EJ nods, opening the door to my van so I can slip into the front seat.
At the mention of the boys, I almost suggest we meet at a park after the Bordeaux Days weekend is behind us. But then he says, “I’ll call you tonight after they’re in bed.”
So I just answer him. “Sounds good.” And then I add, “And I’ll see you over the weekend.”
“I was thinking about that.” He stands in the space between my seat and the door, staring in at me. “Can you get away Saturday night?”
“I might be able to. The boys will probably go down early after a long day at the festival.”
“I’d love to see you.”
“Let me ask Mom if she can stay with the boys and I’ll let you know.”
I’ll probably be exhausted at the end of a long day of volunteering and corralling the twins, but that isn’t going to keep me from a rare opportunity to be alone with EJ for a few hours.
“Okay. Drive safely,” EJ says, taking a step backward.
“I’ll talk to you later tonight,” I say as he shuts my door.
I turn the key and drive away, glancing up once to catch a glimpse of him watching me go.
Chapter 10
Angie
Corn, like people, can grow in many places,
but it thrives where it belongs.
~ Wes Jackson
The town is out in full force for Bordeaux Days. Everywhere you look there’s an homage to corn.
I spent the first half of the day with the boys, but now Mom’s taking them around to ride the rides and pet farm animals in the petting zoo while I work my late-afternoon shift at the kettle corn booth.
The air smells like salt and butter and sweetness. People are dressed in shirts that say things likeI’m All Ears, orIt Might Be Corny, but I Love Bordeaux. My personal favorite is the full-length tee with rows of corn. It saysThis is My Crop Top.
I’ve seen kids wearing hats with corn kernel motifs or corn sunglasses, escorted around with moms wearing corncob earrings, necklaces and socks.
I’m just wearing a yellow T-shirt and green ribbons tied around the pigtails I pulled my hair into this morning.
I’ve seen EJ in passing. He’s busy with the other firefighters dropping foam corncobs for the cob drop and then he’ll be at the booth down the way from ours roasting corn once the dinner hour hits.
Lexi and Trevor approach the booth, pushing Poppy in her stroller.
“One large bag, please,” Lexi says.
“I’ll get it,” Laura says.
“We were just talking to EJ,” Lexi says to me with a conspiratorial smile.
“Oh?”
Laura hands the bag across the table to Trevor and takes his cash while Lexi focuses on me.
“He was talking about your boys,” Lexi says.
Trevor exchanges a look with Lexi.
