Rose was throwing bug spray and water into her bag on the Fourth of July when she heard a knock at the front door. She hurried down the stairs to find Bodhi standing on the other side of the screen door.
“You don’t have to knock,” she said, opening the door. “Just come in.”
She took in his well-worn jeans and black T-shirt as he stepped inside. Jeans and T-shirts were his uniform, but she was still sometimes surprised by how good he looked in them.
“You sure you don’t need me to bring anything?” he asked.
Rose shook her head. “I think I’ve got it, although I’m planning to fill up on funnel cake so I didn’t pack any actual food.”
He laughed a little. “Sounds like a plan.”
Going to the town’s Fourth of July carnival hadn’t been her idea. Lexie was in the city scoping out the apartment she’d be sharing with three other girls in the fall, and Will had an emergency with a lactating cow. Rose figured she’d just stay home and try to see the fireworks from there. But then Marty had stopped by, begging Rose to go with her. It was only after Rose agreed to go that Marty invited Bodhi.
Rose didn’t know if it was because she was getting used to having him around or because she was still replaying their closeness in the barn, but the idea of eating carnival food, riding the Ferris wheel, and playing games with Bodhi somehow didn’t seem half bad. Plus, Marty would be there to keep it from getting too awkward.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Lexie.
Have fun with the studmuffin.
Rose sighed and texted her back.
Don’t get excited. It’s purely platonic.
Rose turned to Bodhi. “You ready?”
“Aren’t we waiting for Marty?” he asked.
“She’s going to meet us there,” Rose said.
“Then I’m good to go.”
“Great.” She reached for her bag, but Bodhi got there before her.
“I can get that,” she said.
“It’s no problem.”
She got the feeling that it was some kind of old-school chivalry, which meant she didn’t stand a chance of changing his mind, so she grabbed her keys and headed for the door. Her phone buzzed as she was stepping onto the porch.
For now. ;)
Rose sighed.
“Something wrong?” Bodhi asked.
“No. Lexie’s just a pain sometimes.”
He chuckled. “She does seem like a handful.”
“That’s one word for it.”
They got in the truck and headed for the carnival. Cars were backed up around the firehouse, and it took them a good twenty minutes to follow the waving arms of the officers working traffic control to a spot on the grass.
They started for the carnival site, the Ferris wheel rising into the sky as other rides dipped and whirled, their lights on even though it wasn’t quite dark. The smell of fried dough and lemonade drifted to her on the dust—they still hadn’t had any rain—and the lighthearted screams of people on the rides got louder as they approached the fair.
“What do you want to ride first?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
He laughed. “Someone’s excited.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Just a little.”
“What about Marty?”
“I say we buy tickets and take one ride. You snooze you lose, and Marty is snoozing.”
He grinned. “I’m in.”
They bought tickets at the booth and got in line for the Vortex, then spent five minutes smashed against the side of the ride while it got faster and faster. She was still breathing heavily when they emerged from the exit side of the ride.
“That was crazy!” she said. “Didn’t you think we were going to fly out when they lifted up those walls on the inside?”
“Nah,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “What? You’re too cool to be scared?”
“Okay, I was a little scared,” he admitted.
“I knew it!”
They made their way back to the entrance, but Marty still wasn’t there.
“Where is she?” Rose pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call her.”
But she already had a text message from Marty, and it wasn’t one saying she was on her way.
“I should have known,” she muttered.
“What?” Bodhi asked.
She held up her phone so he could read the text: Deadline pushed forward on Amsterdam article. Can’t make it. Have fun without me!
Bodhi looked at her. “Do you want to go home?”
She sighed. She didn’t want to go home. But she also didn’t want to be some kind of matchmaking experience for her aunt.
“No. We’re here,” Rose said. “We might as well have fun.” She hesitated. “Unless . . . do you want to go home?”
“No way,” he said. “You promised me funnel cake.”
She laughed. “Lexie would say we’re in for a penny, in for a pound.”
“So would half the old ladies I’ve ever known,” Bodhi said.
“Exactly.”
They bought more tickets and made their way from ride to ride, starting with the Ferris wheel and ending up back at the Vortex. They played Duck Hunt (Bodhi won her a giant stuffed duck) and tried to get ping-pong balls into cups of water (she won Bodhi a goldfish, but he only agreed to accept it if they could set it loose in the pond). In between they ate hot dogs, two funnel cakes apiece, and cotton candy that turned their tongues blue.
“I think I feel sick,” Rose said as they made their way to the big open field to watch fireworks.
Bodhi laughed. “You did it to yourself.”
“Hey!” She punched him playfully on the arm. “You ate as much as me!”
“Yeah, but I’m not complaining about it.” He surveyed the field, dotted with blankets and picnic baskets as people settled in for the fireworks. “Any idea where you want to sit?”
“I usually sit over there.” She pointed to the right, far enough outside a bank of trees that they could still see the fireworks, but at the edge of the crowd.
“Looks good.” He headed that way, carrying the bag Rose had packed even though she must have told him a hundred times that she could carry it.
Rose knew just about everybody in Milford, and they all wanted to see how she was doing as she and Bodhi picked their way through the crowd. For the first time in a long time, it didn’t bother her. It felt good to be part of something, to know there were people out there who wanted her to be okay. She introduced Bodhi to Marie and her daughter, Clementine, and was surprised to realize Bodhi already knew Mrs. Rand, the town librarian. They stopped to talk to Allison, the woman who owned the flower shop in town, and again to speak to Maggie Ryland.
When they finally got to the spot near the trees, Bodhi reached into the bag and took out the blanket Rose had packed, then spread it out on the ground so they could sit. Rose removed two water bottles and handed one to Bodhi.
“This is a nice spot,” he said, looking around. “Will the fireworks be over there?” He pointed to the clearing left of the trees.
“Yep. You’ll get a perfect view, I promise.”
“Well, good. Because you do not want to see me when I haven’t had my Fourth of July fireworks.”
He said it with such a straight face that it took her a few seconds to realize he was kidding.
“No wonder you and Marty get along,” Rose said. “To hear her tell it, she just couldn’t go on if she missed the fireworks. And now she’s not even here.”
“Am I wrong to smell a setup?” Bodhi asked.
“Not wrong at all.”
He sighed, and she thought she heard a smile in it. “I see.”
She turned her head to look at him. “Sorry.”
He met her gaze. “It’s not so bad.”
Time seemed to stretch and thin, almost to stop as she looked into his eyes. Then the lights in the field went out and the music started, followed by the first of the fireworks. She kept her head tilted to the sky, but her mind was on Bodhi. On the way he looked and the way it felt to have his long legs stretched out next to hers, their shoulders only inches apart as light exploded in the sky over their heads.