Page 92 of Harvest Heat

Mallow climbed over Caleb and tucked herself under Rhys’s chin as if knowing he needed comfort. He cuddled her close, and Caleb kissed them both. “I’ll make coffee and get you some breakfast.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to do it.”

Rhys smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Once they’d eaten breakfast, they dressed for the day, fed Mallow, and put her into her carrier. They’d planned to bring her with them for a little while so she could meet Kate before the official opening time later in the morning.

Despite how early it was, Rhys knew half the town would already be out and about, making sure everything was ready to go. He and Caleb would also need to check in with the employees they were leaving in charge of the shops. People would be exploring all over town once they’d finished at the festival.

When they got to the town square, it was already crowded like Rhys had expected. Anyone who wasn’t helping with setup was out to get a first look at all the booths. He could already smell doughnuts, caramel apples, and lots of other treats. He wasn’t sure he could sample any of them, at least not until the contest was over. The butterflies in his stomach were doing loops and backflips, and he felt far less than steady.

He and Caleb waved at Finn and Tessa, whose booth was on the same row as theirs. He also saw Jonah just across from them. Marianne was somewhere working the library booth. He was sure they would see her soon.

They set Mallow’s carrier on the ground where she could see them and got to work setting up the things they hadn’t been able to leave out overnight.

A few minutes later, someone called out to Caleb. When Rhys looked up to see who it was, he saw a woman who looked startlingly like Caleb. He had no doubt it was Kate. Caleb jumped up from sticking boxes under the table and waved wildly at his sister. Rhys knew he should say something, but he just watched as Kate approached the booth.

After a long hug from Kate, Caleb turned to face Rhys. “Kate, this is Rhys. Rhys, this is my sister.”

Kate gave him an assessing glance, then held out a hand for him to shake, and he realized he should probably have made the gesture first.

“It’s really nice to meet you,” he said. “Caleb’s told me so many great things about you.”

“I’m skeptical about that,” she said. “I bet he’s told you how difficult I am.”

Rhys wasn’t sure how to answer that.

Kate looked from him to Caleb, then back. “So you’re actually all in now?”

Rhys stared at her, not sure what she meant.

Caleb scowled. “Kate, I told you not to interrogate him.”

“I just want to know where things stand.”

“You mean, am I all into Caleb?” Rhys asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Gross, but yes, into a relationship with Caleb.”

“I am.” Rhys reached out, and Caleb took his hand and squeezed. “I love him.”

“Damn.” Kate smiled. “That does make things clear. I think I can get behind this now. It took you a while, but you figured out how to go after what you wanted.”

Caleb squeezed Rhys’s shoulder. “I should have given you better warning about how intense she can be, but I told her not to act like this.”

“I’ll behave if you make me one of these drinks I’ve been hearing about.”

Rhys got to work, glad for something to do with his hands.

When Kate took a sip of her latte, she sighed. “That’s incredible. It’s everything Caleb promised and more. You two really are a dynamite combination. There’s no way anyone’s going to beat you with this.”

“We can’t be sure of that,” Rhys said. “People along the coast take their coffee very seriously.”

She huffed. “Not more seriously than the two of you.”

“I don’t think anyone takes coffee more seriously than Rhys,” Caleb said, but Rhys shook his head.