twenty-seven
At sunrise, Danny is still asleep, but I’ve woken up very early because it’s Friday, the first day of Wakefest, and I cannot wait to see this town shine. Usually, I have my coffee outside, but today, I sit in the living room for a bit because even though it’s been a few days, I still cannot get over the light that the new windows and French doors bring in and how this whole room has new life. The black iron framing is gorgeous, and once these dark wood walls get a coat of soft white paint, they are going to pop even more. This house is coming back to life.
I take pictures of the windows, the bathroom, the front and sides of the house, and the dock and then text them to Marlena, and we message back and forth again for over a half hour. When I hint to her about what’s going on with Danny, she is dying for details.
Did he show you his “fascinators”?
She adds about a hundred laughing emojis.
My reply is full of assurances that I’ll fill her in. But that, yeah, he did. And that I was completely impressed.
Then, I swing open the glorious French doors and move outside to sit by the creek.
Danny’s footsteps sound as he comes down the stairs, and then he hugs me from behind, nearly making me spill my coffee. “Wakefest is here! Wakefest is here!”
“I know,” I say with a laugh. “I’m excited to be at Mary Ann’s booth with her and Alex. But you still haven’t told me what you’re doing. Is it something crazy embarrassing? Like, you’re watching over the porta-potty section?”
“No, it isnotsomething embarrassing.” He hops beside me and steals my coffee. “It’d be better for you to see it in person. I’m hoping you’ll think it’s cool,” he says with a hint of shyness that I find adorable.
“I’m sure I will.”
Suddenly, he lets out a big, irritated sigh, pops up, marches down the porch, and points at my bird feeder. “What the fuck is this?”
“Um, that is a device used to dispense seeds of various sorts to our avian friends. Are you unfamiliar with such a thing?” I ask with a smile.
“Callie, I’m not screwing around here.” He’s really not, and I’ve never seen him this serious. “You know what else this is?”
As I have no idea what he is freaking out about, I shake my head.
“It’s a fucking bear lure,” he says angrily as he takes it down. “Jesus. And what if one showed up and your fancy new French doors were open?”
“Oh. I didn’t know.”
He softens, and he walks to me. “I’m sorry. I just…I just got you, you know? I don’t want to lose you to some grotesque bear attack.”
“You justgotme?” There’s no way to hide my pleased reaction.
“Okay, that didn’t sound right, but you know what I mean.”
I grab him by the front of his shirt and pull him in. “And maybe I just gotyouand don’t want to be lost in some grotesque bear attack. So, thank you.” After a long kiss, I say, “I mean,Ithank you, but the birds all hate you.”
“I can live with that.”
“And I know you want to get going, but you need a big breakfast first. It’s going to be a long day.”
“But there’s so much to do—” he starts.
“And so much has already been done. Everyone’s been prepping for days. All you have to do is show up to your mystery station with your mystery supplies that everyone but me knows about. Besides, I know you won’t turn down eggs Benedict.”
He lights up. “Oh, that’s the one with the sauce I love? How had I never had that before you?”
“Wake doesn’t have a diner, so…”
“True.” He eases a hand down my back and rests it on my ass. “Now that I think about it, I hadn’t had a lot of things before you,” he adds.
“You’re either being sincere and sweet and sexy or you want extra hollandaise.”
“Or maybe all of the above.” Danny scoops me up and spins me around. “And it’s Wakefest!”
