Page 97 of Just Act Natural

“I think it will wow you.” Oh please, let it wow him.

His warm, fatherly smile shines out. “I fully expect it to.”

He really is the nicest, but I cannot keep up this chat. It’s taking too much effort to stay upright. I can’t carry on a conversation, too. I wave him along the street. “You should check out the live music. It’s a bluegrass band playing first.”

Mostly, I need him to walk away so I can slump against this nice, cool brick building again.

“I’ll do that. See you next week, Lila.”

He steps off the sidewalk to greet some of the other volunteers. Disaster averted.

For the moment.

I swallow hard and start my trek toward the intersection where my family planned to meet. If my thoughts were a littlemore coherent this morning, I would be concerned about Grant spending the whole parade with my parents. Mom probably fished for information the full hour. If he’s lucky, Hope stuck him next to Griffin.

Actually, the most likely scenario is Mom set her camp chair between the two of them and dug around in everyone’s love lives to the tune of “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Walking the two blocks to the little patch of grass on Larch Street was a terrible idea. I should have flagged down the motorcycle-riding clown with the dog in a sidecar and asked for a ride.

Ugh. I’ve got to be out of it if I’m thinking about hitching a ride with a clown.

Finally, I spot a bunch of heads I recognize: Mom and Dad, Hope and Griffin, and Grant. Another sign of how out of it I am? The way my heart dances to see him with the people I love best, like he belongs right there with them.

As though I love him, too.

He turns and sees me, and he instantlyknows. Not about the stupid thoughts in my delirious head, thank goodness. But his brow furrows, and he frowns my way like he can tell at a distance something’s off. Might not take intuition, though. I’m walking like I’ve got glass in my shoes.

He jogs over to me. “Princess?”

I smile up at him. “How was the parade?”

“Impressive. You did a phenomenal job putting everything together.” He tilts his head down trying to reach my eye level. “Are you okay?”

I raise my hand to wave off his concern, but it feels like I’m moving through jello. Air should not have this much resistance. “I’m great.”

He slants his mouth at me as if that’s all it takes to get me to confess my sins. Like I’m going to immediately cave. Like I’ll just do whatever he wants?—

“I think I’m coming down with something,” I say softly.

He lays a hand on my forehead. I close my eyes and lean into it as if that’s normal. His palm is nice and cool. I could stay here a while.

He drops his hand. “You’re burning up. Let’s get you home.”

I snap my eyes open, wishing for the hand of comfort back. “I can’t leave yet. I have to make sure everything’s going smoothly with the market vendors and check on the live music over at the…”

My mind totally blanks. I blink into the crowds, searching for the right word. Finding nothing, I improvise. “The live music place.”

Nailed it.

His small smile hits me straight in the heart. He really should watch it—I’m not prepared to withstand him today. If I look at his dimple, I’ll pass right out.

“I can hear it from here. Things are going just fine over at the live music place.”

My family joins us, camp chairs slung over their shoulders as they prepare to head out. Mom takes one look at me and frowns.

Okay, maybe I’m not hiding my sickness as well as I thought.

“Lila honey, what’s the matter?”

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