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“Well, don’t want to disappoint your mama bear and get you grounded or your dessert taken away.”
“Shut the fuck up, BFFFL.”
“See?” He winks. “It’s fucking catchy.”
I chuckle as I stand.
“But hey, in all seriousness, though, I’m happy to come help ya out, man. I’ll call you when I’m back stateside, and we can figure out timing and shit.”
“Sounds good. Have fun, and remember to wrap it up.”
He barks out a laugh as I disconnect the call and head back inside.
It’s going to be weird having Ace here. I’m not sure Meadows Ridge is ready for him.
But maybe it will also bring healing. A way for my two lives—the old and the new—to merge.
Chapter 19
Riley
Pop!
“Winna, winna, chicken dinna,” the man behind the counter shouts in a strong Southern accent.
I throw my hands in the air, celebrating my victory.
“Unbelievable,” Austin mutters, pulling my attention to him. He stands there shaking his head, his arms crossed with one of his hands holding his jaw. I give him my cheesiest smile and bat my eyelashes.
“Aww, don’t be sad.” I press up on my toes and kiss his cheek as the worker claps his hands.
“Ten out of ten gets you a prize from the top shelf. Ya sure you’re an English teacher and not a secret ninja?”
A giggle slips from my lips as I jump up and down in excitement and clap my hands.
“Umm, that one, please.” I point to the giant panda bear propped up in the corner with the red bow tied around his neck.
I hug the bear tightly once the man hands him over the counter. This thing is seriously huge. The panda is adorable and reminds me of my favorite video online of the sneezing panda.
“You know, I might as well hand you my man card now since I played three games in a row and all I won was this little rinky-dink thing.” Austin holds up the small stuffed dragon.
“Aww, but it’s such a cute baby dragon,” I tease but then hold my hand out in front of me.
Austin’s gaze dips to my open palm, and he gives me a slight shove. “Fuck off.”
I prop the panda bear on my hip like a toddler—a ridiculously huge toddler, that is—and wrap my left arm around Austin’s right as we walk away from the dart game.
Today is the annual Meadows Ridge Fall Festival. Basically, the entire town shuts down and is in attendance. An assortment of colorful tents lines the county fairgrounds, hosting local vendors and carnival games.
This evening, all festivities move to the giant barn on the far edge of the property for what we call “Hootenanny.” There is music, line dancing, and good fun.
“What do you want to do next?” Austin asks as we dodge through a crowd of rambunctious kids.
I looked down at my watch. “I have about thirty minutes before I have to meet the girls at the main stage for their performance.” The high school’s dance company is performing two dances today. “How about food?” I say as soon as the delicious aromas of grease and fried food assault my senses. My mouth instantly waters at the thought of fried dough covered in powdered sugar. This is not the event you want to attend if you’re watching what you eat. Today, I’m watching what I eat—watching it go right in my mouth. I’ll make up for it tonight on the dance floor and tomorrow’s run.
Austin groans, and I giggle. Poor guy. The button of his pants might actually bust.All morning, he had been judging the chili cookoff entries. Each judge may only get a small sample of each entry, but when there are nineteen different chilis entered, well, I think Austin might chug Pepto later when we head home to change for Hootenanny.
We continue walking around, waving to students, and stop by a few vendor tents. The bright yellow sign draws my attention to the booth to the right.
