Braxton nodded immediately. “I can help with setup.”
Lucy looked at him. “You’re volunteering?”
“I am,” he said easily.
Ephram cautiously accepted the envelope, looking at the contents. “Wait. Volunteering for what?”
“For this,” Lydia said, gesturing broadly. “Welcome to the Bennet experience.”
Dex smirked. “You get used to it.”
“I absolutely will not,” Ephram said. “How do you live last minute? These forms aren’t even filled out.”
“I’m sure you can handle that,” Dex replied, taking a sip of coffee.
I watched the exchange with a strange mix of amusement and disbelief. The room felt fuller now, louder, but also steadier. The weight on my shoulders shifted, redistributed in small but meaningful ways.
“All right,” I said, raising my voice just enough to be heard. “If you’re here, you’re helping.”
Caleb met my gaze, something warm and steady there. “Tell us what you need.”
I looked down at my list, then back up at the people crowding my kitchen. For the first time since Marjorie had dropped the words Winter Carnival like a live wire, I felt something close to confidence.
“Okay,” I said. “First things first. We need to figure out who is going to be responsible for what. I need a list and your phone numbers so we can coordinate.”
Dex leaned back against the counter, coffee in hand. “That’s a good strong start.”
I ignored him and focused on the page. “The Winter Carnival breaks down into five major parts. The talent show, skate night, the market vendors, a cocoa crawl, and the cookie exchange.”
Ephram raised his hand cautiously. “Why does that sound like a survival challenge?”
“Because you just arrived,” Lydia said sweetly. “You can do the permits, right?”
“I suppose so,” Ephram reluctantly agreed.
“I’m writing that on the list,” Meri decided, grabbing a pad of paper. “What’s your phone number?”
Caleb stepped closer, grounding the moment without taking it over. “Let’s assign by strengths, not enthusiasm. That way things are more likely to get done.”
Lydia made a wounded sound.
Lucy nodded. “Agreed.”
“All right. Caleb is already handling sound and staging across events,” I told Meri, who wrote it down.
Caleb inclined his head once, accepting it without fuss.
“Jane,” I continued, “can you oversee anything that needs food or drink with Braxton’s help?”
Jane smiled. “Yes. I already have ideas about the Hot Cocoa Crawl.”
“Just remember there are rules for the Cookie Exchange,” Caleb warned. “I can forward you lastyear's announcement. I think my sister still has a copy.”
“You have a sister?” Lucy asked.
“Irrelevant. Let’s keep focused here,” I reminded them.
“Meri,” I said, turning to her, “you’re in charge of performer communication in regards to the talent show.”
