Page 91 of Harvest Heat

He couldn’t remember feeling this happy in a long time. “How did I get so lucky?”

“I’m asking myself the same thing.”

CHAPTER 33

Rhys and Caleb spent almost all of their time together for the next two days. They decided to go with their pumpkin chocolate chip latte. Rhys realized it actually was pretty much perfect the way they’d made it at Frost + Foam, but they ran a few more trials to make sure.

They learned so many things about each other as they spent hours talking in the evenings. Rhys took another huge step by deciding to simply go with Caleb’s vision for how their booth should look. It needed to be over-the-top fall and fun, and design was Caleb’s strength, not his. If it were up to him, they’d just cover the table with a fall-themed cloth and set out the equipment they needed to make their drinks, but that wasn’t very festive. Caleb understood how to make it look like the other booths, like fall had exploded right there in Frostwick Harbor.

“What do you think?” Caleb asked when Rhys got to their booth the evening before the festival.

“It looks fantastic.” Caleb had somehow managed to make it full of decorations without seeming crowded or too loud or too over-the-top. It was something Rhys would be happy to have on his own porch. “How did you do that? It’s like the perfect blend of your style and mine.”

“What else could I have done since our drink is also that?”

Rhys knew he was grinning like a loon. “You really think so?”

“I do.”

“I think our drink might actually be perfect,” Rhys said. “But you know what I realized? I want to win for the town, but I’m just happy that we’re here together, and if we don’t win, it’s fine because I still get to go home with you.”

“Damn right you do,” Caleb said.

They kissed right there in the town square again, a little longer this time, but still nothing like the kisses they had in private. The town square wasn’t ready for that.

“I didn’t tell you this before.” Caleb’s words put Rhys on high alert; panic tingled all through him. “It’s not anything bad. I just wasn’t sure until the last minute that she really could get away, but my sister is going to come up for the day tomorrow to see the festival and taste our drink.”

“Your sister? Your sister, Kate, that you’re really close to? She’s going to come here?”

“Yes, she’s excited to meet you.”

“Oh my God, what have you told her about me? She knows about all the times I ran away, doesn’t she? I don’t know if I can handle this.”

Caleb clasped Rhys’s upper arms. “Take a breath. I told her how wonderful you are. I told her that I love you. I told her all the ways that you are not at all like Adrian or any of the other fuckers I’ve dated over the last several years.”

Rhys was honored that Caleb wanted him to meet Kate, but he was also terrified. He’d thought impressing the judges would be the scariest thing of the day, but now, that didn’t seem like a big deal. “I’m probably going to say something ridiculous to her.”

“That’s okay. She might do the same thing. I promise you’re going to like her.”

Rhys blew out a long breath. “Okay. Next time, give me more warning, though. I need time to be ready for something like this.”

Caleb frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to be worried about it if she couldn’t come. She’s got a case coming to trial next week, and things are frantic at the office, but she’s determined to get away. Next time, I’ll warn you, no matter what.”

“Thanks.” Somehow, just having Caleb acknowledge that this was hard for Rhys and apologize was enough to quell Rhys’s panic. Caleb was there to support him. He’d be nervous, but he’d be okay.

On the first morning of the festival, they woke up in Rhys’s bed. Caleb shut off their alarm, pulled Rhys against him, and nuzzled into his neck. “Good morning.”

A little meow signaled that Mallow was also awake.

“Is it really time to get up?” Rhys was still trying to shake off the fuzziness of sleep.

“It is. We’ve got a big day.”

Rhys tensed when he realized what day it was. “Oh God, the festival. And Kate.”

“Yes, the festival and Kate. It’s going to be a great day.”

“I hope so.”