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Chapter Twelve
Harper
WeekFour
“I’ve never understood why you were always so insistent about coming to this.” Flynn shook his head as we maneuvered our way through the crowds. “It’s not like you’re Irish.”
I held up an end of my strawberry blonde hair and raised an eyebrow. “You never know. I could be some distant relative of an Irish king. It could be a whole Princess Diaries thing.”
“I doubt that an Irish Julie Andrews is likely to show up and tell you that you’re royalty. But fine. I’m sure there’s a little Irish in there somewhere.” He winked.
“Glad we can agree.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I tripped over an abandoned goodie bag, half hidden by a small pile of snow. The camera man behind us skidded to an abrupt halt with a swear as Flynn reached out with one hand to steady me.
“We can also agree that you’re just as clumsy as Mia from The Princess Diaries,” he joked. Miraculously, neither of us dropped our food.
I’d forgotten how much fun we’d always had coming here. It wasn’t the same as I remembered, with a camera crew following our every move, and people pointing and whispering as we walked by. But it still reminded me of a time far less wrought with adult problems. I wished we could be there without the hassle of the team that followed us, or that they’d at least roped off certain sections, so we had a little privacy from star-struck fans of Flynn’s.
“I’m ashamed to admit I don’t come to this every year anymore.”
“You’re joking,” he replied right before taking a huge bite of his pretzel.
We hadn’t been able to decide what sauce to get, so we each got a pretzel with different sauces. So far, I was obsessed with the bite of the Irish cheddar fondue, but Flynn’s Guinness cheese sauce came in a close second.
I shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”
March in Colorado was a strange month. We still had snow, yet the calendar said it was spring. Thankfully, even with the chill of the air, the grounds of the Luck o’ the Irish Celtic Festival remained ice-free, with beautiful clear skies that stretched from one horizon to the other.
When was the last time I did something that didn’t relate to work at all?
“Do you think they’ve got green beer?” he asked, suddenly perking up like he’d had a fantastic idea.
“You know that’s not really an Irish thing, right?”
We strolled through the rows of vendors; the cacophony of voices mixed with live stage music was comforting. Beyond the town, the Rocky Mountains stretched into the sky, a view I never stopped admiring.
“I know, but I still enjoy drinking it.” He stopped by a trash can and threw away our empty containers. “If we’re going to eat our way through this festival, we’re going to have to start sharing food. Somebody made me this incredible breakfast this morning. I’m still stuffed.”
“You didn’t have to eat the whole thing. But, I’m glad you liked it.” Even underneath my beanie, the tips of my ears warmed with the blush of his compliment. “What are we doing today?”
“Whatever you want. I’m happy with the company.” He reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing it as we walked again.
“My only request is that we get some of the Bailey’s cheesecake I saw back that way,” I replied, craning my neck to find the sign again.
“What about dance lessons?”
I stopped and spun to face him. “You would take a dance lesson?”
“It could be fun.”
Before he could change his mind, I half ran, half dragged him to the nearest group lesson. People of all ages spread out, eagerly awaiting instruction.
“Hi, everyone, and welcome! We’re so glad you’re here.” A young woman with an Irish lilt stood at the front of the crowd on a stage, a small microphone hooked to her shirt. “We’re all here to have fun, so if you can’t figure out the steps immediately, have no fear. We’ll be coming around to help as we can.”
“This is not what I had in mind.” Flynn leaned over. “I wanted to spin you around the dance floor, stare into your eyes.”
“That’s not what this is,” I replied, grinning a little at the thought. It didn’t sound like a terrible way to spend an afternoon.
“First, we start with hops, and everything will always be with counts of three.”
