Page 99 of Cinnamon Roll Set Up

“Cool. Are you ready to be fought over in the corn maze?”

At the top of the list of things I don’t like but still should do…

I’d meant to bring up the maze with Georgia last night, but things went sideways before I got around to it. Sitting in that cornfield waiting for a strange woman to find me is the last thing I want to do today, but I can’t back out on a commitment to my mom and aunt. And I want to help out the Cortez family however I can.

Still. The timing couldn’t be worse. As though I need more time alone with my thoughts.

“Nobody’s going to fight over anyone. Wait. Do they do that?”

“It probably depends on who’s in there. Last year, I went with Remi.” He winces but recovers quickly. “All the women were after that new veterinarian with the big Instagram following. They were calling him Hot Doc everywhere, so…yeah, there’s probably some roughhousing going on in the maze.”

I’m not sure what’s worse—the idea that nobody’s fighting over me or the idea that they are.

“Any chance you want to take my place?”

He laughs. And laughs. “No way. I prefer to meet womenthe old-fashioned way: on an app where they have to reach out first.”

“Are you looking again?”

His smile falls just a touch. “No. I don’t know if I’ll be ready for a while. But when I am, you can bet I won’t be looking for love in a cornfield.”

What are the odds the woman who finds me this afternoon will feel the same way?

Chapter 32

Georgia

Fun fact: I never actually rode the bookmobile bike before today. It’s heavy, impossible to pedal, and—get this—a cruiser bike. No gears. I’m starting to understand why this dumb thing was free in the first place.

It’s taking me three times as long to ride to the store as it would have if I’d walked. I’m sweating through my undershirt despite the cooler weather. And I suspect the back tire already has a flat. But at least I’ll be able to pull up to Dogeared and give it to Miles months earlier than I’d originally promised.

It’s pretty meh as far as grand gestures go, but it’s all I had at the last minute.

When I park it in front of the store, it’s an incomprehensible joy to get off that bike seat. My poor behind wasn’t ready for riding miserable miles on a seat I should have replaced when I fixed it up. Maybe my new fitness goal will be to get strong enough to easily ride it to the farmers market and back every Saturday.

Ha. Good one, Georgia.

I straighten my sweater that’s striped like a candy corn, and push through Dogeared’s door, ready to make my love declarationto Miles. As scared as I’ve been to risk my heart, I wouldn’t trust it with anyone else but him.

Only, he’s not at the front counter. Arlo’s there, talking about a book series with one of the guys from the fantasy reader group. I wave at him and head for the back room, but Miles isn’t in the kitchen, either. So…where is he? He’salwaysin the store.

Maybe he got another migraine?

As soon as the fantasy fan leaves with his purchase—of an entire series he hasn’t even finished book one in yet, no less—I go up to Arlo. “Is Miles sick today?”

“He’s doing the corn maze thing.”

The Kissing Corn Maze careens around in my head.

“What?” I run over to the front window and pull the flyer off the glass. There’s Miles’s cute little face printed out in orange and gray, right next to today’s date. I completely forgot about it. Never put it on my calendar because why would I? And I’m terrible at checking my calendars even if I had. “No, no, no.”

The bachelor portion of the Kissing Corn Maze starts in just over half an hour. My stomach bottoms out. I can’t let someone else win my man. I have to get over there. I head for the door but stop short.

I didn’t drive here. And I definitely can’t pedal the bookmobile bike out to Mackay Farm. That would take me days. Maybe if Sam can get here right away?—

Ava walks through Dogeared’s doors with the littles following behind her. As usual, she looks remarkably stylish for doing nothing but wandering around Magnolia Ridge.

“Georgia, I’m so glad I caught you. Do you mind if I leave Finn and Willa with you for a little while this afternoon? I need a dose of retail therapy, and you know how they get so bored with shopping.”

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