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“As many as you’re up for.”
“Game on, then. We’ll take twenty,” Macy said, her voice full of confidence.
“I hope each ride isn’t one ticket,” I said.
“What happened to all that bravado?”
“Oh, I’ve still got it. But I want to be sure we have enough time for all the things I want to do today.” I winked at her and she blushed, her cheeks rosier than before.
“Stop.”
“Never. C’mon, let’s go see Peachtree Grove from fifty feet up.” I grabbed Macy by the hand, and we wandered over to the Ferris wheel, the crown jewel of the Peach Fest.
Macy had been right—the line was already long, winding up and back two times.
“Good thing you have the entire day off,” I teased, sizing up the number of people and mentally calculating how long we’d be waiting in line.
“It’ll go fast,” Macy said. “Besides, I thought you were patient.”
“No, I’m not. Plus, you’ve talked this up so much, I can hardly wait. I want to see what all the fuss is about.”
“I’m not overhyping, swear. It’ll be worth the wait.”
“I’ve been noticing that about a lot of things lately,” I said, locking my eyes with hers. A slow smile spread over her face and my mind spun wildly. Apparently, the tick-tick-ticking of the clock had affected my filter, turning it all the way to ‘off.’ I couldn’t remember ever being this honest with a woman in my life, and I bemusedly wondered if I was losing my mind. I’d put myself way out on a limb here and I’d bet the ground was gonna be really fucking hard if things didn’t pan out.
Macy paused, not saying anything. After a moment, she rose up on her tiptoes, placing the softest, sweetest kiss I’d ever felt square on my lips for everyone to see. My heart hammered hard in my chest and I knew I hadn’t made a mistake.
“Macy—”
“Yes?”
“Hey, Macy!” A petite dark-haired woman waved in our direction, trotting over to where we stood in the line. She moved in close to Macy, leaning against the metal gate. “I’ve been meaning to tell you—” She dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. “Don’t mention it to Sue Ann, but Delaney and I are throwing her a surprise baby shower. We’d love for you and Everly to come.”
“Sure, Claire. I’d love to come, as long as I’m not working. I’m sure I can say the same for Everly,” Macy said, nodding.
“Okay, I’ll mark you both down as a ‘yes,’ then. We are pulling out all the stops this time—I heard it was a girl!” The woman, apparently named Claire, squealed happily and clapped her hands together.
“Oh, that would be nice for her. Listen, have you met Liam yet?” Macy tipped her head toward me as Claire sized me up.
“Definitely not. Because if I had, I’d remember.” She smiled at me, her eyes wide as she licked her bottom lip.
Oh boy.
“He’s Ryder and Quinn’s cousin. Liam’s helping out with the store while Pops recovers.”
“Well, isn’t that sweet of you,” Claire said, reaching out and squeezing my forearm.
Macy’s eyes flitted down to Claire’s hand and she moved closer to me, linking her fingers in mine. “Shoot me the details of the shower and I’ll put it on my calendar.”
“You bet,” Claire said, sounding a lot less enthusiastic now. “Oh hey, Lisa!” Claire called out to another woman down the line, waving at us dismissively before moving on to her next target.
“That was Claire, the town gossip and all-around Queen Bee. She’s Sue Ann’s bestie. Sue Ann is Delaney’s sister-in-law. She’s married to Delaney’s brother Josh, who’s Quinn’s best friend. That’s how Quinn and Delaney actually know one another.”
“Yikes. I’m going to need a diagram for all this,” I said, scrubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “You lost me at Sue Ann.”
Macy threw her head back, laughing. “It can’t be as complicated as writing code.”
“Trust me, it is. Historically, I’m good with technology, not people.”
