Page 5 of Seasons of Love
Over the next hour we worked on the book displays. I made sure to stay away from the romance section because it was a surefire way of getting distracted. I'd have time to scan through the titles later.
A small crowd gathered around the square, eager to check out the books on offer.
Indy opened up his cold-drinks stand, which included his new special-blend iced coffee. I'd been to his coffee shop, Spilled Beans, enough times to know I needed to get my hands on one of those coffees.
As soon as we cleared the space from all the empty boxes, Ben declared the fair open, giving a little speech about his aunt and how happy she’d be to see her project still alive after all these years.
My little writer heart jumped for joy seeing everyone happily scanning through the books and buying more than a few.
"Hey, guys, sorry, I'm late. Charlotte wanted to come with me, so Hannah and I had to use some diverting tactics," Ellie, Ben's business partner, said joining us. "Give me another six months, and I'll be ready to graduate from ninja school with honors."
We laughed. I'd met eighteen-month-old Charlotte before, and she was a bundle of energy and unparalleled cuteness.
"Nice to see you, Aiden. I didn't know you were coming to the fair," she said.
I rubbed the back of my neck, a little embarrassed at the reminder that I'd turned up unannounced.
Fortunately, Ben jumped in the conversation. "It was a last-minute thing. I messaged him about the fair, and the next thing I knew…poof, he's here."
"Oh…my…bubblegum-flavored ice cream with a cherry on top."
I put a smile I didn't feel on my face and turned around to face Tom, whose eyes were on my designer shirt. He came closer and started stroking the fabric on the sleeve.
"Holy mother of pearls, this feels beautiful," he said and kissed my cheek. "Nice to see you, Aiden."
"Hi, Tom."
Tom's literal sparkling personality brought a smile to my lips, but it soon died down when I saw Wren's frown.
"Baby, why don't you grab us an iced coffee from Indy?" he said to Tom.
"Coffee for everyone with cream and sprinkles coming right up," Tom said before walking away.
Ben and Ellie both made themselves scarce.
Great. Thanks, guys.
"What's going on?" Wren asked.
"Nothing's going on, what do you mean?"
"You're in Chester Falls."
I looked around and smiled. "Yup."
"Why didn't you say you were coming?" he asked, not bothering to hide the hurt in his voice.
"Surprise!"
"You're staying with us," he declared, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Wren—"
"No, something's going on, and if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But you're my best friend and I want to be here for you."
Even though I already knew that, his words still meant more than he could possibly imagine.
"Thank you, but I have a place to stay already," I lied.
