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14
Graduating
WYATT
Now that the Mayor and I are on the same page, I feel better about Sunday. I didn’t want the festival to be about me. It should be about the town, about how far we’ve come in the last few years. We’ve made Fairview a place people want to visit. A destination, not a tiny blip on the map.
Sure, I helped start the movement. It wasn’t what I set out to do, but it happened. It was about working through my anger, my pain, but it turned into so much more after a while. When I saw people starting to follow my lead, it became a mission.
If Fairview was going to be my home, it was going to be the best place it could be.
After the bar was finished, I set my sights on bigger adventures. The B&B was my primary goal, somewhere for people to stay when they visited. But why would they come here? What could draw them to town?
Whatever it was, it had to be big. It had to be different.
There was a world of possibilities, but nothing seemed to feel right.
So while I worked to get the B&B built and up and running, I thought it over. The day it came to me, I knew it was the right move. It would breathe new life into the town and showcase our history at the same time. It was going to be a huge undertaking, but now that it’s finally finished and ready to be unveiled, I’m fearful that the town won’t see things the way I did four years ago.
The Mayor put all my uncertainty at ease.
He’s excited about the announcement. The city council is thrilled with the prospect of a huge growth in tourism for Fairview.
I’m grateful for their backing and hope Sunday is not only a day to celebrate the independence of our country, but a day to celebrate the future of Fairview.
As I walk the Mayor out, there’s a feeling of pride surging through my veins. I’ve done what I set out to accomplish. In less than a month, people will come to visit the history of our little town, of the entire state. They’ll be able to see what it was really like in the old west.
Thinking about the setup, I’m impressed with what we were able to accomplish. As you walk down the dirt road that runs through Old Fairview, people will be able to visit a general store, saloon, bank, sheriff’s office, hotel, and so much more. It all looks authentic with hitching posts and troughs in front of every stop for the horses.
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done, Wyatt. This is sure to breathe new life into our tiny town and make it a tourist destination.” The Mayor’s words are exactly what I needed to hear.
Holding the door open for him, I follow him out and when I turn to face him, she’s there. Our eyes meet and her steps falter, bringing her to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. The happiness I felt only seconds earlier disappearing as I attempt to reserve my features.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. I look forward to Sunday,” I say, unable to force myself to look away from Chloe.
As the Mayor walks past me, I beg my legs to cooperate. I need them to carry me away from here, to take the three steps back into the bar where I can hide from her in my office for a little while longer. I’m not ready to talk to her. I’m not ready to rehash that day or the five years since then.
It’s too much. Too painful. The entire situation had weighed on me for far longer than I care to admit.
Looking at her is all I can handle right now, and even that’s becoming painful. She’s even more beautiful than I remember. Her hair, falling softly around her face, the breeze blowing a few strands around. I want to tuck it back behind her ears so it doesn’t impede the view of her eyes. Vibrant and blue, the color of the pond just before night begins to cast its shadow on the water.
It’s her lips that pull me in. Soft and full, just like I remember. They’re slightly parted, her surprise evident. What I wouldn’t give to pull her into me and kiss those lips one more time. Even if just to finally say goodbye.
She had that same look on her face that first night. The one that haunts my memories every time I close my eyes and dream of her. It’s always that night, no matter how hard I try to forget about it.
“What are we doing?I thought we were going to meet up with Jones and some friends tonight,” Chloe asks as she makes the final turn down the dirt road.
“I changed my mind,” I reply, not giving her surprise away. “I thought we could spend some time together, just the two of us tonight.”
“The whole point of tonight was to celebrate. We’re finally free. No more high school, or homework, or tests. We can spend all day, every day together. At least until the fall.”
“Exactly.”
“What does that even mean? Are you agreeing with me? Because if so, I should turn the car around and head back into town. Jones was telling me about a party happening tonight. The party I thought we were meeting him at.”
“It means, we’re going to celebrate all that, but we’re going to do it alone. There will be plenty of time to hang out with friends and go to parties over the summer. Tonight,” I say as she pulls the car to a stop in front of the fence, “is just for us. For you.”
She gives me an inquisitive look but before she can ask me anything else, I jump out of the car and start running for the pond. When I look back, she’s hot on my heels, pumping her arms as she runs to catch up with me.
