Page 12 of Three Days of Holiday

“They don’t allow pets.”

Jack stood and brushed dog hair from his pant leg. Bacon liked to leave little reminders he’d been around on pieces of clothing, furniture, car seats, anything really. Especially food. “And I didn’t bring a dog.”

“I couldn’t leave Bacon home alone. He gets lonely.”

Jack turned toward the door, giving Bacon one last pat as the dog stood up, growing aware we were leaving. “You mean he gets lonely and takes it out on your jeans?”

“That too,” I said and chuckled as my assistant walked out the front door and I followed.

“What time does the event start this morning?” he asked, getting to the driver’s side of his car.

I got into the passenger side. I liked to check email and work while someone else did the boring job of driving. “Seven a.m. at the same place as the qualifying event.”

Jack pulled up the GPS on his car, and I punched in the address. They always held qualifying events at the same location in each district of Maine, but the main event to the finals rotated each year.

I didn’t like that this year we’d be in Clearwater. I felt off of my game. We had an entire trailer full of supplies brought in, but I figured something would be missing. The competition officials were not overly creative in their yearly themes, so we always had a rough idea of whatwe’d need, but I didn’t enjoy being so far away from our home base.

“You look nervous,” Jack said as he pulled out of Tanner’s driveway.

“No, just regular excitement.” Was I that easy to read? “Today is a standard first meeting. We’ll go over the rules and learn the theme for the event.” It would be something involving woods or apples. Three years ago, they did camping, so it’d been long enough to reenter the rotation.

Again, they weren’t very creative.

I dropped my attention to my phone and answered emails to avoid any more communication for the ride.

“You sure you’re just excited for the day and that’s all it is?” he asked, as we pulled into the event center.

“Absolutely.”

I allowed myself a deep breath before I exited the car. By the time my feet hit the pavement, confidence was the only emotion on my face. Yes, I was absolutely nervous, but it had nothing to do with the competition and everything to do with seeing Holly again.

All four of the final competitors would be in attendance since it was an important rule day. I wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to see Holly again until it was time to be graded on our table presentation and creativity at the last event.

It wasn’t just about who had the best apple orchard but who could throw together the best theme and placement. The farm named the best in Maine became a premier wedding destination. They wanted people who were good at thinking on their feet and preparing for events.

Weddings meant money.

And I liked money.

Harry May stood by the entrance, greeting each competitor as we walked in. I stopped and exchanged a few pleasantries, keeping my smile mega-wide until I finished and walked further down the hallway, looking for the registration booth and only finding Diane.

I scanned the room for Holly’s face but came back empty. Only then did I give Diane attention. “What are you doing here?”

She never helped at competitions, and I’d hoped she’d remembered that overnight and gone home.

“I thought I would help you this year. We make such a talented team, Will.”

“We’ve never been a team, Diane. And I’m going to win this competition on my own.”

I made my way to the registration booth, which was simply a long six-foot table with stacks of paper and one woman sitting behind it. They hadn’t even bothered to put a tablecloth over it. An event, judging our creativity and ability to throw together an amazing event, and they couldn’t find a tablecloth?

Nerves racked my system and made me irritable.

Where was Holly?

I signed in by scratching my name in the signature line, agreeing to the competition rules. The person at the other end of the table handed me a name badge tied through a lanyard, and I shoved it in my pocket.

“Oh no, you must wear your name badge so we know you are,” the registration woman said with a smile so white she had to be helping her dentist pay off student loans or padding college funds.

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