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“I can’t. Not yet.” She shakes her head but then grabs my arm. “Not because I think Emma will be a bad mother. I think she will be a wonderful mother. It’s having Clay hold their tiny baby in his arms with love pouring off him. I’m not sure my heart can handle it.”
I know what she means. My friends holding their little mini-mes that will undoubtedly look like them causes my heart to fill with joy too.
“Yeah, there are some good days to come.” I smile at her and then look around. “Well, this is a lot larger than I expected it to be.” White pop-up tents line both sides of the street. Fall decorations explode from every nook and cranny, and my heart overflows with happiness.
“Yeah, the town advertises this. It sucks in people who are looking for a place in North Carolina to go to see the leaves change. Our elevation is a little higher than towns like Asheville, so our leaves change a little earlier and then last a few weeks up to November. Of course the peak weekend for them always changes, but the festival brings in happy people.”
“I know I’m certainly happy.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “Honestly, I didn’t peg you for a festival type of girl.”
I bump my shoulder against hers. “Well, I am, so festival partner for life right here.”
“That’s good because Bryce would rather chew his arm off than be here, and he was so happy to go to Ash’s house for a sleepover.”
“I didn’t know he was sleeping over. What are you doing tonight?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but that’s the beauty of it, right? I’m free.” She laughs.
Slowly, we make our way through the booths. I wouldn’t necessarily call it primarily an art festival, but there is a lot of art here. There are paintings, photography, pottery, and sculptures, but then there is jewelry, soaps, quilts, and an assortment of knickknacks and foods. I buy a welcome door wreath, some local honey, a hand-carved cutting board, and a kitchen towel with an apple fritter recipe on it. I may have failed the first time, but as they say, try, try again. Juliet buys a painting that supports the local high school and taste tests her way through all the booths offering samples.
“Hey, Cora,” someone says from my left. Juliet and I turn to find Cole and Briggs standing under a red street tent. Quite a few of the vendors today have spilled over into the side streets, and while it didn’t occur to me that they would be here, it should have.
Immediately, my heart pounds at the sight of Briggs. He looks better than any stupid memory my mind can conjure, but that doesn’t stop me from frowning and shooting daggers his way.
Cole waves. He’s the one who called my name. I politely smile back, then shift my gaze to glare at Briggs again.
He smirks, and my eyes narrow. He thinks he’s gained an upper hand over me, but he hasn’t. As far as I can tell, the score is not even. It’s my three to his two. Smirk all you want.
Smug idiot.
Then again, if he knew what was coming his way, he definitely wouldn’t be making that face right now.
“Hey, Cole,” Juliet answers him politely, as it seems I’ve lost my ability to be social even though she knows what Briggs did. She elbows me in the arm to draw us closer and asks, “How’s business today?”
Begrudgingly, I follow.
“It’s great. We’re almost sold out of sweet cider, and Amelia, who’s working at the orchard, says we’ve had a lot of people stop in today to pick apples and taste the hard ciders.”
“That’s great! If they’re eating Jane’s donuts, then I’m certain you’ve got a customer for life.”
He grins. “Yeah, she said Jane’s been pretty busy too. Lots of people for her to talk to, which is great for her.”
I again smile at Cole, thinking about Jane. She is the sweetest, but he’s not wrong. She will talk your ear off.
“Have you tried the smoked trout dip yet over at Dan’s booth? I hear it’s delicious,” Briggs chimes in, and Cole grimaces. Clearly, he knows what his boss and friend has been up to, and poor Juliet, who had to hear all about the fish fiasco, makes a squeaking noise next to me.
“You know, you really are just the worst,” I deadpan while frowning at him.
“That’s not what you said the other night.” He grins.
Oh my God, I cannot believe he said that out loud, implying something different. I glance around to see if anyone is near us. There’s no telling who just heard him.
Juliet gasps, and both she and Cole turn to look at me.
“Really?” I ask in a way that would make most cower. “What is wrong with you? And that’s because the other night you were charming and well, whatever.” I’m waving my free hand not holding a bag in front of him and not wanting him to know exactly what I thought of him after that event. “You must have conjured up your alter ego. It’s unfortunate too. I like him better than you.”
He laughs, and the sound sweeps over me. I haven’t heard him laugh often, but it’s such a nice sound, and I hate that I have a visceral reaction to it. I feel like a moth being drawn to the flame.
