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Chapter Ten
~ Judd ~
“Maybe, you should just wait here for me.” Mimi and I sat in my truck in the darkened parking lot of Kiss Me Park where all the town’s fairs took place. It was two AM, and in the distance, we could just make out the shadowy shapes of the permanent and temporary booths, the gazebo, the 4H pens and barns, the carousel, Ferris wheel, and to the south of it all, the looming front wall of the maze.
“I’m not waiting here,” she practically growled. “Get your tools, and let’s get moving on this.”
Despite her tone, I knew she wasn’t mad at me.
She’d made a big deal of dressing all in black, like the proverbial cat burglar, and she’d been almost giddy about the challenge of sneaking in and doing this. Plus, I suspected she might secretly find my stunt romantic. She hadn’t said so, but she’d been extra cuddly all night.
After dinner in Hoover City, we’d headed back to our place. I’d encouraged Mimi to take a nap, but that had turned into something else. We’d been away from each other for too long. Sometimes, it seemed as if it had been an eternity.
Once we’d “rested,” that’s when we’d gone over the plans for the maze and the changes I’d made to the intended design. I had to take down two walls and reposition them, but nothing else needed to be fixed. There were lots of things for people to discover in the section I’d hidden. Within it was a third courtyard, where I’d installed my tribute to summer love and fun. I’d just never intended anyone to see it, once Mimi had left me.
I hoped she’d would love it.
Suddenly, I was glad she was here to do this with me. To help me fix the mess I’d made. Earlier today, after Mimi had dictated I must correct my stunt, I’d decided I wanted her to see the last courtyard before anyone else. My only reservation was including her in the work beforehand.
With my toolbox in one hand, I clasped Mimi’s with the other. Together, we half-sprinted toward the maze. Silly, really. Who would stop us? Greta knew we were coming to remedy this. Still, it was fun to be covert.
At the entrance, I moved aside the decorative greenery that hid the power switches for the maze. With a couple flicks of the levers, everything lit up.
“After you,” I said, motioning Mimi to go in.
“Right, so I can get lost? You know the way to the part that needs fixing.”
“Fair point,” I conceded. Taking her hand again, I led her inside. As always, a spark of connection seemed to trip through me from where our fingers were linked. It was comfortable and right to have her beside me. Some people might think comfortable was boring. For me, it was the deepest pleasure. Contentment. The purest sense of everything being right in the world.
I walked slowly, letting her take in the screen-printed images along the walls. They were all black-and-white, oversized prints made specifically for Sweetville and pasted to the upright surfaces like wallpaper. I could replace them as needed, but they had a protectant over them, the plan being to use these sections of wall, over and over, for the fairs in the years to come. In different configurations, of course. Some of the images were quite old, harkening back to the earliest years of Sweetville, while others weren’t as dated.
I slowed as we neared the picture I most wanted her to see.
“Oh, Judd,” she breathed, stopping before the glossy black-and-white image from our wedding. It was just the two of us together on the outdoor dance floor at the farm, illuminated by the Edison lights strung overhead. Her face was tipped up toward me while I smiled down at her.
“This is my favorite picture of us,” she said.
“Mine, too.” She’d see how much so soon. “Come on. Let’s get this done.”
“Will it be difficult?” she asked around a yawn while she leaned into my shoulder.
“No. I need to climb over the wall, unfasten the panel and swing it into its proper position.”
“Go over the wall?” she squeaked, straightening and suddenly wide awake again.
Yeah, I guess we hadn’t talked about that part.
Mimi stared at the eight-foot barriers dividing each passage of the maze. “We should have brought a ladder.”
“Nah, it will all be fine.” Unerringly, I brought her to the first panel I had to adjust, then took several steps back to get ready to vault it.
“What about your tools?” she gasped. “I can’t exactly throw them over to you. You could get knocked out if one of them hit you.”
“That’s why I brought this particular bag,” I said. It zipped, and I’d slung if cross-wise over my body. “But more importantly…”
My hand came up and cupped the back of her head to draw her toward me. My lips pressed to her forehead, her nose, before settling over her mouth. Mimi groaned, leaning into me, her palms splaying over my pecs. Her lips parted, and as usual, I was lost and ready for more than we could do here in the depths of the dysfunctional maze.
Breathing hard, my eyes closed, I pulled away from the lure of her lips and tipped my forehead to hers. “Let’s get this done, so we can go home.”
