Once upon a time, Ginny would have made every excuse not to be held accountable to one of Georgia’s many tasks. But now, Ginny couldn’t help but admire her eldest sister. She balanced her life and commitments with so much grace and humility. It was hard not to want to be just like her.
“Of course she did.” Ryan sipped his drink and smiled up at Georgia and Lake as they joined the table. “I never can seem to say no to a Remillard girl.”
Georgia’s eyes flicked to Ginny’s, overtly aware of Ryan’s blunder, and passed on to Lake who wore a sympathetic smile. Confirming again that her siblings probably weren’t quite as ignorant about Ginny’s tiny—monumental—crush as she had once believed.
Georgia swooped into a chair and took over the conversation. “We are a difficult bunch to resist.” She bit her lip and winked at her husband before diving into her sales pitch. “Okay, I’ve invited you guys here because I need help. So, y’all know I’m planning the Bicentennial. I’ve decided to go with a Homecoming theme with a time capsule and alumni celebrations—the whole shebang. And we’re gonna have a festival.”
“Of course,” Ginny interrupted. “Our small town simply would not function properly without a festival for every seasonal occasion.”
To her surprise, Ryan snickered, then sipped his drink to cover it up. His green eyes sparkled at her over the rim of his mug. “Bet there’s a parade too.”
“With golf carts,” Ginny chimed.
Ryan’s tilted grin sent a flush of energy through her. “And those tap dancers with the dresses… What are they called again, Ginny?”
“Cloggers…”
He knew what they were called. Ginny had clogged for half her life, dancing at every local town festival in Sugartree and the local area. Festivals and parades where Ryan had been in attendance. Ginny had loved every minute of dancing—minus the white square dance dresses she was forced to wear in the Georgia heat, complete with a petticoat, bloomers, and pantyhose. It was hard to forget how humiliating the costume had felt the older she’d gotten. She’d hung up her clogging shoes—so to speak—when she’d gone to college.
Ryan sipped his drink again and leaned back. “Yeah. That’s it. Cloggers… Maybe you could lead the pack, Gin. I seem to remember you in one of those frou-frou dresses in the Fourth of July parade one year.”
She lifted her eyebrows, and her smile followed suit. “And I seem to remember you, Coach Hood, with a sparkly pair of white gloves as the marching band drum major, leading some of those same parades. You always looked so handsome in that purple suit. Still wear it on the weekends?”
“Nah.” Ryan shook his head, but she didn’t miss the blush creeping up his neck. “I save it for special occasions.”
“Y’all finished?” Georgia swatted Ryan and pointed an all too knowing glare at Ginny.
Ginny shrugged. “I suppose so. Tell us all about your festival, Georgie.”
“Thank you.” Georgia nodded. “Yes. We need a festival. And… obviously there will be a parade. I refuse to be shamed by the two of you over it. We’ve also decided to rebrand the entire town. Gin, that’s where you come in.”
“Me?” Ginny took a sip of her americano with one perfect pump of pistachio. “You want me to do the rebrand?”
“Of course I do. I’ve seen your designs, Ginny. They’re amazing. I can’t think of a better person for the job. Will you do it for me?”
Ginny beamed under her praise and felt the weight and excitement of the responsibility. She’d been doing surprisingly well with freelance graphic design jobs since graduating and had considered going back for her master’s degree in marketing. Just like Georgia. She didn’t realize her sister had even taken notice. “Thanks, Georgie. I’ll definitely do it.”
“Lakeland has some ideas for slogans and ways to incorporate all of Sugartree’s residents into the process, some voting on designs through financial donations that will go to aid the local community fundraisers we do throughout the year.”
“Sounds great,” Ginny agreed.
“Okay. I need samples by the end of next week. I know it’s tight, but we’ve got to move quickly on everything so we can order banners, shirts, and swag.” Ginny nodded, feeling a tumultuous amount of nerves hit her all at once but would do everything she could not to let Georgia down. Satisfied, her sister turned to Ryan. “And you.”
He pointed at himself. “Me?”
“You, Coach Hood, are gonna coach the alumni flag football team.” Georgia grinned ear to ear, earning an affectionate peck on her temple from Lake, who just couldn’t seem to resist her.
“Of course I am…” Ryan muttered, resigned to his lot in life and role as Georgia’s unquestioning, long-time friend.
“Of course you are,” she echoed.
“You’re such a babe, Peaches,” Lake whispered, appreciatively.
“Thank you.” She blew him a kiss and carried on. “Sign-ups start right now. Thanks to Lake, I have teens littering the streets with QR codes for registration, as we speak. Your team should be ready for their first practice this Friday. We’ll be playin’ a team the highschool is setting up.”
Ryan let out a long-suffering sigh. “That’s two days from now, Georgia.”
“Yes it is, Coach.” She slapped him on the back.
