I shivered over my coffee and took another warming sip. "Better?" Beau asked. 

I looked up at him and smiled. Or, actually, I smiled wider, because I hadn't actually stopped smiling yet today. "Getting there." It was kind of adorable how freaked out he was by my shivering. "I'll warm up soon enough."

"We should have gotten out before the water got so cold but..." He trailed off and raised an eyebrow that did a much better job of warming me up than my cup of coffee. 

"But," I echoed with an even wider smile. I felt like my face was going to split wide open. 

He topped off my mug and then sat down at my battered kitchen table. "You sure you don't have to go in today?" 

I nodded. "I'm not on the schedule. I double checked."

He leaned forward, and I was momentarily too distracted by the nice way his forearm muscle bunched and flexed as he rested his elbows on the table to hear what he was saying. "What?"

He grinned and set his mug down. "Today. You want to go there today?"

"Go where?"

Beau didn't get mad when he had to repeat himself. Which was nice because I always seemed to be distracted when I was around him. 

"The Summer Kick-off Festival is this weekend." He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. The ever-present burble of the creek floated in on the breeze, along with the screech of blue jays and the buzz of red-winged blackbirds. It was already hot in the kitchen and the last chill of the shower faded away as I sat in the sunbeam and watched Beau think. "I always wanted to go, but we always missed it. Touring and summer festivals and stuff. It was this big huge thing for the town and this is literally the first year I can make it." He looked at me. "You've been, right?"

I ducked my head and took a sip of my coffee. "As a spectator. No." I set down my mug, the better to twist my fingers nervously in my lap as I recalled. "When I was really little, they kept me away. You know, there's a lot of bad influences there." Beau raised his eyebrows in surprise at this, which made me laugh. "The sight of women wearing short shorts and holding hands with men and kissing in public and all. That kind of bad influence." Beau's eyebrows went back down again as he blew out a rueful sigh. "But when I was older though, I worked it."

He leaned forward again. "Right, that's right. The Chosen have a booth I heard."

I nodded. "We sell a few spring vegetables and some honey, but mostly it's baked goods."

"Like the potato bread you made me?" He looked suddenly hungry. 

"We'd be up all week beforehand just so we could bake enough, but we always ran out." I shrugged. "So my whole experience of the festival is from the back of a tent. We'd roll the community truck right to the back of it, the better to discourage us from walking around and... seeing things." I went to take another sip of my coffee but then set it back down again. The acid in my stomach was already acting up just from remembering. 

"Do you not want to go?" Beau's voice was soft and gentle. 

God, he was so sweet. I leaned in and covered his hand with mine. "I think it would be different now, don't you?"

It's different now. That's what I told myself as we parked along the street a few blocks from the center of town. The road blocks were set up and the tents crowded the streets and tumbled out onto the bridge that crossed the creek. Above us blazed a bright blue, high-summer sky and the air was full of the smells of cotton candy and kettle corn. 

I felt my breath catch in my chest. In the past weeks, I'd engaged in a million little rebellions, but this was a big one. Made even bigger when Beau reached for my hand.

It felt good to be linked to him like this. It felt good to walk down the middle of the street, unconcerned that others might see me touching him. It felt so... good.

I stopped suddenly and spun around. Beau laughed in surprise when I went up on my tiptoes to kiss him, but he caught me up in his arms readily and kissed me back. Right there in the middle of the street. It was wild. It was crazy. 

It was amazing. 

"I could get used to this," he murmured against my mouth. When I looked up at him, his hazel eyes twinkled. "Is that all right? ‘Cause I really want to get used to this."

Pleasurable heat spread up my face. "That'd be okay with me," I mumbled as I looked down at my toes. Then grinned to myself as he slung his arm over my shoulder. 

We wandered that way through the stalls, weaving our way from vendor to vendor and always with some part touching. He brushed his hand on my arm to call my attention to a set of windchimes he thought would hang nicely on my porch. I ducked under his arm to admire some earrings he immediately bought for me. He slid his hand around my waist and held me close as he ordered us both some of the kettle corn that had been driving us crazy with its delicious smells. I rested my head on his shoulder as we sat on the curb and devoured it across the street from the Crown Tavern. 

"Hey." He nudged me and pointed to the chalked sign in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the bar. "You see that?"

"Open mic?" I read. "Yeah?"

"You should do that."

"Me?" I looked at him in confusion.

He grinned and popped a piece of kettle corn into my mouth. "Dare you." There was mischief in his hazel eyes. 

"Seriously?" I looked at the sign again. "No way."

"I'll play the piano for you." When I looked at him again, he shrugged. "Or you can do it alone, whichever you prefer."

"No way!" I laughed and nudged my shoulder into his. But then paused and thought for a second. "Do you really think I should do it?" A small bud of pride was starting to bloom in my chest. 

"Absolutely. You have a fucking beautiful voice." When he caught me gaping at him, he shrugged again. "What? You swore in front of me last night, I thought we were past that."

I laughed and stole the rest of his popcorn. "Fuck you." I grinned gleefully, which made him burst out laughing. 

"I'm going to sign us up." He got up and wiped his hands on his jeans. "You're not going to try to stop me?"

I took a deep breath and then let it out. The last bit of worry about the sin of pride. "No."

He held out his hand and then hauled me to my feet. We crossed the road and went over to the tattered piece of paper hanging on the corkboard just inside of the bar. Inside, Taylor was desultorily wiping down the bar, but even his fierce scowl couldn't dampen my wild spirits. I signed my name and then flung myself at Beau, kissing him with everything I had, right there inside of the doorway to Crown Creek's only bar. He lifted me and then let his lips trail down past my jaw. I opened my eyes in shock when he nibbled my neck and that's when I saw the group of women staring. 

"Rebecca." My mouth was suddenly as dry as a desert. 

Confused, Beau pulled away and looked in the direction I was staring. 

A girl dressed in pale blue homespun stepped forward. She was taller than when I last saw her, and her face had lost some of its roundness. 

But I'd recognize my sister anywhere.