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She would reach out to Grayson after the judging and see if he would still consider taking part in the South Shore. If need be, she’d extricate herself from the project. That would make it simpler for everyone and hopefully give him less reason to take his business elsewhere.
Annabelle stepped into the white-tented area and stopped. Her gaze searched for one of the officials. At last she spotted Mr. Caruso.
She made her way over to him. He’d just finished speaking with someone and turned to her. “Good morning, Lady Annabelle. The festival is going along splendidly. I was so happy to learn that you’re taking part in it this year. As a representative of the royal family, it really helps relations with the citizens.”
“And I was very happy to take part. I had a lot of fun.” Her thoughts momentarily strayed to Grayson. It wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without him.
“I hope you’ll be taking part in the community dinner as well as the masquerade ball.”
“I’ll definitely be here for the dinner. I wouldn’t miss it.” Without Grayson around, it didn’t sound nearly as inviting, but she would not let the people down. “As for the ball, I don’t think I’ll be able to attend.”
“That’s a real shame, but we’re really pleased to have you here for the rest of it.”
She forced a smile that she just didn’t feel at the moment. This was the moment when she needed to admit that Grayson would no longer be around and there was no one to blame for that but herself. She’d driven him away.
She laced her fingers together to keep from fidgeting. “There is something I need to tell you. I’m sorry that it’s last-minute, but Mr. La—”
“Is right here.”
The sound of Grayson’s voice made her heart skip a beat. She spun around to find him standing a few feet away. The expression on his face was blank. To say she was surprised by his appearance was an understatement. She thought for sure that he’d already be jetting off for Italy.
Regardless of why he’d stayed, she was happy to see him. Very happy.
But just as quickly, she realized that his presence probably had more to do with the South Shore Project and less to do with whatever was going on between them. That thought dampened her enthusiasm a bit.
Annabelle swallowed hard. “Grayson, what are you doing here?”
His brows drew together. “Did you forget? I’m one of the judges for today’s contests.”
“Oh. Of course.”
Mr. Caruso spoke up. “And we’re very happy to have you. Trust me, judging today is definitely a treat.” The older man turned back to Annabelle. “What did you start to tell me?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
She walked away, letting Grayson and Mr. Caruso talk about what was expected of him during today’s baking competition. She couldn’t deny that she was happy to see him. But what did this mean? Did he regret rejecting her?
And if he did, could she trust him not to hurt her again?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“ANNABELLE! ANNABELLE, WAIT UP!”
Grayson had excused himself, telling Mr. Caruso that he’d forgotten to relay a message to Annabelle and that he’d be right back. It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t exactly a lie. He did have something that he had to tell Annabelle, but he hadn’t forgotten. He just didn’t want to make a scene in front of the man. There was enough gossip going around about them already.
Was she walking unusually fast? Or was he just imagining it? He picked up his pace. He wasn’t going to let this awkwardness between them drag on.
“Annabelle.” Foot by foot, he was gaining ground on her. When at last he was just behind her, he said, “You can keep going, but just so you know, I’ll keep following you.”
With an audible sigh, she stopped and turned to him. “Grayson, what are you doing here? I thought we said everything last night.”
“Annabelle, I want to apologize.”
She shook her head. “Don’t. You were honest.”
“But there was more I should have said.” When her eyes lit up just a little, he knew he had her attention. “I overreacted last night and didn’t handle things well. I...I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It’s for the best.” There was a resigned tone to her voice.
