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"I like watching you do this."

"Reorganize your festival?"

"See how things fit together." The teasing slips out of his voice. "You look at a mess and start making sense of it."

For some reason, that lands harder than it should.

I hand the clipboard back to Emma. "I think Jack needs help with the lights."

Jack looks offended. "My lights are fine."

"They're crooked."

He looks up. "They are not." They are. I walk away before Javier can see how much his compliment affected me. I'm fairly certain he knows anyway.

Noah arrives an hour later with Mom and enough energy to power the entire festival.

"Aunt Maddy!" He wraps himself around my middle.

"Hey, bug."

"You have to come see Goliath."

I blink. "Who is Goliath?"

"The pumpkin." Of course. He takes my hand and drags me toward the display near the barn.

The pumpkin is enormous.

"I named him."

"I gathered that."

"He weighs one hundred and forty-three pounds."

"That's very specific."

"Jack told me." Noah crouches beside Goliath. "Take my picture."

I pull out my phone. Before I can take it, he looks past me. "Martinez!"

Javier turns from the table he's moving.

"Come here!"

Javier walks over. "What happened?"

"You have to be in the picture."

He looks at me. "Do I?"

"Apparently."

Noah points beside me. "Stand there." Javier obeys. Noah frowns. "Closer."

"We're fine," I say.

"You don't fit."