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A few minutes later, Avery comes out to take our order.

“Busy?” I ask her.

“Yes. But the good kind. After those long winter months, it’s nice that the season is starting again.”

Other than during special holidays, Dogwood Grove gets quiet in the winter. A lot of the businesses around town depend on the summer season to get them through those cold months.

“By September you’ll be looking forward to the winter,” I tease.

“By July!” she agrees. “Plus right now, I’m on my own. I’m letting Sophia take the day off. She’s too excited to be of any help.” She turns to Nina. “Any chance you want to work for me instead of the agency?”

Nina laughs. She has a deep, grainy laugh that I worry will get her recognized. She doesn’t look much like Georgina, but she can’t hide her voice, and she has the voice of a singer.

“Maybe in another life,” she says, looking around her with affection. “You have a really great place here. And a great kid. You’re really lucky.”

Avery beams with pride. “Thanks.”

Afterward, we walk past the Dogwood Den on our way back to the festival. And I glance discreetly to see if I can catch a glimpse of Blake.

Bryce is outside chatting with a customer and waves at us as we pass.

“Let’s have a drink before I have to get ready,” Nina says. “My treat.”

I could just kiss her.

But I check with Chase first.

“Can I play darts?” he asks.

“Sure.”

He runs inside as Nina and I take a seat at one of the high tables shaped like a barrel outside, finding one with two chairs.

Bryce comes over, a bright smile on his face.

“I thought you had the day off today,” Nina says, and I can’t help but notice that while her smile is more reserved, she looks just as happy as Bryce.

Bryce shrugs. “I had nothing else to do, so I thought I’d give Blake a hand.”

Butterflies flutter in my belly just from hearing his name. “Is he inside?”

Bryce nods, and I excuse myself.

I hear them laugh as I walk through the door and wince. I’m not surprised that Nina likes talking to Bryce, he’s so friendly. Everyone likes talking to him. But I hope he doesn’t get his hopes up too high. Because while Bryce looks at her with puppy dog eyes, Nina—Georgina—looks like she’s having nothing more than a fun friendly conversation.

Inside, the bar is practically empty. It’s such a nice day. Everyone wants to be outside.

Blake is behind the bar, and the smile he gives me when our eyes meet makes my world spin.

“Mom, look!”

I adjust my trajectory and walk to the dartboard instead of the bar.

Chase throws his dart. It hits the twelve.

“Nice.”

“I hit the bullseye before.”