Page 57 of Unexpected Love
“Yeah, we were a hit.” Maggie beams back at me. “And bonus, now that we’re sold out, we get to enjoy the event ourselves.”
There’s another hour or two for shopping before a late-afternoon dance party at the park. Maggie slips her arm into mine and heads us down Main. We’ve strolled to the top of the hill, and I’m standing in the spot where I had my panic attack and looking back down the street.
“You know, I don’t want to seem like a Debbie Downer, but the event organizers told me they didn’t have space when I tried to apply for my own booth,” I say under my breath, finally voicing the thing that’s been bothering me the whole walk.
Maggie looks back down the street in the direction I’m facing and frowns. “That doesn’t make sense. There were at least two empty stalls,” she says, not bothering to lower her voice.
“We didn’t have quite the turnout we’d hoped for,” says a voice from behind us.
We turn to find a woman with a clipboard staring back at us. She’s wearing an appliquéd floral sweaterover polyester slacks. Her pinched expression shifts to a full frown as she gives us the once-over. I’ve never felt so judged and disrespected by a single look.
“But that can’t be true. I know I turned in my application form and was willing to pay the late fee, and I was told the event was full.”
The woman’s chin juts up as she sniffs.
“Juju!” My name is squealed in a little girl’s voice I’d recognize anywhere. I look up to find Cal and Charlie barreling at me from the other side of the crosswalk.
I release Maggie’s arm as Charlie jumps into mine and gives me a giant hug as Cal slips his arm around my shoulders. The sight of the two of them is quickly becoming one of my favorite things. He gives me a lingering kiss on the temple, and it all feels so right, it almost dampens the sting of rejection from the old biddy with the clipboard.
A sniff interrupts our happy glow.
“Oh, hi, Mrs. Pembrook. You might not remember me, but we met at the public safety luncheon last week. I’m Cal Johnson. This is my girlfriend, Jules. She’s opening the new coffee shop.”
I’m standing there stunned, and I can’t decide if it’s from the shock of being introduced as his girlfriend or because he actually knows people in this town when I thought he was a loner.
The biddy, Mrs. Pembrook, sniffs again. “Yes, well. It’s nice to see one of our finest civil servants out enjoying the event.”
“It’s been a great day. Hasn’t it, Charlie-Belle?” he says, tickling Charlie.
“Yah.”
“Are you a happy girl?”
“Hap-py,” Charlie says, clear as day. I’m grinning fromear to ear because her language skills have improved so much over the few short weeks we’ve been together. Every day, she’s trying new words and becoming a confident little toddler.
“She’s adorable,” Maggie says, trying to get in a tickle with Charlie. “You come to my shop anytime, sweetie. Auntie Maggie has special treats for good little girls like you.”
“Well.” Mrs. Pembrook sniffs and looks between me, Cal, and Charlie. “This is quite unfortunate.” She busies herself with flipping through the paperwork in her hand. “Had I known that you belonged to one of our firemen, I would’ve certainly made sure you had a booth of your own.”
The flipping stops, and she bestows us with a condescending smile. “But I suppose it all worked out for the best. You and Miss Simmons had one of the most successful booths, from what I could tell. I’m certain you can pay your dues to the community once you join the town chamber.”
I blink at the woman as she nods briskly and stamps away.
“Did that just happen? Did she really just tell me that they blackballed me but wouldn’t have if they’d known my boyfriend was a firefighter?”
“Welcome to small-town Senoma.” Maggie is still staring after the retreating woman. Her shoulders lift on a sigh.
“Come on, ladies, you’ve worked all day. What do you say to a cheeseburger and fries?” Cal tries to defuse the tension. I reluctantly agree. But the entire trek down Main, the whole time we stand in line for burgers, my anger simmers into a rage.
Maggie inhales her cheeseburger and swoops Charlieout to the open area where kids are dancing, leaving me and Cal alone for the first time all day.
“You seem upset. Did I cross a line with the title?” His voice is low, and it makes me think of all the dirty things that come out of his mouth when we’re in his bed.
“No. I’m not upset about that. I’m upset because that woman didn’t give me and my business a second thought until they knew you and I were a thing. Like, why? Why does it matter if I’m a single woman or if I’m dating a hero?” I do air quotes around the last. “Why am I an automatic extension of you?”
Cal lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know. But I can tell you that’s not an abnormal response. People are put at ease because of what I do. I’ve never really understood it, but I’ve seen it time and again.”
I toss my napkin down, not hungry anymore. “It just sucks. I am a businesswoman, and I’ve always prided myself on being a professional. I know I can be successful here. Iwantto be successful here. On my own. I’ve always been the little sister or my parents’ daughter or my ex’s wife. I wanted one thing of my own. I know I can do it if given the chance. But after that whole deal, I guess I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth, and I’m wondering if I’ll even get a fair shot in this town.”
