Maybe This Time(77)

“Oh.”

My mind went back to that rainy, hot June evening. Sliding an overturned box across the grass with Andrew. Stepping on the glass, Andrew bandaging my foot.

Mr. Williams walked into the kitchen with a bin full of dirty dishes. “Sophie!” he said in his jovial way. “Aren’t you as pretty as a peach tonight?”

“I never understood that saying,” Jett said. “Are peaches meant to represent the pinnacle of beauty?”

“I think it’s about the alliteration,” I said, walking to the fridge and opening it. A burst of air cooled my hot face.

“I think peaches are beautiful,” Mr. Williams said.

“I would say strawberries are the most beautiful fruit,” Jett said.

“You see what I mean, that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue,” I said, my head in the fridge.

“How about as sweet as a strawberry?” Mr. Williams suggested.

Jett grunted.

“If we’re going to talk about comparing things to beauty,” I said, “we should probably stick with flowers and leave food out of it.”

“Spoken like a true flower girl,” Jett said, and I laughed. I would claim my flower-girl status proudly now. Flowers had saved my future.

“Is there anything I can help you find in there, Sophie?” Mr. Williams asked, joining me.

“What? No.” That’s when I noticed a jar of maraschino cherries on a shelf in front of me. “What are the cherries for?” I asked.

Mr. Williams picked them up and studied the label. “I don’t know who brought them but Andrew added them to a drink earlier.”

“What kind of drink?” I shut the fridge and leaned back against it.

“A Shirley Temple,” Mr. Williams said. “Would you like one?”

“Um …” I sucked my lips in. “Yes, actually.” I could handle the taste of cherries again. I actually liked them. Andrew and his kiss weren’t going to take that away from me.

Mr. Williams whipped me up a drink, dropped two cherries into it, and handed it to me.

“Thank you,” I told him. “What time is it?” I asked.

Mr. Williams looked at his watch. “Eleven forty-five.”

“I better get to my post,” I said.



It had cooled off considerably outside, but there were still people at tables and walking about the lit gardens that surrounded the Barn. But as I made my way to the back, I was all alone. I undid the padlock and climbed the stairs. I reached the far wall and sat down next to the cord on the hook. I tapped my glass against it. “Happy New Year, date,” I said. I took another drink of my Shirley Temple. See, I could handle this.

I pulled out my phone. I had several missed texts from Micah.

Where are you?

Me and Russell have been hanging out with Andrew, distracting him from you know who. You’re welcome.

Where are you?

I texted back: I’ve been put in charge of balloon release.

Her response was nearly immediate: Lucky! Where is it?

If I told you I’m sure I would immediately die. The ghost of the New Year would take me.

I thought a baby represented the New Year. Are you saying a baby would kill you?

Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Hey, make Lance hang out with you too. He looked like he was going to work right through midnight. Everyone deserves to have fun for at least the first minute of the New Year.

Yeah, okay.

I was bad. Here Micah was trying to live plan-free and I was meddling. But I knew, with the heart of a best friend, that Lance was a better fit for her.

The band stopped playing and a voice said into the microphone, “Five minutes to midnight, y’all. We’ll play one more song, so grab the person you want to dance into the New Year with, and let’s fill up this dance floor!”

The crowd let out a whoop and then music vibrated the wall against my back. I detached the cord from the hook and sat, holding it tight.

Three more minutes.

I bit my lip and got to my knees, then my feet. I leaned an elbow on the wall and continued to sip my drink. The dance floor was crowded and it was hard to make out everyone from up above. But I could see Micah. She had Lance on her left and Russell on her right. Andrew was there too, and she was teaching the three of them the steps to a line dance. Shelby wasn’t there and I scanned the room to find her. She was at the food table, grabbing a packaged mint from a large jar. We always had mints at the New Year’s Eve Barn Dance. Micah’s idea.

Two minutes.

I slipped out of my heels. My feet were killing me. The feet below stomped in unison as everyone did the jumping section of the line dance. I took my last swig from the cup. Only a few ice cubes and the two cherries sat at the bottom of the glass now.

“One minute!” someone yelled out.

Everyone cheered. My eyes went to Shelby, who looked around the room and began weaving her way through the crowd. Andrew looked around as well, like he just now realized he had less than a minute to find her. He stood on his tiptoes.

Micah leaned over and said something to him. He shook his head.

Andrew must’ve caught sight of Shelby because he squeezed Micah’s arm and left her with Lance and Russell.

Thirty seconds.

It was so strange viewing all this from above. I could see them—Andrew and Shelby—on a zigzagging path toward each other, and I’d be up here witnessing what happened when they met.