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“Oh, thank you, dear. I need all the caffeine I can get today.” She accepted the cup gratefully.
“I’m not surprised. How are things going?”
“The usual. Every year I say that we’re going to be more organized and every year we end up in a mad panic at the end.”
“Well, it’s always worth it in the end.”
Emile loved listening to Kate with the customers, the easy rapport she seemed to have with everyone. She always had a friendly ear and a kind word for everyone, even if she was rushed off her feet. Emile sometimes had to contain his snippiness, his natural desire to lash out if someone was rude to him — not that there were many rude customers at the cafe, luckily — but Kate seemed to have an endless well of patience.
“Oh, sure. I’ll just be a little bit more gray and with a few more wrinkles by the time I’ve finished dealing with all the vendors. Who would have thought that selling hot dogs made you so cranky?”
“What is this for?” Emile’s curiosity had got the better of him, and he paused in wiping down the table.
“The Street Fair, honey! Don’t tell me you don’t know about the Street Fair?” Mrs. Lucas cried, as if she was mortally offended, although he was used to her dramatics now so he didn’t take it personally.
“It’s the Miller Springs Street Fair next weekend,” Kate explained. “There’s food, a fun fair, some live music. It’s a good time.”
“You’ve not invited him?” Betty chimed in from across the cafe.
“I haven’t received any such invitations yet.” Emile looked over at Kate and lifted his eyebrows at her.
“Oh, doll. You’ve gotta come! It’s the best event of the year!” Donna confirmed.
“We’ll definitely be there. Don’t worry, ladies,” Kate confirmed, picking up some empty plates from the table Emile was clearing.
That seemed to settle them down, although Emile could hear Donna and Betty chatting about the various dates they had taken to the Miller Springs Street Fair over the years. He smiled to himself as he cleaned, his mind wandering. Was attending the Street Fair with Kate a date? She’d been very clear about where the boundaries lay between them and so far, they’d only spent time together at the cafe and in the apartment, save for their impromptu trip to the Mexican place. This would be the first time she had included him in her weekend plans. And she’d most definitely said ‘we’ when confirming their attendance.
He felt a little flare of hope light up in his chest. Maybe he was in with a chance after all?
CHAPTER13
KATE
The air smelled like hot dog and candy corn, somehow smoky and sweet at the same time. Miller Springs was never so fun as it was during the Street Fair. It felt as though the whole town came out to play, and you could barely walk down the street without bumping into someone that you knew.
Kate loved it. Loved the sense of community and camaraderie. No one was in a bad mood — how could they be, when there was junk food to be eaten, rides to be ridden and games to be played? This was the feeling she wanted to capture at the cafe, this sense that everyone belonged. It made her heart feel light.
There was just the problem of getting the funding to do it… but Kate chose to push that aside for the day. She’d had a stressful few months and there was nothing she could do about it today, was there? The sun was shining, she had a funnel cake in one hand and Emile was next to her. She couldn’t really complain about that, could she? They’d managed to maintain their professional boundaries for the most part but she couldn’t deny that she loved spending time with him, that something about him made her feel just a little bit giddy.
“This is the best thing I have ever eaten,” Emile was exclaiming as he ate his own funnel cake. He had powdered sugar around his mouth. Kate wanted to lick it off.
“You said that about chimichangas, too,” Kate pointed out, trying to distract herself.
“Oh yeah, but that was before I experienced the joy of funnel cake.” Emile hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time they’d been at the Street Fair. He seemed to be enjoying it as much as she did.
“Hey, you two!” a voice sounded from behind them, and Kate whipped around to see the women from her book club descending on them. Her stomach sank slightly. She may have gotten slightly tipsy at last week’s club and said a few things she regretted the next day…
There was no escaping it, though. There was nowhere to run. Not in Miller Springs. The same thing she loved — the closeness of the community — did also have its drawbacks when you were trying to keep your crush on your roommate-slash-employee under wraps.
“Hello!” Emile waved cheerily. Kate had been introducing him to everyone as they went around the fair; she was surprised he wasn’t bored of it by now.
“Hi guys,” Kate said, giving hugs to her friends and resigning herself to the inevitable embarrassment that was about to befall her.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Of course, sorry. Emile, you know Laura.” The two gave each other a nod. Laura was a frequent visitor to the cafe and as Kate’s best friend, she’d been keen to get to know Emile immediately.
“This is Charlotte.”
