Page 85 of Fairground

I blink, trying to process everything she’s just thrown at me at once. “Wow,” I breathe out, my voice sounds like someone else. “That’s… unexpected.”

“I thought you might say that” she says with a knowing laugh. “Carrie is thrilled at the idea of meeting you. She’s confident you’d be the perfect fit for the job based on your references from the last mayor. My records show you’re currently between positions, so please, take some time to think it over. We’ll need a decision soon—say, by next weekend?”

My stomach churns. Next weekend. The state fair is next weekend—the event I’ve spent almost two months planning, pouring every ounce of myself into. And right after that? The election. My election. The culmination of everything I’ve worked for since moving to Whitewood Creek. The job that I’ve been dreaming about winning. An opportunity to stay in this town and with Cash.

“I… Is there any chance I could have a little more time? Maybe two weeks?” I ask carefully, trying not to sound desperate even though I feel like I’m hanging on by a thread.

There’s a pause on the other end, and I hold my breath, willing her to say yes.

“Two weeks,” she finally concedes, her tone clipped. “But that’s it. We need to fill this position fast. Talk soon.”

And just like that, she’s gone.

I lower the phone and stare at the blank screen for a moment, the weight of her words settling in.

Two weeks. Two weeks to make one of the biggest decisions of my life. I’m not ready for this. Hell, I’m not even ready tothinkabout leaving Whitewood Creek. I take a deep breath and try to gather myself before heading back to my family.

When I return to the table, my parents are chatting with Laken about something to do with Daniel and Felix. She’s laughing easily, and it’s the most at ease I’ve seen her in years. Her brown hair falls loosely over her shoulders as she leans back in her chair, smiling at something my dad just said.

For a moment, I’m glad she’s having this lighthearted moment with them. She deserves it. But I feel anything but lighthearted. The phone call, the decision looming over me, the weight of my parents’ constant disapproval and critical attitude towards me—it’s pressing down on me like a boulder that I can’t move.

“Hey,” I say, clearing my throat to cut into the conversation. “Sorry, but I need to head out early.”

No one so much as glances at me, caught up in their laughter. I force a polite smile, wipe my mouth with my napkin, and push back from the table. I walk toward the bar, where Regan isrinsing glasses and stacking them on the drying rack. She looks up as I approach and waves.

“Hey, Rae. Everything okay?”

I nod, though it feels like a lie. “I need to leave. Can I settle up here?”

Regan waves me off with a laugh. “It’s on the house. Cash would kill me if I charged you.”

That draws a genuine smile from me because the first night I met him at this bar I asked him how he’d ever make money giving away free meals.

“Thanks, Regan. I owe you one.”

“Anytime,” she says, flashing me a warm smile before turning back to her task.

I step outside, letting the crisp fall air wash over me as I cross the square. The buzz of the town—the laughter of kids at the pumpkin patch, the hum of distant conversation—feels distant, muted. My fingers tighten around my phone as I try to figure out what the hell I’m going to do.

Charlotte.

Whitewood Creek.

Cash.

Two different lives pulling me in two completely different directions.

And I have two weeks to figure out which one I’m going to choose.

Chapter 36: Cash

A week later…

The air crackles with energy, a lively hum carried by the laughter of children darting in every direction on the fairgrounds, clutching oversized cotton candy and chasing after runaway balloons.

If you’ve never been to a fair before—hell, astatefair—then you’re missing out. It’s chaos and joy, grit and glitter, all rolled into one.

For North Carolina, it’s more than just rides and funnel cakes. The state fair is a celebration of everything that makes us,us. Small town loving people, who try to look out for each other and celebrate our unique differences.

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