Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots(46)
Author: Abby McDonald

“You’re joking — this is awesome!” I can’t believe how quaint it all is, with livestock displays and . . . “No way! Is that a pie-baking contest?!” I bound toward the red-checkered tent with glee. It is. A dozen of Graystone Valley’s finest blueberry pies are lined up for judging, next to the pickled chutney stand and a man selling fresh farm cheese. “I can’t believe this. My mom is going to be so jealous. She loves stuff like this!”

I feel Reeve’s arms slip around my waist. I turn, caught off guard. “Wait, what about . . . ?”

“All clear.” He grins, pulling me closer. “Fiona and Grady are off terrorizing small children by the bumper cars, and Ethan said something about ice cream . . .”

I relax back against him, happy. “So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know . . .” He links his hands together, resting them on my stomach so I’m nestled in his arms.

“I’ve got a couple of ideas.” I grin, turning so I’m facing him. We kiss for a long moment, hidden by the folds of the bright tent awning.

“Mmm,” I say, pulling away. Then I give him an evil grin. “What was that you said about ice cream?”

“Ouch!” He clutches his chest in mock pain. “I’m not even your number-one priority.”

I laugh. “Maybe two, or three — if they have fries!”

They do. They also have veggie burgers, classic slaw, and a dessert table that lasts for days. We pile paper plates high with food and find a spot out by the side of the main stage: a three-foot-high plywood platform where a trio of grizzled men are entertaining the crowd with a banjo and fiddles. It’s not my kind of thing, but there’s something infectious about their energy.

We laze for a while, chatting quietly in the sun, until I see the others making their way through the crowd. I shift away from Reeve, just in time.

“Dude, you’ve got to try the corn dogs!” Ethan collapses heavily right next to us. “Fiona ate, like, six.”

“Did not!” she protests, wrinkling her nose at the ground before carefully taking a seat. Grady just throws himself down without a second thought, his plate overflowing with three different kinds of pie and a mountain of whipped cream.

“You’re really going to eat all of that?” I ask him, trying not to sound flustered. I can feel Reeve’s eyes on me, my cheeks hot with our secret.

“Duh. Hey! Get your own!” He bats away my hand as I try to sneak a slice of cherry.

Reeve gives me a quick smile while the others bicker around us. I grin back, happy.

“We saw Kate,” Grady adds through a mouthful of food. He gives Reeve this wink. “She’s lookin’ goooood.”

My grin falters. Reeve’s face has gone tense. “Who’s Kate?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

“The Ex,” Ethan announces dramatically. “Except, he still worships and adores her.”

“Really?” Forcing a light tone, I pretend to be enthralled by the a capella group onstage, but inside, I’m screaming with questions. What ex? Why haven’t I heard about her?

“Guys —” Reeve’s complaints are quickly drowned out by Ethan.

“I can’t believe you didn’t hear.” He smears mustard from his chin. “It was like, the big town drama. Epic breakup,” he confides before Reeve hurls a can of soda at him. “OUCH! What’s your problem, man?”

“No problem.” Reeve glares at him, and then catches himself. He shrugs. “Just lay off the gossip. It’s ancient history.”

“So I didn’t have to suffer through your moping like, all of last year?” Ethan snorts. “Come on. Anyway, you might have a chance again. I heard she split with that hockey guy.”

I try to ignore the slice of insecurity that runs through me. Of course he’s had girlfriends. I mean, look at him!

“She asked about you.” Ethan slurps at his slushie. “So if you want to go throw balls at some hoops, now would be a good time, that’s all I’m saying.”

“And she’s put on a couple of pounds,” Grady agrees. “In all the right places.” Fiona smacks him. “What? It’s true!”

Thankfully, the subject changes, and soon the guys are arguing over who ate the most chili fries last year. I pick at my plate, my appetite gone, until Ethan suddenly laughs.

“Ha, told you!” He shades his eyes as he looks over at the crowd. Winding their way toward us are two girls: a petite brunette, and a tall blond girl, casual in jeans and a white T-shirt. “Kate.” Ethan grins at me, like this is all a joke. “I said she was asking about Reeve.”

I sit there, awkward, while the girls arrive and greet everyone with enthusiasm.

“Hey, Grady.” The brunette, Clara, flutters her fingers at him. Fiona’s eyes narrow.

“So what’s up?” Kate hooks her thumbs through her belt loops and grins at us. It’s immature, but I hate her immediately. Her long hair is kind of windswept, her freckled face doesn’t have an ounce of makeup, and there’s even a reddish sauce stain on the corner of her shirt, but somehow, she makes me feel like a slob.

“Nothing much.” Reeve shrugs, getting to his feet and gathering up our trash.

“Where have you been hiding?” she asks. “I haven’t seen you all summer.” The question is directed at them all, but she lingers on Reeve for much longer.

He looks awkward. “Around.”

“We were just heading to check out some of the rides.” I leap up, impatient. I get that Reeve and I are a secret, but that doesn’t mean I have to sit around watching the hot girls all throw themselves at him.

“Coming, Ethan?”

“I guess. I —” he yelps as I drag him to his feet. “What’s the rush?”

“Nothing.” I force a grin. “I just want to see everything before it gets too late.”

“Great idea!” Kate exclaims, smiling at Reeve. She even has dimples. Great. “Let’s do it!”

Foiled.

We wander the festival grounds in a group, pausing for Ethan and Grady to hurl balls/rings/blocks at various stands in a show of macho competition, while I keep one eye on Kate’s proximity to Reeve. It’s pretty close. Part of me wants to grab his hand, like I’m marking my territory, the way Jeremiah B. Coombes would suggest in that survival book, but it would just look pathetic and desperate. And freak him out. I try not to sigh.