Chapter Twenty
The music rang out across the large open room, and Jake couldn’t help but tap his foot. They were a local indie folk band, just up his alley. The band had two lead singers, a man and woman with great chemistry on stage. He idly wondered if they were a couple as he sipped his glass of wine.
Monique’s crew had done a spectacular job setting up the venue. Jake spun when he heard Summer’s laugh over the crowded room. She was in a flowing emerald-green dress, her hair done in a half up-do, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen her look so happy. He stood there watching her chatting with a crowd of attendees, all of them looking to congratulate her on a great day one of the festival.
Jake had been swamped in the store for most of it, but he did have a chance in the afternoon to sneak out, leaving Clark and his newest employee Judy alone in the store for a half hour. They worked hard, and he’d be sure to give them each an added bonus for staying late and cleaning up. He’d watched Summer teach a class, the last one of the day, with three hundred yoga mats and people of all ages and creeds, out there in the sun, enjoying the flows.
It had been quite the sight. Now, seeing Summer in her element, Jake wanted to go over to her and pick her up in his arms. To spin around, hearing her giggle as he did so, before kissing her passionately. She must have felt his thoughts, because her gaze locked on him, and she smiled: not a quick smirk, but an understanding sly look he only knew too well. God, he loved that woman.
Summer broke the look they shared and said something to the people around her before walking over to him. He grabbed her a white wine as she approached and passed it to her outstretched hand. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she slid an arm around his waist and pulled close to him.
“Can you believe it?” she asked.
Jake could, and he told her so. The song ended and a new one began, a cover of a classic eighties love ballad. “Care to dance?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She took his hand, and they moved through the crowded dance floor until they were near the stage. Jake thought about that first time they’d danced together. It had been at Peter’s Halloween party, and their attraction had been instant. It felt like forever ago, but like yesterday at the same time.
Now, as the music played, they danced under the soft twinkle lights, with a couple hundred people moving in unison around them. Jake closed his eyes as Summer’s forehead pressed into his cheek. It was only going to be two weeks before their first dance as a married couple, but this dance right now felt like the change in their life was already happening. He didn’t need that day to know he was going to be with her for the rest of his life. He felt it with every glance from her, every touch of her hand, every smell of her hair.
The band started a new song, this one more upbeat, and they stayed out for its duration, having fun and letting loose. Jake noticed Chuck and Haley were out there, as well as Barbara and Hudson, and he was startled to see Garrett and Peter enter through the doors, smiles wide on their faces.
*
“Does it feel weird to be back?” Summer asked her brother as they wandered through the last hour of the festival market. There were local breweries, vegetable stands, yoga attire booths, artists, and countless other booths, all seemingly happy with the attendance and the interest in their wares.
“I only left two weeks ago, so no. But it is a little strange not hearing cars honking their horns every ten seconds.” Garrett laughed, and Summer could remember how quiet it had been, coming home to the Pines after living in New York. They were like night and day. “You did a great job this weekend. Everyone’s super impressed.”
“Thank you.” Summer was pleased with how it had all gone down. The last yoga class had ended an hour ago, and she was taking the time to enjoy the remaining festival square event. Most of the crowd had parted ways around four in the afternoon, since it was Sunday; a lot of them had chores to do and work the next day. When she’d been asked if she would return next year, she wasn’t able to give a straight answer yet. But after the auctions and attendance, she was sure they’d raised almost fifty thousand dollars, and that made it all worth it.
Summer and Garrett rounded a corner, and she spotted Jan from Mountain Spin parking her car along the street. Summer’s heart raced as she saw the woman who tried to sabotage her festival. Instead of playing along and sponsoring or taking part in the event, she’d tried to steal attendees away from Yoga in the Park.
Summer wasn’t sure what Jan wanted, but she was making her way directly toward Summer. She considered turning around and pretending she hadn’t seen Jan, but some problems you had to deal with head-on.
“Summer,” Jan called as she neared them.
Garrett raised an eyebrow, and Summer knew he was picking up her instant mood change for the worse. “Who’s this?” he whispered out of the side of his mouth.
“This is Jan. She owns Mountain Spin.” Summer said the words loud enough for the woman to hear her. “She has an inferiority complex and should get help for that.” She hoped the sting in her voice was impossible to miss.
Jan stopped, standing four yards away, and lifted her hands in supplication. “Look, I know you hate me…”
Summer cut her off, crossing her arms. “I don’t hate you. I don’t anything you.”
“Fine. I deserve that. I’m sorry I did what I did.” The woman, who was so normally poised and professional, looked deflated. “I don’t know why I attacked you and your studio like that. If it helps, it’s not the first time I went straight for the jugular in a new town.”
“I’m not sure how that would help,” Summer said.
Jan took a step toward her. “I’ve tried to open up in three different towns, and each time, I was taken down by an aggressive studio or gym, going on the offensive as soon as I appeared. I wanted to make a stand and throw the first punch this time. I can’t fail again.”
Despite everything, Summer found herself feeling sorry for the woman, so she tried to put her walls up. “Is that really your excuse? ‘Other people are jerks, so I have to be one too’? This is business; our livelihood depends on this.”
“It’s not like that… well, I guess that is what I’m saying.” Jan stood there, looking older and more tired than she had before.
“What happened with your free spin classes this weekend?” Summer asked, genuinely curious.
Jan shook her head and let out a long sigh. “It was a bomb. I actually had a few people tell me off for even doing that while your Yoga in the Park was going on. I think I may have damaged my business’ reputation. Small-town citizens don’t take kindly to actions like mine.”
Summer wanted to say “Good” and walk away, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Jan, there’s room for a yoga studio and spin studio in the Pines. The town is busier than ever, and many of the residents and tourists are health-conscious people.”
Jan’s dark eyes lit up. “Do you mean it? You don’t want to run me out of town?”
Summer smiled then. She wasn’t sure if they would ever be friends, but one thing Summer knew, it was easier to be nice than to be otherwise. “No. Not yet anyway.” She smirked and glanced over to Garrett, who remained his ever-neutral self.
Jan laughed nervously, scanning her surroundings with interest.
“Why don’t you take a look around and talk to some of the local businesses at the market before they all close up for the day? I’m sure they’d like to know about Mountain Spin,” Summer suggested.
Jan didn’t seem to be listening anymore. She gave her a smile that failed to reach her eyes. “Thank you,” she said pertly and was off, heading toward the dismantling booths.
“I’m Garrett,” her brother said to the air, feigning a handshake. “A friend of yours?” He nudged Summer’s shoulder and they kept walking.
“That’s my new bestie! Didn’t you see how close we were? I’m really looking forward to seeing her again.” Summer stuck her arm in Garrett’s as they walked toward the registration booth. The whole crew was there, cleaning up, along with a bunch of their friends.
Jake waved to her from across the street as he poked his head out of the hardware store. She waved back and wished she could hide from the cleanup duties. She was exhausted. She’d taught eight hours of yoga classes and meditations over the last two days, outside in the roaring heat. Combine that with late-night dancing last night, and she thought she might fall asleep on her feet.
Haley went over the list of things to do and everyone set to motion, spending the next two hours making the festival town square look like no one had been there for the last two days. When it was over, Summer wandered home in a daze and fell asleep on the bed instantly.
*
Jake hung a sign on the store door, letting the customers know they were closed Sunday. Clark and Judy were working Saturday, and he couldn’t thank the kids enough. Every day that he closed down the store was a large loss of revenue, so now that he had two employees, he could sneak away if needed, and it felt great.
The week after the festival had gone by in a flash. The store was perpetually busy, though he had some logistics issues with product coming in because of the fires still raging along the coast. The smoke had come back, though not quite as badly as before, but the outlook was getting better, according to the news. Add in the finishing touches on the house, and Jake was tired. He was so glad he’d made it to Friday, and that the guys were leaving for the cabins in an hour.
Jake made sure he was all locked up for the night and headed upstairs to find Summer already there, packing her bags. “I thought you packed last night?” he asked, closing the apartment door. Her bags were strewn across the living room floor. It looked like a disaster.
“Arg.” Summer’s voice was strained. “I don’t know what to wear, because no one will tell me what we’re doing.”
“You and the ladies are going to Maple Mountain Resort and staying in their best cottage. I don’t expect there’s too much trouble to be had. Just wear whatever you think the stripper would like.” Jake winked at her, and she stopped what she was doing and threw whatever tiny article of clothing was in her hand. It turned out to be a bra, and it landed on his shoulder. With two fingers, he plucked it off and set it in her bag.
“Are you sure we should be doing this? The fires are still going on, and I’m worried about you guys heading deeper in-state.” Summer was serious now. They’d talked about it last night, and all the maps showed the area was safe. He didn’t want to downplay the seriousness of the blaze, though. Fire could be very tricky when it wanted to be.
Jake set his hands on her shoulders. “We’re going to be fine. We’ll keep a close eye on things and have a lot of rations in case anything happens.” He kissed her on the forehead and felt her tension ease.
“Okay. Just be safe, all right?” Summer ordered. “Now how about this one?” She held up a shirt, and he sat down, watching her get ready. He thought about the guys coming and reminded himself of the list: Garrett, Peter, Hudson, Chuck, Bryan, Stewart, and Jeff. It was going to be a full house, but they’d rented two of the cabins from his customer, one of them the very same unit he and Summer had recently stayed in.
“What about you?” Summer asked while she zipped up her bag, petting Cinnamon, who was perched on the back of the couch.
“I haven’t started yet, but it’ll take me five minutes,” Jake said, getting up with a groan. Aspen was on his lap, and he followed Jake into the bedroom, where he proved his point by getting a few outfits and toiletries ready in under four minutes.
He heard Summer mutter “men” under her breath as she went to the door. Jake grabbed Aspen’s leash and they were off, down the stairs and heading toward the street, where their vehicles awaited them.
Summer stopped Jake as they hit the sidewalk, into the outdoor air that still held a scent of burning forest. “I mean it. Be careful. We get married in a week.” She kissed him, getting honking from a nearby vehicle in the process.
Someone yelled “Get a room!” and Jake thought it might have been Chuck. A big white passenger van was parked there, Hudson at the wheel.
“Good luck, babe,” he said as the girls’ ride pulled up. It was a limousine, not seen very often in the Pines, and he knew Monique would be behind that transportation. The sun roof opened, and Mon’s head popped out. She was holding a white veil and had a glass of champagne in her hand. The limo door opened, revealing Trina, also with a veil on, but in light pink. “Bye, Jake,” Summer said as Kimber grabbed her bags and dragged her toward the limo.
It looked like the ladies were well on their way to a good time already.
The limo raced off with his fiancée inside, and Jake turned to the white van, wondering how warm it was going to get in there with eight men and a panting dog for the next hour. He was about to find out.