I grab her hand without thinking about it and tug her to stand in front of the guys. “Do you guys know Addison?”
“Only from seeing her around town,” Andrew says. Then he extends his hand to shake hers. “Hey, I’m Andrew.”
Toby introduces himself too, and then that’s it. We all start wandering again as a group. I was worried it might be weird, but of course no one questions why I invited Addison.
“We had the crepes,” I tell her as we walk. “They were so good.”
“Did you get whipped cream on top?” she asks with a smirk.
I barely manage not to have another coughing fit.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ADDISON
“Niceflower,”Isayquietly as I walk through the festival beside Riley. Her brother and his friend are a few steps ahead of us.
She does this adorable little half-shrug, half-squirm. “I know it’s silly.”
“No, I mean it. You look cute.”
You always look cute, I add to myself. I would say it out loud if we were alone, but I’m not sure what she’s told her brother about our relationship. Friendship.Situationship?
Okay, no. I’m too old to be using that slang.
Until I know if she’s come out to him, though, or if she even intends to, I need to act casual around her. Unless we’re alone. And then I somehow lose all my senses and go down on her in the middle of my fucking place of employment.
I cut off that train of thought before it can get rolling, because there’s no way I can act casual right now if I’m picturing what we did last night. Thankfully, she’s chosen to dress down today, in shorts and a white shirt that’s tied at her hip, instead of one of those sundresses that make her entirely too irresistible. The kind that makes it too easy for me to just slip underneath.
She’s also got a blue ballcap on her head, which I’m assuming is meantto offer at least a minimal amount of identity protection. While she’s spent her time here walking around without worries, I’m betting it feels different today when there’s so many people and not all of them are local.
“Are you hungry?” she asks, brushing past my compliment. But I notice the faint pink on her cheeks, lighter than the flower painted there.
“I could eat something,” I tell her. I scan the area, taking in the options. “I also want to stop and talk to Brenden to see how everything’s going.”
Riley points in the direction of the inn’s booth. “We stopped over there pretty early, but it looks like they’ve had a long line ever since.”
“That’s good. I hope I made enough food.” Shaking my head, I add, “And I hope Brenden listens to me and hasn’t tried to go near it.”
That makes her laugh, and although I was being serious, I feel a tiny burst of joy at my ability to amuse her.
“He did mention he was under strict instructions when we talked to him,” she says. “But come on, let’s go.” She gets her brother’s attention to tell him we’ll catch up in a minute, then leads me away.
The smug, knowing look on Brenden’s face when Riley and I approach the booth makes me immediately regret coming to check up on things. He’s in charge today. I should’ve let him drown if that’s what is happening.
“Oh hello, there.” He sounds way too pleased with himself. As if me showing up at the festival to see Riley after I kept insisting that I wasn’t coming has anything at all to do with him.
“Zip it,” I tell him. Riley looks confused, while my annoying boss laughs. “How’s everything going? No problems?”
For a second, he just stares at me with his lips pressed together in a thin line. Then he mimes unzipping them and lets loose a wild grin. “Yup! Everyone’s raving about the crepes. And strawberry shortcake is always a staple for the summer festival, so those are selling quickly.”
Nodding, I step over to observe Sam working on a crepe. I watch him fill it, and then once I’m satisfied that he’s folding it correctly, I return my attention to Brenden.
We talk for a minute, with Riley at my side happily adding to the conversation, and then Brenden’s eyes flick past me, and he gets an absolutely gooey look on his face. I’m not surprised when I turn to find Travis walking up to us. But I am surprised when I see another man with him who’s rolling over a grill.
I haven’t lived here long, but I’m well aware of Travis’s heavy reluctance to participate in these town things. It’s something I like about him. And yet here he is, holding bags of hotdog and hamburger buns, so I’m guessing his reluctance was no match for his boyfriend’s insane enthusiasm. Riley and I say hi, then leave him to get set up next to Brenden’s booth.
As we walk off to find Andrew and Toby, I let the back of my hand brush against hers. “Have I mentioned how cute you look?”
