Amber woke up bright and early on Saturday. Today was the day. Their performance was at two and she couldn't sleep. She managed to practice yoga and read her horoscope without so much as a thought about Gage Alexander, CEO.
Gemini, now is the time for you to get everything you’ve wished for. Today is your day to be your best. Everything will come to you easily today, Gemini. All you have to do is put your best foot forward and show up.
Amber liked the sound of that. She knew she wouldn't be seeing Gage today so that meant her good day was related to her dancing girls. Oh God, how she prayed they would win. They had come so far. They could win, she knew. They worked hard, were dedicated and had a great routine. They could do it. She tried not to focus too much on the performance, as she didn’t want to get too caught up in pre-performance jitters. She felt good about it in her heart and that was all that mattered.
Even though she knew she wasn’t going to see Gage, a small part of her hoped that he would show up and watch her competition. She didn’t know why it mattered, but she couldn’t ignore the deep want in her heart that he would show up. Wanting him was like a pendulum. Back and forth, back and forth. Her body and soul wanted him beyond comprehension, but her mind was a whole different story. In her right mind, she knew she didn’t know him, didn’t understand his fantasies and what made him tick. She didn’t know how he ran his credit union or what kind of boss he was to his employees. Nor did she know anything about his family – who they were or how many of them there were.
What she did know was that she was attracted to him on some spiritual level. In this crazy way that she had a hard time comprehending herself. It was like she knew him but didn’t. There were moments where she felt like she knew what he might say or think but didn’t really have a clue. Because she didn’t know him at all. What was his favorite color? Did he enjoy reading? Laughing? The thought of him laughing made her heart slow. Surely he did enjoy that every now and then, right? Maybe not around her but somewhere or with someone, she hoped. Was he as serious in life as he was when he was around her? Or was that just because of her? Because he was tested to his limit when she was around.
Why did he keep kissing her then? Why did she let him? She knew why she let him – cause she knew what was waiting underneath his button fly and knew exactly how it felt to have it inside her. But why did he kiss her, not once but twice? And he kissed her like he meant it. Like he needed it big time. She basically convinced herself that he did want her. She knew it! He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. She was determined to figure out what was stopping him from making the next move. She wasn’t sure when she would have the opportunity but she was definitely going to figure out.
~
Gage walked through the park eyeing all of the booths and chaos of people hauling in their various items that would make their booths complete. He could already smell the grease emanating from a few of the food stands. The festival would officially be open in twenty-seven minutes. The park was packed with various businesses from town vying for new business – gymnastics, churches, boutiques, dentists, banks and credit unions, the list was endless. Also on hand were things geared toward children – petting zoos, bounce castles, trampoline launchers, et cetera. Food Alley was set up with all things that screamed and smelled carnival – funnel cakes, BBQ, corn dogs, cotton candy, you name it and Gage was certain it could be found.
He made his way to the beer garden first. He figured he’d talk to Blake and then head over to the credit union’s booth and see how things were there. Lisa had managed to fill the slots for everyone to man the booth without any hassle. Most of the employees were happy to help knowing that being out in the community and making the credit union known was more important than any business they would garner from being out there. The general public enjoyed the feeling of community as well as developing relationships with local businesses. And for Gage, that was exactly the sort of thing the credit union thrived upon.
Technically the beer garden didn’t open until noon but Gage knew Blake would be there anyway making sure all the kegs were running smoothly and that he had everything on hand that he would need. The nice part about being so close to home was the fact that Blake could run and get any beer he would happen to run out of, only a mile and a half away from the park. He knew Blake better than that though. He was somewhat compulsive like himself and he knew he had it dialed down to the ounce, how much beer he could sell and how many cups would come out of a keg. Hence, how many kegs he was projecting he would need for the day.
“Hey man, I think you’re going to need more cups.”
Blake turned around, “Why? You gonna come and throw back a few?”
“The way I’ve been feeling lately, I just might.”
“Amber got your panties in a bunch?”
Gage laughed, “Something like that. Is it that obvious?”
“Only to a virtual playboy turned fiancé. I still haven’t figured out your problem with her by the way.”
“Well once I put in my volunteer hours with you and you pay me in kind, I might feel like telling you all about it. I have to go check out our booth. I will be back to help.”
“You know she’s performing today, right?”
“Who? Amber? Performing what?”
“Not her exactly. But she’s led her dance team to the finals and the team performs today at two. It’s a good thing you have a clear view of the stage from here.” Blake gestured with his free hand.
Gage followed his gesture toward the stage. “Yeah, it’s a good thing,” he replied before walking off.