I’ve been receiving a lot of mail, tweets and Facebook messages asking about Ellie Owens. Sadly, our gal has been hiding. Would I lie to all of you? Nope, not a chance. But who knows? Maybe she’ll pop up at the Bayside Spring Festival today...
“Do you really, really want to go to this?”
At her dad’s stoic expression, Elle relented. But not without a silent sigh.
“I go to the Bayside Spring Festival every year. Why would this year be any different?” he asked.
“But do you really need me to go, too?”
Elle had been back in Bayside for almost a month now. Since she’d finished the mural for Carson Rothchild last week, she’d been in talks to not only do a mural for Carson’s friend Polly, but to paint and design the entire room. As much as she was looking forward to that, the actual work wouldn’t take place for another month.
Since none of the work had begun yet, though, she’d mostly been hiding out. Except for meeting Riley for coffee a couple times. In the meantime, Elle had decided the best way to stay off the dreaded Bayside Blogger site was to hide out at her dad’s house. Even though she’d told her father she’d been busy job hunting—which she had—she was mostly trying to not do anything worth talking about.
“You have to get out of this house,” he said, reaching for his hat and jacket.
This time, she couldn’t hold in the sigh.
He looked over at her. “I mean, I’m still sick. And weak,” he added with a big frown.
She wasn’t buying it. Elle knew when she was being taken. After all, her dad had been outside planting flowers earlier. And the other day, he’d been at an all-day poker game with his old friends from the force. Not to mention his coloring looked much better and he was starting to gain a little weight back.
No, her dad wasn’t frail and incapable of driving himself into town for the annual festival. There would be a couple different bands, lots of food and some boat races. Nothing strenuous whatsoever. In fact, it even sounded fun.
While the town hosted lots of different events in the busy summer tourist season, this festival was only for residents. A sort of early kickoff to summer and farewell to winter party.
But with everyone in town in attendance, Elle’s chances of drawing attention to herself grew exponentially. Although...there was one person she’d kind of like to see.
Hating to admit it, Elle missed Cam’s company. It was interesting how a man of so few words could make her smile and feel at ease.
But even the thought of bumping into Cam didn’t have her running to the car.
“Remember, I have cancer,” her dad said.
“Somehow, I don’t think I’ll forget that,” she replied with a resigned sigh. Knowing she’d lost the battle, she grabbed her jacket and took the keys her father offered.
Ten minutes later, Elle had dropped her dad off near the center of town and circled around until she found a parking spot. Instead of getting out of the car, she stayed put. Maybe she could hide out here for the entire festival. Would her dad really notice if she didn’t load up on funnel cake and overly sweet lemonade?
Tilting the rearview mirror, she checked her makeup and hair. Completely normal. Then she glanced down at her clothes. She’d put on a pair of dark jeans and a light pink top. Nothing flashy to draw attention.
She was completely average.
Still, her fingers bent around the steering wheel and held on tight. Breathing in and out, she centered herself, quiet and calm permeating the car. Until a tap on the window almost made her jump out of her skin.
“Cam,” she said, as she rolled the window down.
Leaning in close, he gave a wry smile. “You know, I thought it was a one-time thing, but now I see you really don’t understand the basic concept of getting out of a parked car. I’m willing to offer a class.”
She rolled her eyes, pulled the key from the ignition and got out. “Ha-ha, aren’t you hysterical.”
After she locked the door, she took her first good look at him. He wore a pair of old jeans and a fitted blue jersey with his flannel jacket over it, and she noticed he hadn’t shaved today. The stubble did something to her. Made her breath catch as she imagined kissing him again, having that stubble rub against her cheeks.
His dark eyes were watching her, flicking over her face. How bad would it be to just go up on tiptoe and press her lips to his, only for a second?
“Cam...” she began. Elle moved toward him, not believing what she was about to do. What she’d wanted to do for the last couple days.
Then a horn sounded and a group of teenagers came running by, ruining the moment.
Was that look on his face disappointment? she wondered. She hoped so. It would mirror her own feelings.
At least the interruption forced her to remember that she was in public and she did not want to draw any attention to herself today. So she offered Cam a small smile and began to walk toward the festival.
“How are things going at the Rothchild house?” she asked.
“No complaints. We’re finally nearing the end.” He fell into step alongside her.
“What will you do after this project? Do you have something else lined up?”
He nodded. “There’s always more. I’ve been working on something with my brother, actually. That will need some attention soon.”
“I miss seeing Carson every day.”
“She’s planning some kind of baby party thing.”
Elle chuckled. “That’s called a baby shower, and I got my invitation.”
“So you’ll be going?”
She slid him an odd look. “Of course. She wants people to meet the artist who did the mural. Could mean more business for me.”
“I was starting to think you’ve been hiding out.”
Shocked that he would figure that out, she stumbled on a rock. Cam reached for her arm before she could topple over. At his touch, her breath hitched.
“You okay?” he asked, his deep voice husky and thick with emotion. He didn’t let go of her arm. Instead, he used the leverage to pull her closer.
“Yeah,” she said, eyes plastered on his mouth. On lips that were within reach.
“Elle?”
She jumped, then turned to see Riley hustling toward them.
“You decided to come, after all! I’m so happy you stopped hiding away in your house.” Riley looked back and forth from her to Cam, then raised an eyebrow.
“I haven’t been hiding. I’ve been job hunting and it’s kept me busy.”
“Uh-huh,” Riley said with a smirk. Sliding her arm through Elle’s, she steered her toward the festival, with Cam following. “You have got to tell me what’s going on with you two,” she murmured.
Elle felt the heat on her face and was happy that Cam was walking behind them at the moment. “Shh,” she whispered.
Riley laughed. “Come on, both of you. There’s a decent band playing already and Mr. Healey is making some really good shrimp quesadillas.”
The three of them entered the festival, and Elle took in the event that covered the entire town square, along with the marina and the surrounding docks. Seemed like every local business was participating. Tents and tables were set up in front of the storefronts, displaying various clothing, jewelry, accessories and more. Elle couldn’t wait to do a lap.
She noticed The Brewside was handing out small samples of coffee, drinks and baked goods. Most of the restaurants had followed suit, giving away their various specialties and offering coupons and discounts. The mixture of yummy smells was better than any welcome mat.
Bayside hadn’t forgotten about the kids either. Elle saw the middle of the square was dedicated to games with prizes of stuffed animals and small toys.
The festival was packed and everyone appeared to be having an amazing time. Laughter carried on the breeze and the sound warmed her heart. She’d really missed this festival while she was away.
On the far end of the square, they’d set up a stage and Elle, Cam and Riley listened to the band for about twenty minutes. While Riley and Cam headed off to get food, Elle sneaked away to check on her dad. Once again she realized she had no reason to worry, when she saw him holding court with a bunch of his buddies, laughter and curse words flying as they no doubt relived tales from their days as cops.
Meeting back up with Riley, she took the quesadilla her friend offered and they found seats on a nearby wall that overlooked the marina, where they could listen to the band and people watch at the same time.
After they finished their food, which was delicious, Elle asked, “Where’s Cam?” She realized asking the question had been a mistake when she saw Riley’s eye light up.
“He ran into someone from work. Okay, spill,” her friend said emphatically.
“What?” Elle asked.
Riley’s eyes grew huge. “What? Oh, my God, are you seriously playing coy?”
Elle took a sip of lemonade and shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m going to call you Ellie, which I know you hate, until you tell me what is going on between you and Cam Dumont.”
Sputtering on her drink, Elle put the glass down and met Riley’s smug expression. “Nothing is going on. I ran into him when I was parking and we walked over together. That’s all.”
Shaking her head, Riley tsked. “I don’t believe you, Ellie. There’s been something between the two of you since you got back. I mean, the way he looks at you—”
“How does he look at me?” Elle asked too quickly.
“See? I knew it. Do you have a thing for Cam?”
Elle dodged the question. “For the foreseeable future I’m going to be settled here in Bayside. I just want to find some work and keep a low profile. You know what I mean?”
Riley looked thoughtful for a moment. “The Bayside Blogger? You don’t want her to know about your crush on Cam?”
“I don’t want to be the object of her column. I just need some time to settle back in. I’ve been gone a long time and coming home... Well, it’s been harder than I thought it would be.”
Once again, her thoughts turned to the video she’d made in high school. Truth was, she hadn’t even known she was being filmed.
But she did know how disappointed her dad had been. She’d never forget the expression on his face when she’d gotten home from the prom.
Not until she’d been much older did she find out the full truth. She’d known that her dad had wanted to run for county sheriff, and she’d always wondered why he hadn’t won the election. After all, he had the best qualifications of anyone on the force. He’d started off in New York City, and he’d been in the military before that.
Then she did some digging and found an old article from the Bayside Bugle. There it was in black-and-white—an op-ed piece talking about Ted Owens and his lack of control of his child.
That article had helped Elle to get her priorities straight. It had also been a jarring reminder that her dad had sent her away. But that had been her own fault. She’d been taking Italian classes since high school and decided that going to Italy—and staying there—would help her dad even more. The farther she got from Bayside, the better off her dad would be. Without his daughter to humiliate him.
Shaking her head, she tuned back to Riley, who was watching her intently. Reaching over, her friend squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, Elle. Everything is going to work out. You’ll see.”
A big splash sounded and they both turned in the direction of the bay. “Are people jumping in? Seriously?” Riley asked. “The temperature may be starting to warm up, but that water is still freezing.”
“Don’t remind me,” Elle said, making her friend laugh.
Elle noticed a group of people gathering at the dock. The hairs on the back of her neck stood in high alert. “What’s going on?”
“Probably just some teenagers being teenagers,” Riley suggested.
Elle started walking toward the dock—the same one she’d fallen from not too long ago—with Riley close behind. But a bad feeling niggled at her, even as Cam started running toward her, a worried look on his face.
“Hey, Elle,” he called. “Come this way.”
He tried to reach for her arm to steer her away from the crowd, but she sidestepped him and kept going.
But as she approached the dock, her heart nearly stopped. A huge sign erected right where she’d gone over the railing declared Jump for Love.
“There she is!” someone shouted.
Everyone present turned in her direction. Mortified, she heard the familiar whispers start up, saw Bayside residents all pointing at her as she walked forward, even while Cam and Riley called her back.
But wanting the full picture, she went all the way up to the dock, amid the sneers and whistles.
“Here she is, our little Ellie Owens.” This was said by a guy she recognized from high school, but whose name she couldn’t remember. “Come on up here, Ellie.”
She planted her feet and stayed right where she was. Unfazed, the announcer continued with his spiel. “Ellie Owens jumped overboard for the love of Jasper Dumont. You, too, can take a turn, for only ten dollars. All proceeds go to the high school drama club.”
Embarrassed beyond belief, she watched with wide eyes as a couple younger guys handed over some cash, gave Elle a salute and jumped into the freezing water. A roar rose from the crowd.
“That idiot,” Riley said through clenched teeth. “I’ll never write a good review of a high school play again.”
Appreciating the loyalty, Elle shook her head. “Don’t take this out on the kids. They don’t deserve it.”
“What they deserve is a better example.” Cam pushed through the crowd and starting walking toward the guy. Elle noticed his fingers curl into fists and jumped forward.
“No, no, no. Please, Cam. Let it be.”
The crowd turned its attention in their direction, and for the second time that day she felt her cheeks heat up. But she managed to pull Cam back. As she did, Elle spotted her dad at the side of the crowd, his face ashen.
“My dad. I have to go talk to him.” But even as she started to make her way in that direction, she watched him shake his head and walk away with one of his friends.
She’d done it again. Humiliated her father.
That left only one thing to do. Head held high, she pushed her shoulders back and made her way up to the dock. She reached into her purse, pulled out a ten dollar bill and shoved it into the guy’s hand.
His face changed quickly. Even as some of the people in the crowd gasped and others laughed, the guy hosting this “event” lost his smile and his eyes went wide. Guilt practically poured out of him, but that wasn’t her concern.
She’d begun walking away when the guy called out to her. “Wait, you, um, want to jump in?”
Elle paused, but didn’t look back. Instead, she said loud enough for him to hear, “I’ve already had my turn.” And she didn’t stop walking this time until she’d reached her car and driven away.