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As we neared the park, my mood plummeted. What should have been a mostly completed orderly setup of tents forming around the fountain in the park's center was a disaster zone. Only three of the twenty tents stood, and those looked like a strong breeze would topple them.

Sarah, the team leader for getting the vendor area set up, zipped between groups of people trying to assemble tents. She gestured frantically at a duo working with a tangle of metal poles and canvas.

“No, no—that’s not—” She cut herself off with a visible wince as someone dropped two support poles with a loud clang. “Those pieces don’t go together.”

Another confused duo kept turning an instruction sheet around between them. At this rate we’d be lucky to have half the tents up by nightfall.

“Oh no.” I kept my voice low so only Ethan could hear. “This is worse than I imagined.”

“Hey.” Ethan’s gentle grasp on my arm was welcome. “We’ll figure it out. And Liam’s bringing reinforcements.”

I took a deep breath, grateful for his steady presence. “Thanks. I just…” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “This wasn’t in the plan.”

Sarah spotted us and hurried over. “Thank goodness. We’re so understaffed, and these instructions might as well be in Sanskrit.” She thrust a crumpled paper at me. “These aren’t like the tents we’ve had the past few years.”

“More help’s on the way,” I assured her, scanning the document. These were worse than any furniture instructions I’d ever seen. “And we’re here now, so put us to work.”

“Let’s get you two started on that tent.” She pointed to one that was still in its box. “I’ll keep working to sort out these teams.”

Ethan and I approached the box, and he started opening it. I made a mental note to ensure we got easy-to-assemble tents in the future. He handed me the instructions.

“Okay, so it looks like we need to…” I trailed off as Ethan began efficiently sorting the poles and canvas.

“Start with the frame?” he finished, holding up two pieces. “Want to work from opposite ends?”

We fell into an easy rhythm, with me following his lead as we pieced the frame together. I tried to focus on the task but kept getting distracted by the way his T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders as he moved.

A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek, and I nearly dropped the end of the structure I was holding.

“You good?” He caught my eye with a hint of concern.

“Yeah, just… trying to make sure we’re doing this right,” I lied, feeling heat creep up my neck that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun.

The frame was nearly complete, and we started securing the canvas. I was on my tiptoes trying to pull the fabric taut while Ethan worked on the other corner.

“Almost got it.” I stretched as far as I could.

Something creaked.

I wasn’t sure what, but I didn’t let it deter me from trying to finish with this section.

“Andre!” Ethan called out but it was too late.

The tent came down around us in a chaotic tangle of metal and fabric. Ethan grabbed my arm, pulling me closer as we ended up huddled together under the canvas, surrounded by the collapsed frame.

“Well, this is dignified,” I said with a laugh.

“You okay?” His breath on my cheek made me shudder.

“Yeah,” I managed to say, keenly aware of how his hand was gripping my arm. “Though we might need to start over.”

Now he laughed too. “You think?”

I tried to move but instead stumbled into him. His arms wrapped around me, steadying us both, and suddenly we were pressed together in the dim space under the canvas. My heart thundered in my chest.

Tension crackled between us. A fire blazed in his blue eyes as he locked his gaze on mine and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. I wasn’t sure who moved first, but our mouths met and the gentle press of his lips against mine sent a charge throughout my body. The kiss began tentatively, both of us testing the waters, seeing if this was okay. But when Ethan let out a tiny sound and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss, nothing else mattered. My hands went to his broad shoulders, gripping the solid muscle there as he held my waist.

I felt like I was flying and falling at the same time.