Mindy stands, pacing my small office like she’s about to pitch a business plan. “Okay, so here’s what we’re thinking. You, Winnie Sorrentino, are the town’s people whisperer. You can charm anyone—Mayor Barbie, the feuding grandmas, even Geraldine Thorndike, who hasn’t smiled since 1987.”
“What’s your point?” I ask, not at all keen about where this line of conversation might be going.
“The point is,” Thomas says, wiping frosting from his chin, “we have a challenge for you.”
I lower the folder cautiously. “Do I really want to know?” Then again, a challenge might be a good distraction from Patton.
Mindy rubs her hands together like a villainous mastermind. “Can you get Maverick—notorious grouch, emotionally unavailable firefighter, the man who considers smiling a sign of weakness, who reeks of confidence—to smile and enjoy himself at the Fireman’s Ball?”
“That’s—” I start … not the kind of challenge I was going for. Plus, I’m pretty sure Patton’s favorite kind of fun is being in his own company and I’m not talking about the burgeoning bakery business.
“Not just a polite smile,” Pauline interrupts. “A real one. Joy. Laughter. Maybe even dancing.” She shimmies her shoulders.
“You want me to make Patton Cross dance?”
“We want you to make Patton Cross happy,” Mindy corrects.
“Genuinely, visibly happy. At a social event. In front of witnesses.” Pauline folds her hands primly.
I should say no. This is ridiculous. Manipulative. Possibly cruel.
But my competitive nature is already calculating odds. The part of me that knows I shouldn’t be at all interested in him wants to sabotage the budding feelings buried beneath the frost of failed relationships.
“What are the stakes?” I hear myself ask.
Mindy’s smile widens. “Winner picks the theme for next year’s Founders Festival.”
“And the loser,” Thomas adds with entirely too much glee, “has to attend the Parks and Recreation Regional Convention.”
I sink back in my seat. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Oh yes.” Pauline nods solemnly.
Mindy circles me while saying, “Five days of mandatory workshops. ‘Innovative Playground Safety Solutions.’ Always a blast. ‘The Art of Picnic Tables.’ Boring. And the legendary interpretive dance seminar where you learn to express municipal budgets through movement.”
Thomas demonstrates what he calls “The Water Treatment Plant Ballet,” complete with swirling arms, while wearing a wan expression.
I’m torn between horror and hysterical laughter.
Pauline speaks gravely, “Unfortunately, you’d be rooming with Thomas. We only had the budget for one accommodation. Two beds, though, don’t worry.”
Thomas waves his Crush Cakes napkin like a hankie. “Apologies in advance about the snoring. My mother says it’s like a chainsaw being amplified through a megaphone.”
“This is cruel and unusual punishment.”
“So don’t lose,” Mindy says simply. “Just make Patton smile. How hard can it be?”
I think about yesterday and the vulnerable conversation about Captain Kendrick, the almost-kiss interrupted by Silver Sam, the way Patton looked at me like I was something morethan just the Parks & Rec director who makes his patience feel as thin as cheap plastic wrap.
I crack my knuckles. “Fine. Challenge accepted.”
They high-five each other, and I immediately regret everything because of what I don’t tell them. I’m already developing real feelings for Patton Cross. This isn’t a game of who can hate who harder anymore. This is getting involved in something that could undo me, so it’s best to put a stop to it now. I have other things to focus on—namely, the restaurant, my grandmother’s house, and work.
My pride won’t let me back down.
But my silly, hopeful little heart also thinks that if I can make him smile at the Ball, it’ll mean he’s feeling what I’m feeling too.
Having forgotten lunch, I head to Huck’s Lake View Diner, hoping for an affordable special as well as mercy, considering what Thomas said about the blabber mouths around here.
