings? As in the town council? I take a moment to rack my brain. I know that both my parents mentioned that Ellen Potter, the longtime at-large member passed away a couple of years ago, but they didn’t tell me that Seth replaced her. And really, Seth?

“I didn’t realize you were on the town council now,” I verbally tap dance, trying to keep my face in check. Which is becoming harder and harder the longer this conversation goes on.

“I am.” He beams, prouder than a peacock. Oh boy… “Anyway, I realized I don’t have your number, so I dropped by the station a couple of times and you’ve either been out on a call or not on shift…”

I shift my weight awkwardly from foot to foot, pulse kicking up a notch and my skin starting to prickle as my nerves take over. I already know where this is heading. He has the same sheepish look on his face from senior year, hand anxiously rubbing the back of his neck, as he talks in circles. At least this time he’s able to make eye contact with me.

“I saw you briefly at Reel Madness, and was gonna come say hi, but then you disappeared…”

“Well, we did have a medical emergency that we had to tend to,” I say, trying to shift the conversation. “And it was a busy day all around.”

“Absolutely.” He nods, rubbing his neck again. “But, now that I’ve got you, I was wondering…”

Please, Seth, no…

Not at my grandmother’s birthday party. Actually, not at all. I didn’t say yes to you then, and my answer isn’t going to be different now. Past that, there is no way that the news of Ewan and me hasn’t reached him. Especially if he’s been talking to my father. Pretty sure Daddy’s not been shy with that factoid either.

Sometimes I think Aunt Hattie rubbed off on him more than he realized.