“You leaving us, Clark?” The firm pat on my shoulder and the teasing lilt to the voice could only belong to Bruce. He quickly matches my pace as I walk through the lobby.
The Daily Clickhas been growing in popularity since it first started three years ago, and I love my job. One downside? The staff itself is close-knit and maybe a littletoocomfortable with one another. During my first week in the office, Erin, our office manager, forgot my name—not that I blame her. My friends growing up called me Smith, and it stuck. When Erin couldn’t remember, she asked for Clark Kent. Aka, me. I understand the comparison. In the right lighting, I might look like an off-brand Clark. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes, and a dorkish charm help to complete the resemblance. It’s worse when I wear my dark-rimmed glasses, which I stopped wearing in the office rather quickly after the nickname stuck.
“You know I hate that nickname. The only time I could meet with the event coordinator is this morning and I’m already running behind.”
“At least you’re not stuck with a finance piece.” He complains, his mouth setting in a firm line. “I can already feel myself dying inside. No one cares about another finance asshole telling people how to get rid of their debt.”
I chuckle and mutter in agreement.
The revolving doors are in sight with my car parked on the curb visible through the glass. I was on my way out of town when I realized I left my voice recorder on my office desk. With a three-hour drive ahead of me and my meeting with the event coordinator happening in three hours, I’m pushing my luck.
“Yeah, have fun with that. See you in a week.” I slap his shoulder before pushing through the doors of the building and starting my drive.
It’s a quiet drive once I get out of the city and onto the two-lane interstate that will take me straight to Rose Prairie. Tall trees line either side of the winding road, a patchwork of yellows, reds, and oranges leaves as fall settles in. It almost makes me wish I had made different choices in my life.
After a peaceful drive, signs for Rose Prairie come into view. For a small town, it sure has a lot going for it. Gravel roads branch off the interstate with signs for pumpkin patches and hayrides. It’s even got a small college, which seems to be waking up with young students looking sleepy-eyed as they trudge from their dorms as I pass by the campus.
The GPS guides me through the town square. A gazebo towers in the middle of the grassy square already in the process of getting decorated for the festival. Unlike the bustling city streets, people around here walk lazily on the sidewalk, stopping to chat with others on their way through town. Businesses with open signs blazing in the window fronts line the streets opposite the square making me think of those Hallmark movies my grandma would make me watch.
The address Miss Williams gave me after our brief conversation on the phone is a large metal green warehouse with a gravel driveway. A beat-up truck is already parked and I pull in next to it. With only a short window of time to meet with Miss Williams, I’m lucky I was able to get here on time.
My first taste of fresh air in three hours is crisp and clean. Completely different from the stale gasoline-tinged air of the city. I take a moment to close my eyes, enjoying the sun on my face before gathering my supplies from the back seat.
A loud metallic bang startles me, my head nearly connecting with the roof of the car. I laugh at myself, shaking my head at being so jumpy as I shut the car door. A young woman with long dark hair wearing jeans and a flannel shirt is followed by a large man holding two hot drinks.
“You must be Miss Williams.” I offer a hand to the woman as I introduce myself. “Matt Smith fromThe Daily Click. I go by Smith, so feel free to call me that. Thanks for meeting with me.”
She smiles politely and takes my hand in a firm grasp. “Call me Sammie. This is Levi.” She gestures to the man behind her. “He’s my assistant.”
“Carpenter.” He corrects, nudging her shoulder playfully. “The one she’s lucky to have.” He hands the drinks out to Sammie and offers his hand. “She doesn’t know what she’d do without me.”
“I’d probably get more done,” she mutters sarcastically under her breath with an eye roll. “Would you like a coffee? It’s from our local shop in the town square.”
Levi hands me the steaming cup and I take it offering my thanks. “Where should we start?”
Sammie and Levi guide me around the warehouse as they tell me how they both got involved with creating these events. Sammie was hired shortly before the Christmas Spectacular, the popular Christmas Eve event the town has thrown for generations. Levi was appointed to help her during the rush to get new decorations made, and the two of them pulled off the most successful Christmas Spectacular to date, which is how I ended up here.
“But now you’re branching out?” I ask, gesturing to the work area we’re standing in. The entire back half of the warehouse has rows of shelving, each one labeled with the corresponding event, the items carefully wrapped and stored in watertight containers.
“You could say that. My goal when I was hired by the board was to make Rose Prairie a place everyone wanted to visit. We did a Valentine’s Day event that was a big hit, so I’m planning on adding more things; the Fall Festival being one of them.”
“And you’re finding the town supportive of that?”
Levi places an arm around Sammie’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Absolutely. Sammie’s done an amazing job at getting everyone in the town involved. She’s the first person to reach out to Rosewood College, getting the art department to help with painting the decorations. She’s amazing.” Admiration shines through him as he looks down, their eyes locking before he kisses the top of her head. Witnessing the small act of affection transports me to another time, one that left its mark.
We end our interview with a walk through the town square. Sammie explains her process and how everything is going to be set up. Several volunteers wrap the light poles with fall garlands as we walk, our footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. I’ll admit that she is passionate about these projects and I’m curious to see the turnout this Saturday.
“I appreciate your time. Thank you for meeting with me and showing me around. This will be great for the article.” We stand under the shade of a large tree by the gazebo as I click off the recorder.
“You’re welcome. I wish I had more time to give, but things are pretty busy these days. But I do have someone who volunteered to show you around Rose Prairie this week to help with your article, if that’s okay.”
“Oh, that’ll be great,” I say, giving her a polite smile. Since I’m here through Saturday, it’ll be nice to have someone who can help me research my article.
“Perfect,” she says, clapping her hands. “She’s a business owner and has lived here most of her life, so she’ll be great at helping. I can introduce you two before I head back.”
There are still a couple of hours to go until I can check in to the bed-and-breakfastThe Daily Clickset me up with, so I agree. Might as well get more things done while I can.
Sammie leads me across the town square and toward the coffee shop called Tall, Dark, and Coffee. She smiles and waves at several people who offer friendly greetings and again I’m struck by how different this place is from the city.
