I’m ashamed to admit that I’m worried it will be much easier to talk to him over text than it will be in person. The thought of seeing him in person, having to hope that the interest from him transfers from over the phone into real life is daunting. I spiral every time I think about it.
There was a day this week when police were on scene to assist during an accident, but Thomas was called away before we could do more than wave at each other. Now, we’ve been working opposite shifts. I’m coming off a stretch of three night shifts, and I’m absolutely exhausted, but I forced myself out of bed so I can take Grandma to the craft fair and then head to the Ivy Days street dance.
I’m hoping that the time with Grandma will help calm me, because right now, I’m not doing well. Poor Julia has been the recipient of many frantic texts, but I don’t want tobother her today. She’s working most of the morning, and then she and Tiff are coming down for the weekend, mainly as moral support for the street dance tonight.
“Sweetie, what do you think of this?” Grandma asks, pulling me out of my internal thoughts. She’s holding a handmade oven mitt in her palm for me to see.
“That’s cute,” I state, but I’m not really focused on it.
“I think it would look nice with my fall decor,” she says, adding it to the pile of things she plans to buy from the vendor.
“I agree.” She has already asked me twice if I’m feeling anxious, and I felt bad, but I had to lie to her. She always sees right through me, and I don’t think I’m ready to tell her that Thomas has been texting me, and how I’m not totally sure what that means.
Once she pays and has her items in a small brown bag, we continue to make our way through the fair. A few rows down, a sudden floral smell overtakes my senses. It’s not too strong, but enough to draw my attention to it. Grandma tells me she’s going to look around by herself, and she will meet me at the front in a bit. I wander toward the smell of the flowers as soon as I’m alone.
A pink tent stands over the booth with a large variation of flowers and stems in buckets. Josie Cunningham stands in the center of the tables, talking with another fair-goer. When she sees me lingering at the front of the booth, she offers me a smile and a wave, holding up a finger to let me know it will be a moment.
I’ve met Josie a few times since she opened up her business here, and she’s always been so nice every time I stop into her store to get an arrangement for Grandma.
I look around at all the different flowers she has, leaning down to smell some of them. She has a “build yourown bouquet” section, complete with ribbons and vases as well.
Josie looks absolutely gorgeous. She’s wearing a light blue sundress that accentuates her baby bump. Her red hair is tied up in a ponytail off her neck, and she has a beautiful pregnancy glow to her. From what I’ve heard, she’s due with her and her husband’s first baby sometime at the end of next month. I couldn’t be happier for them. I remember hearing about their love story too. She moved to town and opened her business, and shortly after, got set up for a blind date photoshoot with Andrew, and the rest is history.
I’m lost in my thoughts as I look at the flowers in her booth, until there’s a tap on my shoulder. “Hey, Hannah, right?” Josie asks. I turn to face her, and she’s wearing a light-hearted smile.
I smile back, and can already feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Like clockwork, the social interaction with someone new, even though we’ve met a few times makes my cheeks flush a deep cherry red. “That’s me,” I say, chuckling awkwardly as I wave.
“Thomas told us you’re joining us tonight at the street dance?” she questions. It takes me by surprise that Thomas has told his family about me, for some reason. I get the sense they’re close, so it shouldn’t.
“I am,” I confirm, twisting my hands together.
“And your sister, too?”
“Yes, she and her wife are coming after they finish work.”
“Great, it will be so nice to meet them as well!” Josie smiles, her eyes bright.
A new voice appears from behind us. “Petals, they ran out of deep-fried Oreos, but I got you a funnel cake with ice cream on it, instead.”
Josie turns, her face lighting up at the sight of her husband carrying a plate with a huge funnel cake toward us. “Thank you, honey,” she says, reaching for the plate and stretching on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek.
Andrew turns his cheek so her lips land on his, and they kiss. I turn my gaze away, feeling like I’ve intruded on their moment. I distract myself with a green leaf from one of the eucalyptus stems beside me.
“Anyway,” Josie says, pulling my attention back to her. She sits down at one of the tables she has, and directs a small portable fan on her. “Thomas was saying how excited he is to see you tonight.”
I can’t help the smile from spreading across my lips, and I look at my feet. My heart thumps loudly in my ears. Despite hearing it straight from Josie, it doesn’t stop the self-deprecating words from playing in my mind, or flying out of my mouth. “I’m sure he was just saying that.”
Andrew is the one to respond. “Thomas has never been one to ‘just say’ anything.” I lift my eyes from my feet to him.
Their features are so similar, yet so different. They have the same shape of eyes and nose, but their eye color, hair, and body type are completely different. Andrew is muscular, his arms toned from his work as a woodworker, but Thomas is broad. He’s thick, his biceps toned and strong, much like the rest of his body. At the same time, he’s soft, someone I’d love to rest my head on and fall into the comfort of his body.
I shake myself free of thinking of Thomas’s body. I should not be doing that when speaking to his brother and sister-in-law.
“Right,” I say, though I’m still not so sure I believe him. He’s shown me that he’s interested, but my own issues makeit so hard for me to believe that Thomas has an interest inme.
My name is called from the booth across, and Grandma is waving me over. “I uh—” I gesture to my grandma. “I have to go. I’ll see you guys later.”
Andrew and Josie say goodbye while I head toward Grandma. I take a deep breath as I approach her, and she shows me a quilt one of her friends made. I try to calm my racing heart and wipe my sweaty palms on the front of my shorts as I start to overthink my outfit. It’s four now, so there’s only three hours before we’re supposed to meet. I didn’t think this through. I should go home, shower, and make sure I’m not sweaty and stinky after walking around in the heat with Grandma.
