by Barb Curtis
Fuzzy’s animated voice floated over the crowd, and she spotted him near the gazebo, gushing to a reporter about the web channel. His hands waved around, adding enthusiasm to his story. Man, the mayor was on fire today, like he’d eaten a whole tray of her fudge. With a pat to the reporter’s arm, he zipped away to chat with Lars, who lurked on the sidelines, setting up his camera.
Sapphire Springs being in the spotlight always made Fuzzy giddy, which meant he must be ecstatic now that Tim was single again and the show’s fans rooted more than ever for him to join the show next season.
He met her gaze over Lars’s shoulder and held up a finger. When their conversation wrapped up, he wove through the clusters of people to join her near the station handing out swag bags. “Hell of an event, councilwoman.”
A rush of pride warmed her. “And to think I’d pegged maple syrup as boring before all of this.”
He shook his head, eyes glued to the crowd. “Shameful. You know they’re still serving breakfast? Seriously, the lineup is still down the block, and it’s after one o’clock.”
Emily tugged on his arm to guide him away from the chattering voices. “Look, Fuzz, since we’re past the point where we can safely deem the festival a success, I think I’ll sit out the event tonight. Everything is under control, and we’ve got more than enough volunteers to handle it.”
Fuzzy’s mouth gaped open. “What? You can’t ditch the soirée! We close every festival with a swanky event. It’s tradition, a way to celebrate, and who deserves that more than you?”
She shook her head, determined not to cry. “I’m just exhausted and don’t really feel much like celebrating.”
“Well, you have to attend. Plain and simple.” He threw his hands in the air. Color rose in his cheeks, and his voice bordered on the edge of frantic. “I will not hear of you moping over there in your apartment when you should be letting loose, so just forget it.”
“Fuzzy, what’s the big deal? My work is done.” God, could he not appreciate her predicament right now?
“It’s a big deal to me.” He crossed his arms and gave a curt tip of his head.
Did he actually just pout?
He steered her a little farther from the crowd. “If you’re tired, take the afternoon to go home and rest, but I need you at that function tonight looking fabulous, you hear me?” His brows arched.
Emily sighed, her night alone slipping further out of reach. “Why?”
“Because. You played a pivotal part in this festival. I want everyone involved there tonight for photo ops and whatever else comes up. Now.” He put both hands on her shoulders, like a coach in the corner of the boxing ring. “I’m giving you my blessing to go home and relax for a bit this afternoon. Put your feet up—take your time getting ready.” His voice lowered and he leaned toward her ear. “Walk in those doors tonight looking like the goddess you are and show him what he’s missing.”
She pressed her lips together, held Fuzzy’s gaze, and nodded.
He squeezed her shoulder, and she turned on her heel, heading for her apartment.
On Fuzzy’s orders, Emily spent the afternoon indulging. At least if he forced her to go tonight, he’d given her some time to get ready. She napped for two hours and then took a long, hot bubble bath with the music cranked to drown out the festival noise happening outside her apartment. And also so she wouldn’t be tempted to peek out the window for a glimpse at Tim.
After trying on countless cocktail dresses, she settled on classic black, with a high neck and a feminine ruffle over the shoulders. After a couple of glasses of liquid courage, she strapped on her shoes and headed for town hall.
The ballroom sparkled. Tall vases stood in the center of each table, each with a single white calla lily, and in true Fuzzy fashion, white lights glittered everywhere. Beyond the huge windows was the rooftop patio overlooking the harbor front, with the city skyline glistening on the horizon. People mingled, and a few already danced.
“It looks amazing, doesn’t it?” Fuzzy appeared at her side and clasped his hands together. “This venue is going to be the place to book for any and every function happening in Sapphire Springs.”
“You’ve outdone yourself, Fuzz.”
He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “No, darling, you’ve outdone yourself with that dress. You look stunning. I’m so glad I convinced you to come tonight.”
Laughter tumbled out of her. “I don’t recall being given much choice.”
Fuzzy winked. “That’s my girl. Saucy as ever.”
Emily gave him a quick hug before hurrying off to see if Leyna needed any help. She was supposed to be leaving the catering up to her team but always had a hard time relinquishing control. She found her by the bar. “Everything all right?”
Leyna dumped ice into a bucket and stood some bottles of white wine to chill. “Yeah, things are under control. My servers are going to start putting out appetizers. Jay and Rob snagged a table if you want to join them.”
Emily plucked a glass of sparkling wine off the bar.
“Be still my heart,” someone said from behind.
With her drink in hand, she spun around. Bill and Connie met her with open arms.
“Emily, you look gorgeous,” Connie said. “Don’t mind Bill. That’s just his way of telling you that dress is amazing.”
“Thank you. I’m so glad to see the two of you here.” She chatted with them a few minutes and then headed for the safety of her friends. No sign of Tim. Maybe he’d managed to convince Fuzzy to spare him this final event. Didn’t seem likely, though, considering how adamant he’d been that everyone attend.
Fuzzy flitted around, schmoozing, while Lars followed with his camera. Still in documentation mode, obviously. The DJ played a good mix of songs, which encouraged more people to dance. Things were in full swing, which meant she could probably slip away unnoticed after another hour or so.
She started toward the table where Jay and Rob sat and almost collided with Tim.
His eyes widened. “Hi.”
He looked like a freaking movie star in his suit. “Hello.” Her tone was icy, but so be it.
He took a step toward her. “I’m glad I ran into you, I—”
“I can’t really chat at the moment.” She backed away. “I need to see to a few things.” Please don’t ask me what, because I have no sweet clue. She gripped her wineglass and was about to make her escape when he spoke again.
“Emily.”
After a second’s hesitation, she looked back over her shoulder.
He swallowed and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “You look beautiful.”
She brushed off his compliment and hurried off, racking her brain for something to ask one of the volunteers so she could appear busy.
The familiar riff of an old Smash Mouth song came over the speakers, and Fuzzy grabbed her arm. “Don’t you just love this song? I haven’t heard it in ages.”
Emily grinned. Saved by Fuzzy. He probably witnessed the awkward run-in with Tim and came to her rescue. “You’re the best, Fuzz.”
He spun her around the floor.
“You’ve really got moves,” Emily commented, following his lead. Lars hovered with his camera. “Does he ever turn that thing off?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? We’re filming a follow-up webisode. Kind of a documentation of the whole making of the Maple Magic Festival. There’ll be a few clips from the sugar shack, but it’ll include the planning stages, right up to tonight.”
Seemed like a decent idea.
As the song ended, Fuzzy gave her a spin and a little push. Emily almost lost her footing, twirling straight into the arms of Tim. She halted as the first beats of the next song began.
Tim steadied her, tightening his hold when she started to pull away. “Please.”
His eyes pleaded.
For a few seconds they just stared at each other, breathing to the beat of the slow familiar melody. “I’ll Be,” by Edwin McCain. She loved that song—hadn’t
heard it in years. The previous song either, for that matter.
Her breath hitched, and her eyes narrowed on Tim’s. She spoke through clenched teeth. “Are you playing my mixtape?”
He didn’t speak, just placed her hand on his solid chest and covered it with his own so she could feel the thundering of his heart.
Because her legs went weak, she succumbed to swaying with him among all the other couples. His arms might’ve actually been the only things holding her up.
His hand rested on her waist and seemed to sear through her dress while the other still held her hand, pressing it to his warm chest. “I thought I’d never get a chance to talk to you today.”
“This is hardly the time, Tim, while the entire room is watching us.” Fuzzy with his hands clasped together, Lars with his damn camera, and Jay swooping Leyna around the room in some outlandish version of the tango were all trying to gawk at them around the rest of the bodies on the dance floor.
He kept his voice low and spoke into her ear. “I don’t care. If the only way to make you talk to me is in front of eighty or ninety people, then so be it.”
She couldn’t endure some patronizing pep talk about how he hoped she found someone who wanted the same things she did, and blah, blah, blah. Not now. Not tonight, when love sizzled in the air, and she felt like the only person in the world who would never know what it was like to have somebody love you in return.
“Just hear me out, Em, please.”
Biting back a sob, she trained her gaze on his herringbone tie so she wouldn’t have to look at him. She wanted to bury her head in his chest, lose herself in his woodsy scent, in case she never got the chance to be this close to him ever again.
“I need you to know that you’re the first person I want to talk to when I wake up in the morning. That I can’t even be bothered watching television anymore if it doesn’t include our back-and-forth discussions.”
He grew quiet for a few seconds before continuing. “I need you to know that you’re my best friend.”
Oh, God, her heart would not withstand some just friends proclamation.
He tipped her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I’ve been such an idiot.”
Emily rolled her eyes and tried to twist out of his grip.
“No, really. Propositioning you to pretend to be my girlfriend? Pathetic. Especially when you’ve been right in front of me all along, and I’ve been too clueless to connect the dots. You’re amazing, Em, and so unbelievably perfect for me. I’ve wasted so much time, but I don’t want to waste one more minute.”
Her eyes darted around as some of the other couples cleared from the floor. Fuzzy had his phone up, recording. Was this some kind of cruel prank?
Because a giant lump was closing off her throat, she pushed him away, turned on her heel, and walked off the dance floor. She escaped through the side door onto the rooftop patio, not stopping until she gripped the cold iron railing. She tipped her head back to the star-speckled velvet sky, gasping cool fresh air, to try to catch her breath.
The brisk temperature beat being in there, where the walls closed in. Through the heavy glass windows the bass changed. The song ended, and something more upbeat played now.
The door opened, bringing a blast of music from inside before it clicked shut. Emily dreaded turning around to face him, but he appeared at her side a split second later anyway.
“You’re going to freeze out here.”
Before she could bat him away, he was shrugging out of his suit jacket and draping it over her shoulders. “Can you please just listen to what I have to say?”
He turned her around to face him and brushed away a tear that had escaped her lashes.
The ballroom doors burst open again.
“Get back here, you shit disturber!” Fuzzy yelled.
Emily and Tim both whirled around.
Melissa strutted onto the balcony, accompanied by her camera crew. Fuzzy and Lars weren’t far behind, followed by the rest of the guests.
Tim rolled his neck, tipped his head back toward the sky, and groaned. “What are you doing here?”
Melissa tossed her dark hair back over her shoulder. “I’m trying to make things right. I’m not giving up on you, Tim. I’m not giving up on us.”
Please. She couldn’t even conjure a couple of tears? Some actress. Emily yanked her hand out of Tim’s grasp. “I’m leaving.”
Tim’s hand clasped around her arm. “Wait.”
She folded her arms, feeling small in his baggy jacket.
Tim turned to Melissa. “You made things right the day you came here and broke things off. I’m never going back to you, and I’m sure as hell never going on some reality TV show.” He shifted his gaze to the cameraman. “Are you rolling?”
Without speaking, the cameraman gave him a thumbs-up.
“Good. Make sure you get every word of this.” He took Emily’s hands in his and brought them to his heart. “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching these past few days. I took a long walk to a special place and listened to a very old mixtape from beginning to end, and I realize how wrong I’ve been.”
The mention of the tape pooled tears in her eyes, but she pressed her lips together and blinked them away. Her voice was barely a whisper, but he was close enough to hear it. “What about all your rules? You’re probably just getting caught up.”
He shook his head and dropped her hands to grip her arms. “Rules are overrated,” he said, with a little lift of his brow. “I got scared for a while. Jaded.”
He took a deep breath, and his shoulders relaxed. “But I’m not anymore.” He shook his head.
“Oh, give me a break,” Melissa retorted, hands on her hips. “Come on,” she nudged the cameraman. “We do not need Tim Fraser bad enough to sit through this, trust me.”
When he kept the camera on Tim and Emily, she spun on her heel and stormed back into the ballroom.
Hopefully that was the last they’d ever see of her.
Tim took a step closer to Emily. “I was adrift for a while, Em, and you were like that anchor. You kept me grounded, and you never wavered. What I’ve learned from all of this is that I want the stability you bring me. I need it.”
As her eyes burned with tears, Emily pressed a hand to her aching heart.
She swiped a tear away, but the rest were falling too fast to catch. Tim brushed his thumb across her cheek to wipe them away, and she caught his wrist and held it there, pressing his hand against her cheek.
“I don’t want to start one more day incomplete.” He reached for her other hand. “I can’t go one more day without telling you that because of you, I believe in happily-ever-after. I can’t let this night end without telling you I’m in love with you. That I’ve been in love with you ever since the day you tripped over your snowshoes.”
A laugh worked up her throat.
Tim framed her face with his hands and his blue eyes searched hers. “I know I might not check every box. But I’d like to prove to you that I could come pretty damn close if you’ll give me another chance. I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
He gripped her hands tighter and his eyes pleaded with her. “What do you say, Em?”
“I say…what the hell took you so long?” She let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.
Laughter rolled out of him. He turned his face toward her hair and breathed in before capturing her in a long overdue kiss. Then he lifted her up above his head and spun her around. Applause erupted from everyone. A high-pitched whistle came from where Jay leaned on the railing, arms around Leyna, who sobbed harder than when they’d gone to see The Notebook.
Emily caught sight of Fuzzy, hand resting over his heart.
Finally she focused on Tim—the guy of her dreams, for nearly as long as she could remember. She punched him playfully in the chest. “I love you, too, as if you didn’t already know.”
A smile flashed across Tim’s face, and he glanced at the crowd. “Just in case you all misse
d that, she said she loves me, too.”
The applause grew louder, but it faded into the background as she inched up on her toes and pulled him into another kiss.
Epilogue
Two months later…
The sky was a kaleidoscope of pink and orange. Emily braced her arms against the rail of Tim’s boat and tipped her head back to let the warmth wash over her, breathing in the fresh air floating off the lake.
The scent of honey-garlic sauce still wafted off the grill, where they’d cooked their first dinner on board after an afternoon of swimming and lazing on deck. Tim sat in his captain’s chair. His drink rested in the cupholder while he chose some background music and scrolled through the weather forecast.
Though aviators shielded his eyes from the rich sunlight, a smile drew his lips upward and he raised his gaze to her. “We’ve got a nice couple of days ahead of us. Looks like we picked the perfect time to get away.” He stood and joined her at the rails, the breeze billowing his unbuttoned thin, short-sleeve shirt.
The boat swayed beneath Emily’s feet. They’d been out on a few shorter day trips, but this was their first overnight excursion. “I might be late getting my sea legs, but I can see why you love this life.”
Beyond the glistening lake, Crayola Row and the rest of the harbor waited in the distance, barely visible now from the deck.
Tim shifted her hair away from her shoulder, wet tendrils dripping onto the shawl she’d wrapped around herself. He rubbed at her left shoulder. “Has the maid of honor tension eased up now that the wedding’s gone off without a hitch?”
She closed her eyes and bowed her chin to her chest, loving the massage. “I think the tension dissipated the moment we pulled away from the dock. If there was any left, that massage is taking care of it.”