Page 23 of The Summer I Stayed
Blue Alder Cove is not just a temporary healing ground or a vacation spot. It’s home.
This is the summer I stay.
I spot Caroline and Lila making their way through the crowd, their heads tilted in laughter. It feels like it’s been forever since I last saw them. The festival is filled with bright summer-colored decorations and vendors selling handcrafted goods to freshly baked goods like pretzels and sweets. The smells have been taunting me for hours while I helped set everything up.
“Maggie!” Lila calls out, her arms spread wide as she engulfs me in a hug.
Caroline follows suit, and I’m squeezed between them, just like the day I decided to come here. We’re just missing Alison.
“This is amazing! I see why you and Steven loved coming every year. This town is adorable!” Caroline sighs in awe.
Caroline and Lila start gushing over the festival and how they can’t wait to taste everything. They’re like kids in a candy store; their excitement is infectious.
As we start to walk through the grounds, Caroline loops her arm through mine. “So,” she says in a teasing tone, “where’s Jake?”
“He’s around here somewhere, I’m sure.”
“Well, I want to meet the man who’s been keeping you company all these weeks.”
I laugh, shaking my head at her. “We’re just friends, Caroline.”
As if he heard us talking about him, Jake strides into view, carrying a large box. His shirt hugs his defined arms, and the afternoon sun shines on his hair.
“That’s him,” I tell the girls.
“Oh my,” she lowers her sunglasses. “Even cuter in person. You have good taste, Maggie Wilkes.”
Lila covers her face at Caroline’s blatant staring, but I find myself biting my bottom lip. He sure is.
He locks eyes with me, and a small smirk grows on his face. Not a full smile, not like when we were painting the photo backdrop. Is that smile reserved just for me?
“Maggie,” he greets me, then nods in acknowledgment to Lila and Caroline.
“Ladies, meet Jake Hollis,” I introduce them. “These are my best friends, Caroline and Lila.”
He shakes their hands, and they exchange pleasantries when Tom appears behind him. Caroline sends me a side-eyed smirk.
“This is Tom,” I say. “Jake’s friend and a firefighter in town.”
Caroline steps forward, offering her hand to Tom. “Well, hello there.” Her voice drops an octave, and the flirtatious grin she gives him is unmistakable.
He chuckles, shaking her hand. “Pleasure meeting you.”
Caroline probably won’t admit it, but she’s clearly smitten. She’s been single for a few years after a terrible divorce. While she likes to tease me and joke around about meeting “hot firefighters” (How ironic, huh?), I think she’s ready to find forever with someone.
I turn my attention to Jake, who’s already watching me. I feel my cheeks heating up, and it’s not because it’s in the high eighties today. It’s because of him. The man who’s been a part of my healing journey. The man who makes me feel ready to find forever, too.
“Looks like sparks are flying,” Lila whispers in my ear. “And I’m not talking about Caroline.”
“Isn’t it a bit fast?” I whisper back.
Lila sets her hand on my shoulder. “When it’s right, it’s right.”
“Maggie—” Jake begins, when there’s commotion behind me. I turn to see that Maverick has managed to snatch a pretzel from one of the food stalls.
Jake groans in exasperation. “That dog…”
Before we can make a joke at his expense, he’s already darting after the mischievous canine.
