Maybe This Time(76)

“Sophie,” Micah said, suddenly at my side. Or maybe not so suddenly. Maybe she’d been standing there for a while. “Are you yelling at this poor guy?”

“No, I wasn’t yelling at Russell. Was I?” I asked him.

“You kind of were,” he said.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Hi, Russell. I’m Micah.” Micah did not put her hand out for a handshake. She just offered a gorgeous smile.

“Hi, Micah. You work here?” he asked, taking in her outfit.

“Well, this is what I like to wear out, but yes, I also work here. We catered the event.”

“Oh, so you’re working with Jett Hart, right? How is he?”

“He grows on you,” I said.

“He’s been great.” Micah elbowed me. My cue to leave.

“I need to check on the … flowers,” I finished, when my brain couldn’t think of a better excuse to leave. I didn’t wait to explain, I just left my friend to get swept off her feet by the dreamy Russell.

“Lance,” I hissed, finding him in the crowd.

“What?” he asked, pausing with a tray in hand.

“Find Micah by midnight.”

“Why?”

“Because it is imperative for someone to be happy tonight.”

“Um … okay.”

“Great. Thanks.”

As I walked away, I decided that maybe I actually would check on the flowers. The crowd was a lot younger than at our normal events and some people couldn’t help but mess with the arrangements. I started in the far back corner and did a slow walk around, adjusting a drooping flower here and an off-centered vase there.

When I was halfway around the room, a waving hand drew my attention. Caroline was standing by the far door. I cut across the floor to where she stood.

“How is everything going?” she asked as her eyes traveled down my dress. “That is gorgeous, Sophie. Are those little forget-me-nots?”

“They are.”

“I love it.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling a flush of pride.

“So I can’t pull the cord tonight.”

“What?” I asked, thrown off by her abrupt subject change.

“At midnight.” She pointed up to the ceiling, and the net that encased hundreds of balloons.

“But you love to release the balloons,” I said. She did. It was what she looked forward to from the day after Christmas on.

“I know. But my mother recently moved in with me. Did I tell you that?”

“Yes.”

“Right. And she wasn’t feeling well when I left and I worry about leaving her alone.”

“Okay. I can definitely pull the cord. Where is it?” The location of the balloon release was guarded like a military secret. Caroline always said if she told anyone where it was, “one of those boys” would pull it early and ruin everything.

Her face went serious, denoting the gravity of this moment. “Follow me.”

I did. Through the door and around the outside of the Barn and to a back set of wooden stairs tucked behind a padlocked opening that led to a loft area above the main floor. A half wall mostly hid the loft from the view of the people below. Caroline led me over to the far wall and, sure enough, draped over a hook was a thick cord rigged up to the netting over the dance floor.

“At midnight, you pull this,” she announced.

At midnight, I would be standing up here, releasing balloons with the perfect view of everyone below.

As if reading my mind, Caroline said, “It really is the most exciting view of the night. You will love it. The energy is mesmerizing.”

This was where Caroline had stood for the last however many years and I’d had no idea. Nobody would know I was up here.

I watched everyone now. Micah was still talking to Russell in the corner. She had him smiling and laughing. Lance seemed oblivious to everything but his job, which was probably why after a year of chemistry between him and Micah, nothing had happened. Andrew now had a drink in each hand and was heading back to where Shelby waited at one of the tables, running her finger over a little blue flower in a vase. Kyle was dancing with Lisa Marks from school and seemed to know how to talk to her.

Caroline slowly let her gaze drift along the expanse of balloons like she was missing out on the greatest experience of her life.

“I promise to do a good job,” I said.

“I know you will. You and this cord have a date for midnight.”

I patted the cord. “I can’t wait.”





I ducked inside the kitchen and leaned against the nearest counter. Jett Hart looked up from where he was slicing lemons for the water.

“What’s wrong?” Jett asked when I didn’t move or say anything.

“Nothing. It’s just crowded out there.” Two people too crowded to be precise. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. “By the way, I found the perfect box for you. I was just clipping flowers at the shop the other day and we got a delivery and I swear to you it’s the exact right size.”

“A box?” Jett asked. “For what?”

“For your mixer. To replace the one I trapped a critter in.”

“Oh.” He sliced another lemon. “I already replaced that box.”