Page 57 of Unspoken Love

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Nate told Faye.

Within the hour, the Brew-Ha-Ha booth was open and already buzzing with a line. Kids wandered up to grab mini lemonades and sugar cookies decorated like American flags. Adults swarmed for their favorite cold brews.

“Think they’ll survive without us for a few hours?” Nate asked, slipping his arm around her as they stepped away from the tent.

“They’d better,” she said, “because it’s our official first date, remember?”

“I wouldn’t forget.” He surprised her by pulling a small bouquet of red and white flowers from behind his back. “Let the date begin.” He laughed as she buried her face in the flowers.

The event was in full swing as they set off to explore. There were booths from nearly every store that lined the perimeter of the town square. Classy & Sassy had racks of patriotic sunhats, sun dresses, and swim suits. She stopped and purchased a silk scarf. The Coast Guard Training Center had a mini obstacle course for kids, and they stopped and cheered the kids on. The fire department was letting little ones spray water from a low-pressure hose at a cardboard “flame wall.” Another booth had a dunk tank going, and Nate managed to dunk Dr. Stevens twice.

Someone from the general store was passing out American flag pins and cold bottled water.

Baked, Pride Pueblo Cocina, and the Golden Oar all had food trucks that had lines already forming.

As they strolled hand in hand past a stall filled with handmade jams, cakes, and jewelry, music drifted from the gazebo. The town’s house band—complete with a fiddle player, keyboardist, and someone’s uncle on a very energetic banjo—launched into a folk-style rendition of “America the Beautiful” to get everyone’s attention.

Then Mayor Lacey Stevens stepped up to the mic in a red dress with stars all over it and white cowboy boots. The crowd quieted.

“Good morning, Pride!” she called out. “Happy Fourth of July!”

Cheers erupted.

“First off, I want to thank the skies for not raining on us.” Everyone laughed. “A huge shout out to every single person who worked so hard to pull this together, again,” she continued. “And most importantly, I want to take a moment to honor the men and women who’ve served and continue to serve this great country. Your sacrifices mean more than words can say. Let’s give them the loudest round of applause they’ve ever heard!”

Applause broke out across the square—long, genuine, full of pride. Faye’s throat tightened as she clapped along.

When the music started again, they continued exploring booths for a bit longer, stopping to say hi to friends and sample candied nuts and kettle corn. Everywhere they went, someone waved or grinned and asked Nate how the house was coming along or if Brew-Ha-Ha had more tote bags in stock.

As the sun rose higher, heating the pavement and giving the square that unmistakable smell of summer—sunscreen, grilled food, warm pastries—they made their way back to their booth.

Lena handed Faye a fresh caramel iced coffee and nodded toward the register. “We’ve got this. Go enjoy your date, bosses. I hear it’s about time for the paddle board race.”

Faye grinned, saluted with her drink, and took a long, refreshing sip. “I’m ready.”

She and Nate wandered toward the docks, weaving through the crowd gathered around the beach games and ice cream carts. The scent of grilled hot dogs and salty air drifted through the breeze, mixing with laughter and the occasional patriotic song from the gazebo area.

Near the water, contestants were already gathering for the annual Stars & Stripes Paddle Battle. A long strip of beach had been roped off, and colorful paddle boards were stacked along the shoreline, some decked out with mini flags or painted red, white, and blue.

They spotted a clipboard-wielding volunteer calling out names, and Nate jogged over to check them in.

“You sure you’re up for this?” he asked once he returned with their life vests.

She stripped off her sundress, exposing the new red swimsuit that she’d purchased at Classy and Sassy, and handed him a life vest. “You’re not backing out now, are you?”

“I’m just making sure you’re in tip-top shape.” His eyes ran over her with appreciation. “It’s going to be hard not to be distracted while you’re wearing that.” He wiggled his eyebrows as his smile grew, and her knees went weak.

“Eyes up.” She laughed. “I’m ready to whoop your butt. What, are you afraid I’ll beat you?”

“Big words,” he said, strapping on his life vest, then helping her on with hers. “Let’s see how good you are.”

They joined the line of participants, most of them locals, though a few tourists had jumped in for fun. The course was simple: paddle out around a buoy anchored a few hundred yards from shore, then loop back in to tag the finish line with your paddle. Easy.

Faye got onto her board like she’d done it a hundred times—which, of course, she hadn’t. Nate, less gracefully, nearly lost his balance before getting himself steady.

“You sure you don’t want a head start?” she teased.

He squinted at her. “Not even a little.”