The next morning Amanda woke up in a great mood, humming softly while she made coffee. She took the steaming mug outside onto her deck. Not because she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Connor or anything. It wasn’t that.
Everything was going so well right now. The festival planning was going smoothly. She and Connor were getting closer, and she liked that. And she had a date—or was it a not-date—with Connor to go to the new play at the theater. A smile crept across her lips as she stood and sipped on the coffee, running memories of last night over and over in her mind. Watching him work. Their time sitting on the deck.
Okay, she really needed to work, not sit here and think about Connor all day. She returned inside and flipped open her laptop. An email from one of the festival sponsors caught her eye. She clicked on it and a heavy feeling hit the pit of her stomach. They were pulling out due to what they said was a significant downturn in their business and they weren’t certain sponsoring the festival was a good business decision now.
Before she could fully process the ramifications of that, her phone buzzed and she opened the text from the funnel cakevendor. They were having problems with their equipment and had to cancel too.
She was almost afraid to answer her phone when it rang, but she did, only to be informed that one of the singers in the barbershop quartet lost his voice and they were hoping to find a replacement for him
Amanda regretted her naive, positive mindset of this morning, thinking everything was going as planned…
The weight of these setbacks clung to her, but as much as she needed to solve these problems, her thoughts kept drifting back to Connor. Not a very productive way to handle things.
Disillusioned by the morning’s setbacks, she headed to Coastal Coffee, hoping Beverly might have a lead on another sponsor.
She headed inside and sat at the counter, watching as Beverly efficiently waited on another customer, then she turned to her. “What’s up? You look a little frazzled.”
“A sponsor pulled out.”
“Luckily your fundraising sales are going like gangbusters here. I’ve had so many people come in and donate things. And everything is selling. I think the town is starting to really get excited about the festival this year. Everyone is talking about having fireworks again.”
She blinked, surprised at Beverly’s words. “Wow, I thought that everyone was still doubting me. Not trusting an outsider to plan it all.”
“You’re winning them over.”
Amanda grinned despite of all the problems of the morning, her spirits rising at the growing enthusiasm of the town. “Well, that’s good to hear. Now I need a new funnel cake vendor because I just have to have funnel cakes. I remember them from when I was young.”
“Let me make some calls with some of my suppliers. Maybe someone will have a connection.”
“Thank you, that would be great.” She sighed. “Now if the baritone in the barbershop quartet could just get his voice back or they find someone to fill in for him…”
“Bet it all works out,” Beverly said encouragingly, her optimism infectious.
“I hope so.”
“Pecan waffle?”
“I think I’ll just have the yogurt and granola. And more coffee, please.”
“You sure?” Beverly’s eyebrows arched, a playful challenge in her voice.
“I’m sure.” She couldn’t eat pecan waffles every day of her life, could she? Besides, she’d put on some weight since she’d arrived here in Magnolia. Not surprising since she skipped so many meals back in New York, just not taking time to eat.
Beverly brought her food out and slipped behind the counter. She waved to a woman coming in and the woman walked over to them. “Darlene, have you met Amanda?”
“No, but I’ve heard about her and all she’s doing for the festival. Nice to meet you, Amanda.” Darlene reached out and shook her hand.
“Darlene owns the Bayside B&B,” Beverly explained.
“Nice to meet you, Darlene.”
Darlene sat down beside her. “Just coffee. Thought I’d pop in on my way to the market.”
Beverly brought her a mug and turned to Amanda.
“So what else is new? Connor still helping you out?” Beverly said as she took out a stack of napkins and silverware.
“He is. And yesterday he invited me into his workshop to watch him work.”
