“No, no. Braxton is upstairs and I can grab him if I have any trouble,” William easily mentioned. He motioned to the stairs. “This way Glenna.”
She scowled as she marched past him towards the stairs.
William followed her.
“When you come to your senses, give me a call,” Cathy held out a business card.
“No thank you.” I grabbed her coat from the rack in the hallway, holding it up so she could slip into it. “Shall we go?”
“Please,” Kitty said as she put on her outerwear gear.
The drive into town was quiet. Snow lined the streets in uneven piles, storefronts strung with lights that looked warmer than they felt.
“I should apologize,” I said after a few blocks. “For Glenna and that interview. For any of my baggage touching your life at all.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want apologies from you for things you didn’t do. These are the actions of other people.”
“I still feel guilty,” I murmured.
“It was Lydia who misinterpreted what the interview was about. I’m not going to apologize forher. She was the one who apologized to me for her mistake,” Kitty told me.
The directness of her reasoning made something loosen in my chest. “Thank you.”
We pulled into the square as people were unloading tables and crates. The vendor market was half started, with others setting up in their zones. It took a bit to find a parking space, and we ended up walking half a block back to where everyone was.
Dex was wrestling with a folding table when he spotted us. “Perfect timing. We need help from people who understand the layout.”
Lucy waved from behind a stack of boxes, her scarf already coming loose. “And someone who can tell us where the power is supposed to go. I can’t read Dex’s map for the life of me.”
“It’s perfectly clear,” Dex said as he rolled his eyes, but I could see he was smiling.
Kitty was in motion greeting people, taking in their questions, directing them as she assessed the situation. I hung back for a moment, watching the way she stepped into the center of things without fanfare, the way people naturally made room for her because she made sense of the chaos.
“Okay,” she said, clapping her hands once. “Let’s reset. Tables along the east side first so we leave room for foot traffic. Power runs from the bakery in this section, not across the square.”
Dex grinned. “See, this is why I like working with Bennets.”
Lucy glanced between the two of us, curiosity sparking. “Did I miss something?”
“We’re dating,” I said, because hiding had already proven useless.
Lucy’s face lit up. “Finally.”
Kitty shot her a look. “You knew.”
Lucy shrugged. “I suspected.”
Dex laughed. “She speculated for three hours on the subject yesterday.”
“Hey, stop giving away my secrets,” Lucy teased.
We worked for the next hour, shifting tables, solving small problems before they became big ones. I handled power cords and surge protectors, grateful for something concrete to focus on.
Eva appeared midway through the chaos, arms full with a tote of her handmade creations, her smile wide when she saw us together.
“Well,” she said, setting her things down. “About time the two of you paired off. If my thickheaded brother gives you any trouble, let me know.”
Kitty laughed. “Is this your booth?”
