Ugh. I resisted the urge to make a face.
“I love cinnamon,” Kiya offered.
“Cinnamon!” Daniel beamed. “I love cinnamon, too.” He said it like it was the most amazing coincidence ever.
“Um …” I looked back and forth between the two of them. “Pretty much everybody likes cinnamon.”
Neither of them glanced my way. Daniel was already scooping up the cinnamon, milk, and coffee beans while Kiya watched eagerly. “We could do a cinnamon swirl au lait,” he suggested.
“Ooh, I just had an idea, too!” Kiya exclaimed. “My mom has this amazing recipe for cinnamon rolls. I could make some, and then tomorrow, we can wedge them onto the rims of coffee cups when people buy the cinnamon drinks.”
“Do you think your dad would be okay with that?” Daniel asked. “That’s pretty much the opposite of coffee in its purest form.”
She laughed. “It’s only for a day. I think he’ll understand.”
The two of them began chatting about how much milk and cinnamon to use. Soon, they seemed to forget I was there entirely.
“I can show Kiya how to steam the milk,” I offered, taking a step toward Daniel.
“That’s okay,” Daniel said. “We’ve got it.” He glanced at me absently. “Do you want to clear some counter space for us to work?”
“Sure,” I muttered. I hastily grabbed the bag of pecans, but I grabbed the wrong end, and the nuts tipped out of the bag, spilling all over the floor. I bent to pick them up, right at the exact moment Kiya did, too. Our foreheads crashed together in a painful thunk.
“Ow,” we said at the same time. I jerked away in pain, backing into the counter.
Something tipped against me, and warm syrup slid down my wrists and hands.
“Oh no.” I gasped, then reached behind me to feel the spilled bottle of maple syrup sticking to the back of my hoodie. I held up my syrup-coated hands. Daniel’s eyes glinted in amusement, but to his credit, he held back a laugh.
“Oops.” Kiya giggled as she rubbed the red spot on her forehead. “Who won, Nadine? You or the maple syrup?”
“Definitely the syrup,” I groused. I tried in vain to wipe some of the syrup off my hoodie. It was hopeless. I glanced at Daniel. “I should go home and clean up.”
“What? No!” He started to pull off his own sweatshirt. “If you’re worried about the syrup on your hoodie, you can wear mine.”
“That’s okay. You guys finish up.” My smile tightened. “Kiya can learn from a master.”
“Ha.” He smiled back, but his expression was worried. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the festival, right?”
I nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Kiya gave me a wave, but she was already turning back toward Daniel. As I walked out the door, I heard her say to him, “Can you show me how to lock the portafilter in place again? I can’t ever get it to snap into place the right way …”
A vision of Daniel’s hands over Kiya’s came to me, and I shoved my own hands into my hoodie pockets. I didn’t want to think about their hands touching. I didn’t want to think about the two of them brewing coffee together. I didn’t want to think about Kiya with Daniel at all.
“Go, Brandon! Go!” Elle screamed.
Brandon and Daniel were both leaning over an enormous metal tub, their hands tucked behind their backs, heads dunking under the water as they tried to grab ahold of an apple.
“Come on, Daniel!” I clapped and whistled. “You’ve got this!”
He and Brandon were neck and neck in the Fallfest’s bobbing-for-apples competition, with Graham and Liam following close behind. Since this was a booth run by the middle school’s PTA and faculty, a dozen Woodburn middle schoolers were competing. All around us, other students and their families were cheering. By my count, both Dan and Brandon had ten apples in their piles.
“Ten seconds left!” I hollered, watching the timer counting down.
Brandon lifted his drenched head from the enormous metal tub, another apple in his mouth. Before he could drop the apple onto his pile, Daniel sprang up from the tub and sprayed a stream of water right into Brandon’s ear.
Brandon yelped and dropped his apple back into the tub just as Daniel dunked one last time and came up with an apple of his own. The timer buzzed, and applause erupted from the crowd as Daniel whooped victoriously.
Then, suddenly, he scooped me into an enormous hug. My breath caught, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the coldness of his damp cheek, or from his sunshine-and-cinnamon scent. As he pulled away, my heart flipped at the sight of his eyes glinting adorably in the bright sunlight, electrified with energy and happiness.
“Not too shabby,” I finally said when I found my breath.
“And the three-year reign of the apple-bobbing king continues,” Dan declared, while Brandon, Graham, and Liam collectively scoffed. As the guys towel-dried their hair and faces, Principal Nyugen passed out piping-hot apple ciders to everyone.
“You fight dirty,” Brandon muttered to Daniel as he finished his cider. Elle patted his arm consolingly even as she shared a secret eye roll with me.
“Come on.” Daniel slung an arm over Brandon’s shoulder, steering him away from the apple-bobbing tub. “You can avenge yourself in the corn maze. You always find your way out of it before I do.”
“Hayride first!” Elle said, taking Brandon’s hand. She beckoned us to follow them toward the tractor-drawn wagon waiting at the end of Main Street. As we walked, I breathed in the scent of honey-roasted nuts combined with the aroma of flash-fried apple cider donuts.
Sunday had dawned a dazzling blue, and gold light filtered through the flaming trees. Perfect weather for the Fallfest. Stalls sponsored by Woodburn’s local businesses filled Main Street, which had been blocked off as a pedestrian-only zone for the day. Twinkling white lights and pumpkins decorated most stalls, which were selling everything fall-ish, from homegrown maple syrup to fresh-baked pies to hand-knit scarves and gloves.
I must’ve been smiling because as Daniel fell into step beside me he said, “Glad to see you’re in a such a good mood.”
I shrugged, but my smile broadened. “You know I love Fallfest.”
We climbed aboard the rickety wagon. Elle and Brandon sat on a hay bale seat toward the front while Dan and I settled into the two remaining spots at the back.
“I was worried about you yesterday,” Dan said as the tractor pulled out of the parking lot and puttered toward the base of Killington. “When you left the Mug, you seemed out of sorts.”
“Well … I was.” I was relieved he’d picked up on my mood. I thought he’d been so distracted by Kiya that he hadn’t noticed. “I’m kind of surprised you weren’t. I mean, we found out that the Snug Mug’s about to lose all its specialty drinks. Aren’t you upset? And what about Marley?”
Dan shrugged. “Marley knew this was a possibility when he sold the shop. ‘New ownership, new ball game,’ he said. And I agree with him. Things evolve.”
“But … they’re your drinks.” Our drinks, I thought but didn’t say. I gazed out at the field of orange pumpkins before us, wanting to relish the sight but fighting a tightness in my chest.
“And we’ll still make them. You and me.” Daniel put his arm around my shoulder. “Always.” Then he grabbed a handful of hay and dangled it teasingly over my head. “Now. Enough serious talk or I’m going to be forced to take drastic measures.”
I leaned away from him. “Nuh-uh. You wouldn’t.”
Of course, it was too late. He dropped the hay over me, and I yelped a protest, grabbing a handful to toss at him. Within seconds, everyone on the wagon was engaged in a full-blown war, tossing hay everywhere.
It was only when Ms. Franklin, scowling, pulled the tractor over and ordered everybody off that the hay blizzard stopped.
“Your fault,” I chided Daniel as we stepped down from the wagon and started the trek through the pumpkin patch back to Main Street.
He blinked innocently. “Who, me? Never.” He pulled another hand
ful of hay from behind his back and tried to stick it into the collar of my shirt, but I was too quick, ducking out of his way and running smack into—
“Kiya!” Daniel blurted.
“Hey, guys.” She was surrounded by a crowd of the most popular kids at our school, looking autumn chic in her purple coat and lace-up boots. She smiled in amusement as she took in our hay-covered clothes. Beside her, Georgette and the others giggled. “How was the hay ride?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but what came out was a sneeze, which elicited a whole second round of laughter.
“Great!” Daniel said. “Are you going for a ride?”
She shook her head. “Actually, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“You have?” Dan beamed at her. “Do you want to walk around with us? We were going to the corn maze.”
“Um, Dan? Your shift started at the Snug Mug booth fifteen minutes ago?” She said it gently, but Daniel’s response was an instant slap to his forehead.
“My shift!” He groaned. “I lost track of time. I’m so sorry. Is your dad mad?”
“Not mad.” She laughed. “More like desperate. He has no idea how to make your drinks. I tried but botched a few. Marley was helping out but now Dad’s solo …”
Daniel didn’t wait to hear the rest. He was already jogging ahead of us, calling over his shoulder for us to come visit him at the booth later. “For the unveiling of Kiya’s Spectacular Cinnamon Swirl!” he added.
“The … what?” I glanced at Elle and Brandon blankly, thinking I must’ve heard wrong.
Kiya gave a modest shrug. “That’s what he’s been calling the cinnamon café au lait we invented yesterday.”
Georgette snorted. “He named a drink after you?”
I bristled at the thought of how special I’d always thought my Nadine’s Song waffle was. Now Kiya had a coffee named for her?
Kiya was smiling, but not in a ridiculing way like Georgette was. “I think it’s sweet.”
Georgette glanced at Kiya in surprise, then shrugged. An awkward silence settled over us until Brandon checked the time on his phone.
“I should head over to the Blaze headquarters,” he said. “I’m supposed to help Mr. Henkels with the lighting and sound checks to make sure everything’s in good shape for the kickoff tonight.” He gave Elle a quick peck on the cheek. “See you guys later.”
As Elle waved after him, Graham and Liam walked by, headed toward the corn maze.
“If we’re not back in five hours, send a search party,” Liam joked to us as they passed. Graham laughed, but his eyes fell on Kiya, and he smiled openly at her.
“Omigod.” Georgette latched on to Kiya’s arm once Graham was out of earshot. “Did you see that smile he gave you?” Both girls giggled. “I caught him looking your way a few times during lunch Friday, too.”
“Really?” Kiya’s smile widened. “He is totally cute.”
“Ooh …” Georgette clapped her hands. “I love playing matchmaker. You don’t have a date for the Fall Formal yet, do you?”
“No,” Kiya answered. A wave of relief washed over me when I saw Kiya’s face brighten at the possibility of going to the formal with Graham. But confusion quickly followed the relief. Why did the prospect of Kiya and Graham being together suddenly make me happy?
“Great!” Georgette grabbed Kiya’s hand. “Let’s catch up to them in the corn maze. He can be your knight in shining armor rescuing you from being lost in the cornstalks forever.”
“Oh, come on. I don’t need rescuing.” Kiya rolled her eyes, but she was laughing.
Georgette was already leading her away, but Kiya looked back at Elle and me.
“Want to come along?” she asked us.
Elle nodded but I cut her off with a quick, “I haven’t had my daily pumpkin spice yet. I need to be caffeinated first.”
A fleeting look of—what?—crossed Kiya’s face. Was it hurt? Disappointment? It passed too quickly to tell. “See you later,” she said, and then she was gone, disappearing amid the cornstalks with Georgette.
I could feel Elle’s eyes on me, questioning, but I started in the direction of the Snug Mug booth, avoiding her gaze.
“You need to be caffeinated first?” Elle finally repeated as we walked. “Really, Nadi? You love the corn maze. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled. “I bet Kiya doesn’t even like corn mazes. Or pumpkin patches. I bet it’s all a ruse.”
“That’s a big assumption to make about someone you don’t know,” Elle said.
Sometimes I wished that Elle didn’t always call things like they were. “Can’t you let me get away with a snap judgment even once?” She laughed, shaking her head. I sighed. “O-kay. Fine. I don’t get why everyone loves Kiya so much, right from the get-go.”
Elle glanced at me in surprise. “Nadi, everybody’s just curious about her because she’s new. You know how it works. And you’re the last person I’d expect to get upset about it.”
“I’m not,” I said stiffly. Then, as we reached the Mug’s stall, I saw KIYA’S SPECTACULAR CINNAMON SWIRL written in large letters on the chalkboard menu. My stomach tightened at the sight of her name scrawled in Daniel’s familiar handwriting.
But then Daniel grinned at me, and all was forgiven as he ignored the long line of customers and handed me a cup of Pumpkin Spice Supreme. “A one-of-a-kind drink for a one-of-a-kind Nadi,” he said.
“You’re going to get in trouble with your new boss.” I nodded toward Mr. Renaud, who was looking on with an inscrutable expression. “Maybe help the customers in line first?”
“Nah,” he whispered back. “You’re worth breaking the rules for.” Then, once he’d given Elle her Raspberry Mocha and she’d wandered away to peruse the jewelry at the adjoining booth, he added, “Hey, you want to hang out tonight after my shift is over? We could do the Blaze? There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. And I … I just can’t wait anymore!”
My stomach catapulted into my throat. Instantly, a vision of the two of us dancing under the twinkling lights at the Fall Formal came into my mind. What if Daniel was going to ask me to the dance? My heart hammered at the thought, but a millisecond later, I was checking myself. Why had the dance been the first thing to pop into my mind? Daniel and I’d never wanted to go before, but … did I want to go now?
If I got accepted to Interlochen camp, I’d be spending this entire summer away from my lifelong friend. While the idea of camp was thrilling, the idea of leaving Daniel—even for two months—was gut-wrenching. It made me want to spend as much time with him now as possible. Going to the dance together as friends could be a nice way to cap off the year. Right?
“Cool.” I smiled at him. “I don’t really want to stick around for the Blaze lighting, though. We’ve seen it a thousand times before, and the first night is always swamped with tourists. We could watch a movie instead?”
“Perfect.” He turned toward the line of customers, adding, “Gotta go.”
“Me, too.”
As Elle and I walked toward the corn maze, I spotted Kiya and Graham at the pumpkin ring toss booth. They were standing close together, smitten grins on their faces. Yup, he’d be asking her to the formal in no time.
As Elle and I puzzled our way through the cornstalks, laughing at our missteps, I felt happier than I had all week. Tonight, I’d convince Daniel to talk to Mr. Renaud about keeping the specialty drinks we loved. Tonight, we’d hang out on the couch and binge on pizza, popcorn, and movies. Tonight, everything off-kilter in my life would snap back into place.
“This is my favorite part,” Daniel said around a mouthful of pizza, pointing to the TV, where Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was streaming. “Wait for it … wait for it …” He laughed as, on the screen, the red Ferrari crashed through the window and landed fifty feet below. “I love it,” he wheezed after he’d quit laughing.
“Nooooo, really?” I teased. “I can’t tell at all!”
Daniel tossed one of t
he couch’s pillows at me, but I blocked it with the one in my lap. We were on opposite ends of the couch, our socked feet tucked under our shared blanket. This time of year, Dad kept a fire burning in our old-fashioned potbellied stove, but our cabin was still drafty, and fleece blankets abounded to ward off the chill.
“Hey,” I said as the movie ended. “Want to make s’mores after this? I have this one section of my composition I’m really struggling with, too. I could play it for you.”
My words were pouring from my mouth too quickly, but I couldn’t help it. Daniel and I were back in sync, laughing at the movie and pillow-fighting like the weirdness of the last three days hadn’t existed at all. I was so relieved that I didn’t want the night to end.
Daniel grinned, and my heart tripped. I felt like I hadn’t seen that grin in ages. Or hadn’t seen that grin directed at me in ages. The last few days, I’d only seen him smiling like that at Kiya. “You just don’t want me to leave you alone with your dad,” Daniel said.
“That”—I wagged a finger, about to deny it, but sighed—“is also true.”
Dad had been doing fieldwork most of the day, hiking through the surrounding hills collecting bark samples from trees, which he then studied in his lab. But when he’d come home to discover Daniel and me in the midst of a movie night, he’d actually frowned. That was surprising; Dad always seemed glad to have Daniel around. When I’d gone into the kitchen for popcorn, Dad had looked up from an untouched bowl of chili to ask quietly, “How much longer will Daniel be here, do you think?”
“I don’t know,” I’d replied, startled. “Why?”
Dad had only shrugged and mumbled, “Never mind.”
My gut told me that Dad had something he wanted to tell me. Judging from the strained look on his face, it wasn’t good. And when he’d passed through the family room on his way to his bedroom while Daniel and I were mid-movie, he’d still had that strained expression.
Now Daniel was staring at me, arms crossed stubbornly. “No. I won’t stay. I refuse to be a pawn in your father-daughter drama.”
I cocked my head at him. “Really?”
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