Page 52 of Cozy Girl Fall
“Have you had any of the apple cider yet? Come on, I’ll show you to the stall.”
Penny led the way through the grove of trees and only screamed once when a kid jumped out at her from behind a tree dressed up as a zombie. Of course, Ethan and Tasha had thought it was hilarious but Terri had been genuinely sympathetic as she patted Penny on the shoulder.
They grabbed some ciders and wandered through the trees, stopping at a row of stalls that some local vendors had set-up to sell jewelry, cakes, and, strangely, cheese. Tasha had seemed inclined to try her luck for another candy apple. Penny personally thought the threat of a sugar crash was a little too high, and was about to warn her friend, but before she could, Terri had leveled a disapproving stare at her daughter. Unsurprisingly, Tasha had quickly left the idea of another sugary treat in the dust.
By the time they’d finished a full circuit, a voice over a megaphone called that voting for the pie competition would be closing in five minutes.
“OK,” Penny said, glancing between the Blakes, “if you haven’t voted yet then you probably should. Or my mom might have a meltdown.” They shared a look but nodded. “Then, while they’re tallying …” Her lips curled into a mischievous grin as she wiggled her brows at Tasha and Ethan. “Care to try and beat my record?”
Tasha groaned. “Really? I don’t want to get my hair wet.”
“A likely story.” Penny grinned. “Ethan?”
“You’re on.”
Her laugh sounded appropriately witchy as she clapped her hands together. “Excellent.”
The line for apple bobbing wasn’t too long and was mostly kids, seeing as most of the teen girls didn’t want to ruin their hair or make-up in the water and the guys were more interested in the girls than apple bobbing. Then there was Penny and Ethan.
They stepped up and Penny smiled at Colton, who had agreed to come and help out. He placed a fresh bucket each in front of her and Ethan and then filled it with floating apples as they lowered themselves to the ground, the grass cold against her knees. Colton got a good deal out of it, as her parents let him take the used apples back to the stables for the horses.
“Are you ready?” he asked, the deep wrinkles in his face thrown into relief by the twinkly lights. “On your marks … Get set … Go!”
Penny didn’t hesitate, just got right in there and immediately closed her mouth around one apple, spitting it out and over the side into the container before diving back in for another and another. It was a shame this wasn’t a skill she could actually do anything with, but Penny had always been absurdly good at apple bobbing.
“And, time!”
Penny and Ethan both surfaced, gasping and soaking wet. Ethan’s hair was sticking up in odd tufts but his smile was big and bright as he flicked water at her, making her squeal.
Colton looked into each of the containers and grinned when he saw Penny’s. “Winner! Congrats, Penny. Here’s your prize.” He handed her a piece of paper and she pumped the air with her fist as she read it.
“Free pie!” she told Ethan triumphantly. “Oh, and how many apples, Colton?”
“Not quite your record, you’re getting slow, girl. But fifteen isn’t half bad.”
“And Ethan?”
Colton’s lips twitched as he looked between them. “Six.”
“Well, that’s a new record for you,” she said, grinning at Ethan and darting away when he shook hiswet hair at her like a dog. “Come on, let’s go claim my pie and find Tasha and your mom.”
To nobody’s surprise, Angie’s pie had been voted the winner and Penny was particularly delighted because, as the high scorer for apple bobbing, that meant she got to eat it.
“Maybe I’ll share it with you,” she said coyly to Ethan as she waved her prize pie under his nose. “If you’re nice, that is,” she added with a wink.
Ethan smiled indulgently down at her, leaning in as he murmured “I can beverynice, Penny Larkin.Especiallyfor pie,” loud enough so that only Penny could hear.
“A man after my own heart, Ethan Blake,” she responded jokingly, trying to stop her body from betraying the bolt of heat that his words had sent running through her.
After sharing some funnel cake with Tasha and Ethan and a few more warm ciders with their parents, Penny felt she was more than ready to get warm, and dry, and maybe eat her pie in bed. They congratulated Angie one last time and said goodbye to the others before making their way to the car.
Penny drove them both to Ethan’s, since he’d apparently come with Tasha, and was feeling more relaxed than she had in days—and she knew it was only partially due to the relief that the festival was over for now. It was good fun, but exhausting.
The rest was definitely a result of their activity in Colton’s barn.
It wasn’t a long drive, and the silence was comfortable until Ethan suddenly fell still and looked at her with wide eyes. “Um, Penny?”
“Yeah?”
