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“Perfect. Thank you.” Then to Corey, I said, “Come on. This will be the best time to meet the players.”
I approached Dylan. “Thank you so much for coming last minute.”
“Thanks for including us.” Dylan smiled, then turned to introduce her husband. “This is my husband, Reid Everson. Reid, this is Remi, who owns the juice shop on Main.”
I shook his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. This is Corey. He’s here to help set up.”
Corey’s eyes widened, but he didn’t speak.
“You like football, Corey?” Reid asked him.
Corey swallowed hard, then nodded.
“We could use some help with the kids starting to arrive. You think you could greet them, and show them where to go?”
“I can do that,” Corey said quietly.
“You don’t mind if we steal him, do you?” Dylan asked me.
I smiled gratefully. “Of course not.”
Working with the foster kids would be good for him.
“Who’s this?” asked another large man, who could only be a fellow player.
“Corey, these are my teammates, Chase and Jonah.”
I watched for a few seconds to make sure Corey was holding up okay.
“Don’t worry. We’ll keep an eye on him,” Dylan said.
“I appreciate it. Let me know if you need anything.”
Dylan smiled, watching Corey tag along next to Reid while he talked. “I think he’s going to be fine.”
“Well, I have a ton to do, so I’ll leave you guys to it. Thanks so much,” I said to her as I walked toward what would be the yoga demonstration tent. Seeing Shae, the owner of the newest yoga studio in town, I said, “I’m so glad you could come today.”
She smiled warmly. “I’ll lead the class, and then you can take over and do the meditation.”
“I meditate after yoga, so it’s a great time to practice.”
“I’ve always thought yoga was a form of meditation. You focus on your breathing and have to concentrate to hold the positions. Your muscles are loose, and you’re relaxed.”
I helped her set up the mats for the class, chitchatting about our favorite ways to relax and best meditation practices. I hoped we’d become friends. I could bring her into our inner circle and invite her to the Shops on Main meetings.
Once she was set up, I excused myself to make sure the food area was ready to go, the tables were set up, and that we had enough vendors to feed the expected crowd. At the front tent, Naomi had them organized and ready to go. I stopped to chat with Alisha, excited she could make it today, and excused myself when I saw Delilah and my parents approaching.
“I’ve missed you,” I said to Delilah, hugging her tightly.
“Me too. It sucks being so far away from home,” she whispered.
I hugged Mom, then Dad, who said, “I can’t believe you put this together.”
I smiled. “I had a lot of help.”
Colton stepped up to my side. “Don’t let her tell you differently. This was her project. She came up with the idea and was involved with every step of planning it.”
I was surprised to see him because I hadn’t seen him since I got here.
