Page 15 of Falling for Forever

Chet put his conversation with Jason out of his mind, self-preservation more than anything. If he dwelled on it, he’d convince himself that Jason had no right to an opinion on someone else’s relationship.

“Here, I need you to hand these out to all of the vendors.” Lydia thrust a stack of papers into his hands the second they came out of city hall. The art fair was a short walk away and already the vendors were setting up their booths. Music played faintly over speakers.

Staring down at the pages, he nodded. “They need to fill them out and bring them to you?”

“Or you. Just so long as we can hand them into the council. It’s just a survey, but it’s going to be nice to have the data on hand.”

“Got it. What else will you need from me?”

She glanced at him. There was a brief pause when her no-nonsense attitude fell away and she grinned at him. He almost thought she might say a sweet word or tease him, but she didn’t. That all-business persona returned, and she held out one of the clipboards she had in hand. “We need to make sure everyone is set up in the right place according to this map. There are a few booths that are funded by the city and are being operated by volunteers. They’re mostly handing out free water and candy. We’ll need to check in with them periodically to make sure they don’t run out.”

Lydia said all this while they made their way toward the street where the fair had been set up. As they passed a few people, they got waves and smiles, but Lydia wasn’t interested in stopping and having a conversation.

“The fair will be going from nine this morning until nine tonight. It’s a long day, so I totally understand if you can’t stay for the whole⁠—”

He reached out and nudged her. “I’m here as long as you need me. If that means until the very end, then you have me.”

Lydia nearly tripped and his hand shot out to wrap around her upper arm. Her eyes bounced up to collide with his. They shared a moment that in reality may have only been milliseconds, but to him, could’ve lasted hours. When she looked at him like that, he had the hardest time holding back from her. It’d be so much easier to reach out and touch her, caress her face, or hold her close.

Her gaze slid to where he still held her and she coughed as she carefully extricated herself from his grasp. “Thanks,” she murmured, tucking her wayward strands behind her ear. “You saved my life.”

Self-preservation flew out the window, and he leaned in close, his lips nearly grazing her ear. “Guess you owe me, now.” It sounded far more risqué than he’d intended and yet he couldn’t regret it. The blush that crept up the back of her neck lit a fire in him.

Once again, her eyes found his. This time, she went still and didn’t linger. She picked up her pace and hurried along, forcing him to use his long gait to keep up. “Anyway, the vendors listed on your clipboard can report to you and I’ll take these ones. If you have any questions, let me know. We should probably check in with each other every ten minutes or so. There’s no telling how this fair will go but I want to make sure we have all our bases covered.”

This was the side of Lydia he admired most. How she could take charge when needed and ignore all the noise around them. She was unruffled, and she’d make sure it showed. He glanced at his clipboard. Ten minutes. He was already looking forward to the next time she’d come looking for him.

His arm brushed against hers just as they turned the corner to the street where the fair was set up. There were roadblocks preventing traffic from accessing it, but there were plenty of other ways to navigate around town.

Heat emanated from where his skin had grazed Lydia’s, and he reveled in the spark that made his heart soar. This was what he didn’t want to lose. No matter what happened between them, he needed the certainty that they’d still have this connection. He hoped he could be content with simply being in her orbit.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“You guys make such a lovely pair!”

Lydia stiffened, looking up from her clipboard. She’d sent out final call, telling all the patrons they’d need to wrap it up and purchase what they wanted. Now it was time to take everything down.

Mrs. Danby’s comment had definitely been directed at her. And now she was looking between Lydia and Chet, a particular gleam in her eye that had Lydia fighting a groan.

Beside her, Chet gave no sign he’d caught it. Or if he had, he wasn’t showing it. He was far too busy checking things off his list as they moved from booth to booth.

Lydia smiled brightly. “Isn’t Chet just amazing? Like a cute little Labrador willing to do any task I assign to him.” If she was going to be singled out, she might as well drag him under the bus with her. She slung her arm around his neck and pulled him close then gave him a big smack on the cheek before she pulled away.

Chet’s head snapped up. He didn’t argue, though, which was strange to say the least. Where was the bluster? The arguments? He was supposed to fumble with an excuse.

None of that happened.

He didn’t even blush, and that was even worse because now Mrs. Danby was watching her with rapt attention, her smile spreading. Guaranteed, everyone in her social circle would soon assume Lydia was dating Chet.

She turned to fully face the woman, then she laughed. It was a little pitchy and nothing close to normal. “Of course, what can you expect when you’re best friends with the most eligible bachelor in town, right?” She gave Chet a playful pat on the chest then stepped in front of him. “It’s about time we find a match for this one.” Lydia thumbed over her shoulder to where Chet hovered just behind her. His face was behind her, but his stiffness came through.

If she had to guess, she’d assume he didn’t like the idea of being set up with anyone. She couldn’t think of anyone he might have dated since she met him. Come to think of it, they didn’t discuss their dating life at all including the one-offs that would’ve been normal to discuss.

She laughed again, nervous, and she slipped away only half-sure that Chet would follow in her wake.

His footsteps shuffled against the asphalt behind her, and she couldn’t say if she was nervous or relieved. Chet was definitely going to point out she was acting funny. Lydia had no idea what she was going to say. She didn’t have an excuse other than the fact that her thoughts had officially gone haywire.

Stopping at the next booth, she forced a bright smile. “Mr. Donaldson, how did today go?” The man was older, but he could paint the most gorgeous, realistic horses.