Small-Town Girl

by Jessica Keller

  A second before she resolved to follow through on her plan, she spotted Brice sitting on a bench at the end of the boardwalk. Not just any bench, their bench—the place they had sat together a few weeks ago when they shared ice cream. Had that really been that long ago? He was far enough away from the party where no one would bother him, but near enough to still see what was happening. As if a string tied her heart to his, Kendall felt a tug to go to him and her feet started in his direction before she’d even resolved to head over.

  Hopefully he’d welcome her company.

  Kendall cleared her throat as she approached the bench. While she knew that Brice wasn’t a fan of large crowds, the slump of his shoulders told her there might be more going on than simply avoiding the people on the beach. Her bare feet slapped against the boardwalk. “Happen to have room for one more?”

  Brice glanced her way. His lips pulled into a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “There’s still a lot of the party left. I doubt you want to waste the rest of it sitting next to me.”

  Something was definitely wrong. Had she upset him? Or was his mood unconnected to her altogether?

  She gripped her sandals a little firmer as she searched her mind, going over their last couple interactions. Nothing negative. In fact, he’d been acting more friendly than usual with her. Flirty even. Kendall took a tentative step closer. “Brice?”

  He sighed. “You’ll have a much better time if you head back to the bonfires and mingle with everyone.” He jutted his chin toward the gathering crowd.

  The campfire smell of wood popping under the heat of fire filled the air. With the sun close to setting, a chill had begun to creep across the beach. No matter how hot the day had been, Lake Michigan’s presence kept the nights cool. A breeze whispered through the thin forest covering the top of a nearby dune. The wind carried into the crater of Ring Beach and washed over Kendall, sending a shiver down her back. In her shorts and tank top, she wasn’t dressed for a drop in temperature.

  She sat down on the bench and slid over to get closer to Brice, relishing the warmth of another person nearby. “How about you let me be the judge of where I want to be and who I’ll enjoy spending my time with the most?”

  Brice stared out toward the lake. The muscle in his jaw popped. Her fingers itched to touch his cheek. To make his stress disappear. But would that help him? She didn’t know. What would be best? The answer came to her quickly: she should pray for him, as Paige had done for her.

  Please. Please help me figure out what’s bothering him. Give me the right words. The right questions. Let me be Your hands.

  “Brice, what’s going—”

  “The boats are about to start.” Over the past fifteen minutes vessels of every shape and size had begun to line up in the lake. Brice pointed toward them.

  She laid her hand on his knee. “I think we should talk.”

  He shook his head. “It’s your first Venetian Festival. Let’s not ruin it. There’ll be time to talk later.”

  Kendall swallowed hard but nodded. She wouldn’t force him to share what was troubling him...at least not yet. The possibility loomed that whatever he was battling, he didn’t want to share it with her. If that was the case, she’d have to respect his wishes.

  He pressed his palms together and rubbed them back and forth as if he had sand coating his hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t enter our paddle wheeler.”

  Was that the cause of his sudden distant attitude? Misplaced guilt over not using the parade to market their cruises? Silly man. If that was the reason for his mood, she could fix everything between them. Fix it so the peace she’d felt on the beach as she prayed carried into this moment with Brice.

  “Not our boat. Your boat,” she urged. “But between you and me, decorating the paddle wheeler and parading it around doesn’t seem your style. And I’m glad you didn’t enter it. Really glad actually.”

  He quirked an eyebrow and shifted to meet her eyes. “You are?”

  “Of course.” She bumped her shoulder into his. “If you were in the parade, then you couldn’t be here with me. And I’d much rather have you beside me.”

  There. That should assure him. Everything would be all right.

  Besides, they hardly needed more advertising. Papers and magazines were calling from places all over the Midwest for more information on her business. People were booking her date-planning services months in advance. She had some up-front payments stretching far into the Christmas season. The sunset cruises had been an instant success, so much so that the last two weeks they had to turn people away because the boat had reached capacity. Their clientele spanned tourists to anniversary couples to local teenagers taking each other on first dates.

  A loud horn sounded and everyone on the beach started to cheer as they pressed closer to the shoreline. Kendall was sitting close enough to notice the muscles in Brice’s arm and shoulder go rigid.

  Why wasn’t he relaxing?

  A sick feeling rolled through her stomach. Somehow she’d made a mess of everything with him, hadn’t she? Disappointed him in some way. Kendall blinked against the burn of tears.

  Her mother’s voice charged through her head. Mark my words—he won’t stick with you for long. You’re too much like me, Kenny. Neither of us can keep a man.

  She scooted away from him on the bench.

  A part of her wanted to jump to her feet and start running, run until the breath heaved from her lungs and all she could think about was her sore muscles. Run home. Close the door on all the ridiculous hopes she’d allowed to take root in her heart.

  But her more rational side told her something else, something unrelated, was going on with Brice. He was struggling, and she needed to be here for him. Kendall couldn’t let her old fears surrounding men and relationships get in the way of whatever was happening between her and Brice. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—lose his friendship. Because...truth be known, she didn’t just want a friendship with this man any longer. She was falling for him and he deserved to know that.

  A second horn sounded and all the boats lit up, soliciting applause from the event goers. The first boat chugged as close to the shore as it could. It was simply decorated with American flags and white Christmas lights. Goose Harbor’s elderly mayor sat in a chair near the front, and the rest of the staff from city hall waved from on board.

  The next boat had a sign proclaiming Goose Harbor Public Works. The side was decorated with orange construction signs reading Slow, Use Left Lane, Watch for Workers and Road Construction Ahead. Construction horses with blinking lights gave the boat a disco feel. All the men on board wore safety vests and hard hats and danced to “Y.M.C.A.,” making the boat rock. They received a huge response from the crowd, who all laughed.

  Kendall found it difficult to focus on the parade and near impossible to enjoy it amid the turmoil between her and Brice. Tell him. Tell him now. But Brice had been right to say they wouldn’t be able to talk during the event; the crowd’s murmurs along with music that accompanied each ship would have added further strain to a serious conversation.

  The parade continued with boats of every size. The local drama troupe acted out a scene from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and a string of ships followed that had lights strung in ways to disguise the shapes of the boats. One looked like a semitruck floating on the water, another like a submarine, and yet another had different colored lights hanging in the shapes of palm trees. A ship toward the end of the line boasted a huge windmill. Clog dancers in full costume clomped to a lively tune. The final boat was lit to look like Cinderella’s pumpkin coach from the fairy tales. A lady stood in the center blowing kisses to the crowd. Her blond hair was tucked back just like the famous princess’s always was, and she wore the poufy blue signature dress.

  The people on the beach all rose to their feet and clapped as the boats continued down to dock at the pier
near the square. Everyone would be allowed to take turns getting an up-close view of all the boats, and there were ballots available so people could vote for the one they liked the most. But Kendall and Brice stayed on the bench.

  Tell him you’re falling for him.

  If he didn’t feel the same way, would that ruin their business relationship?

  What was she going to do?

  * * *

  Brice ground his molars together. Kendall deserved answers. But sometimes words hurt on the way out, like the ones he’d had with his mother. His throat still felt raw from that exchange. He’d thought he would be out of sight this far down the beach...had expected Kendall to capture everyone’s attention at the party as she did his. What he hadn’t planned was that she’d leave the crowd and seek him out. Of course he wanted her nearby; that wasn’t the issue. He still felt so raw and cut up from dealing with his mother that he didn’t know what to do with those emotions and felt bad bringing down Kendall’s fun night.

  He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She’d moved away from him, leaving his side. With her arms wrapped around her stomach, she was either cold or upset.

  He rubbed his palms over the worn fabric of his jeans. “I need to explain—”

  “I...I...” Kendall’s voice shook. “I should probably head home.”

  Brice hooked his hand around the back of his neck. “You aren’t going to stay for the fireworks?” Don’t go. But then, he hadn’t given her much of a reason to remain. He knew he had been acting detached with her, but it wasn’t because of Kendall. She needed to know that. If he could convince her to stay here with him—forever—he would.

  She swiped at her eyes.

  Wait. Was she crying?

  Brice caught her by the arm as she made a move to stand. “Hey. Are those tears?” His gut twisted. Buffoon. He’d made her cry. “Kendall, what’s wrong?” He mentally kicked himself for acting so coldly moments before.

  “What’s going on between us?” She ran her fingers under her eyes.

  Oh. Not the response he’d expected. “I don’t—”

  She closed her eyes tightly. Then she opened her eyes, took a deep breath and said, “Did I ruin everything, all those nights ago, when I said I didn’t want to date? Or is there still a possibility that you might want to take a chance on me?”

  What? He leaned forward. “Of course I want you. I’ve wanted to date you since almost that first day. I didn’t think you’d ever... You want to be with me?”

  “Yes. Of course. But if you feel that way, why were you acting like you were?” She pushed her hands into her hair, winding chunks of it around her fingers, and pulled, making her hair stick up at odd angles.

  She kept talking. “And don’t say you weren’t acting weird. I’m not overthinking all this. You were being strange. You still are.” She pointed at him. “You didn’t even want me to sit here with you. You didn’t want me to stay—” Her voice broke again. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m being ridiculous.”

  He’d tried—tried very hard—to keep from being affectionate with her, but with Kendall doubting her place in his heart, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

  “Kendall,” Brice groaned as he pulled her into his arms. She tucked her head into his chest so it fit right under his chin. “It’s not like that. Not at all,” he whispered into her hair and rubbed a circle against her back. She shivered in his arms. Brice loosened his hold on her and shrugged out of the zip-up hooded sweatshirt he was wearing. He draped it around her shoulders. “Here. You’re freezing. Put this on.”

  “I’d hardly say freezing. But thanks.” She slipped her arms into the sleeves and wrapped the extra fabric in the front of the sweatshirt so it doubled back around her sides.

  They sat in silence for a minute before she broke it. “Brice? What’s wrong?”

  The first firework exploded above the lake, sending a flash of red across the waters. Brice examined Kendall by the light of the next two fireworks. With her almost black wavy hair, soulful brown eyes and dark complexion, Kendall Mayes was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And she wanted to be with him. His heart pounded in his ears. “I’m sorry I was like that. I had a rough encounter with my mom today.”

  “Is she like mine?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Whatever is going on in here—” she tapped his forehead “—don’t believe it. Okay? Promise me you’re not going to internalize whatever she said to you.”

  Kendall was so good. So kind. What had he done to deserve her in his life? Brice swallowed past his emotion. “Are you sure, about me and you? You haven’t been in town very long.”

  Kendall pulled her feet up onto the bench and wrapped her arms around her legs. “For the record, I’ve been in town three months. I was here for six weeks before launching my business.”

  She’d yet to answer whether she was sure about him or not. “Still, that’s not too long, and you’ve been busy most of the time you’ve been here.”

  “Fine, but what does that have to do with anything?” Her eyebrows lowered.

  “You haven’t met everyone in town yet.” Just say it. “There are a lot of single men your age who you haven’t met yet. Good guys. Guys who—”

  “You’re seriously telling me to go date other men?”

  “No. I just want to make sure you’re not disappointed with me later.”

  “Nothing I say is going to convince you that I’ve fallen for you. I see that now.” Kendall shook her head, working her lip between her teeth for a second; then without warning she fisted her hands into his shirt and tugged him forward, pressing her lips to his. Fireworks popped and fizzed in the air as he worked his hands into her hair and she continued their kiss. She kissed him as if it might be the only kiss they would ever share and she wanted to pour all her feelings into it.

  When they finally came up for air, Kendall wrapped her arms around him and positioned herself so her mouth was near his ear. “Don’t ever, ever talk like that. Don’t belittle yourself. Hear me? You’re the best man I’ve ever met. Believe me.”

  Not trusting his voice, he swallowed hard and nodded.

  “And we both have family issues we’re dealing with. Maybe that’s why we’re a good fit. We both understand.”

  He hadn’t forgotten. It was only that Kendall didn’t seem as negatively affected by what she’d experienced in childhood. She wasn’t shell-shocked about love like Brice still was.

  “How do you do it?” Brice’s voice came out hoarse. “How are you so positive and able to move on from all the injustice that happened to you?”

  “I choose to forgive my mother, daily.” She spoke softly. He had to lean closer to hear her over the sound of the fireworks show. “I have to. I’d be the most bitter person alive if I didn’t.”

  Kendall had challenged him before about forgiving the people who had hurt him in his past. But could moving forward really be that easy? No. Easy was the last word he’d associate with the act of forgiveness. If Brice gave up the labels of being abused by his father, mistreated by his mother and rejected by Audra...who would he be? How could he define himself apart from the life circumstances that had shaped him into the person he was?

  It was too much to consider. And right now he wanted to enjoy spending time with Kendall. He’d muddle through his thoughts on forgiveness another day. Or never. He glanced over at Kendall and smiled. Life seemed pretty okay right now.

  Kendall leaned back against the bench and wove her fingers through his, and with her head snug against his shoulder, they watched the finale of the fireworks show, together.

  Chapter Twelve

  The Chicago Tribune.

  Kendall’s hands shook as she set the phone back in its cradle and jotted down the interview date and time. Love on a Dime was going to be featured i
n the travel section of the Chicago Tribune, which would bring in even more clients. Hiring an assistant would have to move up on her to-do list. She owed Claire’s cousin Jason Moss a gift basket or at least a high five for all the attention his original article had brought in.

  She couldn’t wait to tell Brice.

  Ever since their conversation at the Venetian Festival, he’d been treating her as if they were dating. Their friendship had turned into a relationship, and Kendall was loving every minute of it. Granted, it had been only four days, but they made up the best four days of Kendall’s life. Brice dropped by her storefront each day, usually bringing a gift along. One day it was birthday cake fudge—which was possibly the best dessert she’d ever tasted—the next day it was fresh flowers to replace the dead ones in her vase, and another day he’d slyly left a handwritten note on her desk that she hadn’t discovered until after he left. It had simply read “Miss you already.”

  And Brice thought he wasn’t good with women. Kendall snorted.

  “Well, that’s not a very becoming noise.” The sound of Claire Atwood’s voice made Kendall jump. They both started to laugh. Claire winked at her. “Always nice to see you looking so happy.”

  Kendall had lost track of time. She reached over to grab her purse. Claire was stopping in to collect Kendall’s bimonthly payment on her loan from Sesser.

  “You too,” Kendall said, indicating Claire’s wide smile. “Every time I see you, you’re all but glowing.”

  Claire’s smile widened even more. “They do say new mothers have a glow.” Warmth flooded her voice. “Speaking of which, I’m leaving for Russia next week.”

  “Next week! Already? That’s so exciting.”

  “I know!” Claire clasped her hands together. “I can’t wait to have Alexei home.” She sat down, her eyes sparkling. “The agency says I may end up staying over there for a month or two because everything has to become official through the court system before we can travel back to America.”

  Kendall nodded, encouraging Claire to share as much as she wanted. “That makes sense.”