I was confident he'd be there, but I was too tired to wait for his response.I fell onto the bed and curled up with my pillow.I'd get dressed in a minute.
Except I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the phone alarm that Eve made me set before we departed ways was buzzing.I rolled over and swiped to turn it off.
Then I forced myself to sit up and check my messages.
Eve: Rise and shine!We have a parade to run.
Natasha: I'm up.
I wasn't happy about it, but I was upright.
I checked for other messages, and there were none.Ford hadn't responded to the one I sent before I went to bed.
Maybe he had a long day working on his bathroom and went to bed early.He'd said he was helping out today, so I'd definitely see him at the parade, at least in passing.
I showered, ate a quick breakfast, and headed downstairs to meet Eve at the square.
Eve looked up from her tablet when I approached and handed me a to-go coffee cup from Coffee Dreams.She was dressed in a red jacket, black pants, and boots.Her hair was pulled up into a bun at the base of her head.She looked put together and bright-eyed.
I took the cup, feeling tired."Bless you."
Eve raised a brow."Are you ready to roll?"
I raised a brow, mimicking her."I'm here."
Eve flashed me a disgruntled look."You could be a little more enthusiastic."
"You're the one who's good with this stuff."I merely drank more coffee, hoping it would perk me up quickly.
She handed me an itinerary that was several pages long."That's the schedule, and the lineup of the participants.I made a few tweaks to it after we parted ways last night.
I sighed, because of course she did."Where do you want me?"
"The parking lot where everyone is lining up.You'll get them in order and tell everyone when to step off."
I grimaced, because that was an important job.If someone was out of order, too early or too late, it would mess up the grandstand performance at the square.
"I'll be here and be in charge of the square, the performances, and the judging.They'll stop here, face the crowd, and perform their song or dance.Then I'll wave them on when it's their turn to continue."
It was Eve's idea to make it a competition with a small monetary award for the top three groups.
"Ford's in charge of collecting toys at town hall."Eve looked up at me."I actually thought he'd be with you."
"He stayed at his place last night.But he said he'd be here today."I didn't want to mention that I hadn't heard from him recently.I’d be giving into old fears if I overreacted.There were times when you failed to connect with someone, that someone went to bed early, missed a text, or was just busy.It didn't mean that they were ghosting you.
"Everyone who's volunteering, including the shop and restaurant owners, have the new itinerary and list of job duties.Anyone can direct him to his post."Then she sighed, looking around at the people gathering to watch the parade."Hopefully, he gets here soon.He has an important job."
"I'm sure he will."He's never let me down.At least not since he enlisted.But I wouldn't think about that now.I had an important day to tackle.
"The groups are already arriving in the parking lot.Can you start placing them in order?Then once we start, you'll want a sixty second delay between each one stepping off."
"Got it."
Eve was in full event mode, and nothing could deter her.
"Next time, you should be on one of the floats since you're the one who made it possible."I could see her sitting on the top of a float waving like she was the queen.
"I have to be on the ground, organizing everything and ensuring it runs smoothly."Eve waved me away."Go to your post.I'm getting questions from the parking attendants about where everyone is supposed to go.I need you there."
