This did not go as planned at all.
9
Maggie
I can’t believe I hit that target on the first try. That says a lot about how angry I am because normally I wouldn’t be able to hit the side of a barn. His pants falling down was just an added bonus I hadn’t planned on and luckily he was too embarrassed to notice how my face went scarlet when I saw his almost completely see-through boxer briefs. I would never admit this to anyone, but I got agoodlook. Even though my brain was screaming for them to focus anywhere else, my eyes refused to move from his groin and I ended up having to cover them with my hands to stop staring.
Tate Adler has a nice package.
The two girls from our school also enjoyed the show and unlike me aren’t ashamed to admit it. They make their way over to Tate now and fawn all over him. Argh. That isn’t what I wanted to have happen. I want him to wallow in his embarrassment. “Way to go Maggie, looks like you got him two dates to go along with his win over us.”
I turn and see Daisy standing a few feet away. I walk over to her. “He’s not going to win. We still have a chance. People loved the free flowers we’re handing out with purchases.”
“Werehanding out,” Daisy corrects. “We’re out.”
“The apartment and the farm?” I ask and when Daisy nods my heart breaks a little. I decided after seeing Tate’s dunk tank we needed something more, so I had Clyde and Bobby go and cut my beloved flowers. They pillaged the tiny flower garden on the farm I’ve had since I was ten and the pots and flower boxes on our apartment balcony too. I had gladiolas, dahlias, roses, sweet peas and marigolds. I’m not looking forward to going home tonight and seeing nothing but dirt. If we’ve lost—and I think we have—I gave up my flowers for nothing.
“Bobby is working his magic on every woman who walks by the stand though,” Daisy says trying to bring my spirits up. “Two moms bought like four jars of honey from him. And one lady bought six different flavors of goat cheese because he winked at her.”
Yes, we were totally and without shame pimping out our handsome, single uncle. Desperate times, desperate measures. Daisy suddenly frowns as the wind whips her hair into her face and she pushes it back, annoyed. “But now Clyde is back at the booth, and we all know he’s the worst salesman ever.”
“Go send him on an errand,” I say giving her a shove. “Tell him we need batteries and send him off to the store.”
“Batteries?” Daisy looks confused.
“Batteries. Water. Coffee. Whatever! Just find a way to keep him away from the booth. We’ve only got an hour left,” I say. Daisy nods but she doesn’t look confident as she heads back to the booth.
I’m about to join her when I overhear a conversation that makes me freeze.
“No. I swear I know him!” a woman is saying. I turn and follow the voice. It belongs to someone I’ve never seen before. She’s tall, curvy, middle aged and smiling excitedly as she stands at the ticket table talking to Jace and Tate’s teammate, Lex.
“Do you follow the local college sports?” Lex asks her. “Because we’re all players for the college team. Maybe you recognize him from that.”
“No, I live in New Hampshire. I’m just here for the weekend visiting a friend,” she says and her eyes are locked on Tate who is now taking pictures with Courtney and Sandi. “I’ve never been here before and I don’t follow hockey, but…he looks so familiar…”
It hits me like a ton of bricks how she might know him. She might have hired him. I start to walk over at the same time Lex stands up and turns to call Tate over. “Adler! This lady thinks she knows you.”
Tate’s green eyes lift from Courtney and Sandi and land on the woman. The color drains from his face in the blink of an eye and I know my suspicion is right. I start walking faster directly toward the lady. His expression seems to flick the switch on the lightbulb in this lady’s head and her eyes flare and she claps her hands.
“I know! I know it!” She exclaims loudly and then points at Tate. “You are the guy who—”
“Sold you apples,” I finish for her in a voice abnormally loud but I need to drown out the revelation she’s about to express. “He probably sold you apples. Anyway, I hate to interrupt but your friend is at our booth and she wants your opinion on which cheese to buy.”
“Anne Marie is here? Where? I thought she was working this morning,” the lady says, confused.
I take her arm and lead her away, toward my booth. “I’m sure it’s your friend. Come with me. Do you like goat cheese?”
“Maggie…” Tate says my name kind of under his breathe but I hear it.
I look over at him his face is still void of color and he looks positively terrified. I remain cool and give him an icy smile. “Just shut up and look pretty while I take this woman to sample cheese.”
“She’s stealing a customer Tate! That’s not fair. We should win by default,” Jace announces and Tate walks over to his brother, but his eyes stay glued to mine and his expression softens as he realizes what I’m doing—saving his ass.
The lady is completely and totally perplexed as she gets to our stand and realizes her friend, Anne Marie, is nowhere in sight. I act bewildered. “I swear I thought she was here. I mean there was a lady looking for her friend and I assumed it must be you. I’m so sorry. Look, do you eat goat cheese? I can give you a free tub of our creamy and delicious roasted garlic goat cheese spread. You’ll love it.”
I grab a tub from the mini-fridge and hand it to her. She looks at it and at me, more baffled than ever. “Please. It’s the least I could do. Also if you like honey our lavender honey is the best in the state and completely organic. It’s magical. You should try it. It’s on sale.”
Daisy is watching our interaction with one eyebrow cocked. Luckily, Uncle Bobby and Clyde are nowhere to be found and Raquel is on the Adler side of the booth, trying to get a good selfie with her iced coffee, ignoring us.
