She hadn’t spent the Fourth of July with her family in three years. The last time she went to Martha’s for the holiday, Gigi had gone with her. They’d ended up leaving early, after Elijah started talking politics, which always led to an argument.
Specifically, they left when Dad hopped into the fray, condescendingly mansplaining to the two of them why they, as women, didn’t understand what Elijah was saying, and how they should just keep their mouths shut.
I’m still out of town. Decided to extend my stay.
Ella didn’t say for how long, mainly because she didn’t know.
Oh. Okay. We’ll miss you at the cookout. Stay safe.
Ella sent back anxoresponse, then tucked her cell in her back pocket.
She walked farther along the row of food trucks, taking her time as she checked out the offerings, making sure there wasn’t something she might want more. The air was filled with the smell of too many delicious things, from the savory scent of hot dogs to the sweetness of the funnel cakes.
“Trying to decide or trying to resist?”
She drew in a steadying breath at the familiar voice behind her. Ella smiled as she glanced at Maverick. “Decide. Everything smells delicious.”
He nodded in agreement, pointing back to the line where Edith and Manny were standing. “The gyros are amazing.”
Now, she grinned. “Manny and Edith said the same thing.”
“Of course, you can’t go wrong with the cheeseburgers or the Italian sausages or the fried Oreos, either.”
Ella laughed. “You aren’t helping me make my decision. Where do you stand on the boardwalk fries?”
Maverick’s brows rose in approval. “A very good choice. So long as you’re willing to drown them in salt and malt vinegar.”
“As if I would eat them any other way,” she replied, feigning offense.
“I always said you were the smartest girl in our class.”
That was true. Maverick remarked on her being what he good-naturedly called a brainiac when they were in school,seemingly impressed and confused by the way she took her studies so seriously. She never told him that without scholarships, she’d never be able to make her dream of attending college a reality. It would have shone yet another light on the difference between his family and hers. She’d learned from Maverick that his parents were paying for his older brother, Sam, to go to college, and that they’d made the same offer to all their sons.
Ella was touched by his nice comment, even though she wasn’t sure what to make of this conversation. She’d only seen Maverick twice in the two weeks since her return to Gracemont. The first time, he’d clearly been surprised and even slightly angry. The second time, he’d offered her nothing but polite distance, treating her like an acquaintance rather than an ex-girlfriend.
Today, he seemed friendly, more like the boy who’d stolen her heart all those years ago.
“I’m glad I extended my visit,” she said. “I would have been sorry to miss this. It’s wonderful.”
“You’ve been before,” Maverick reminded her, before reconsidering. “Of course, you didn’t get to do it right the last time, did you?”
She sighed. “No. Not really. I was working the bake sale table for the church.” Then, despite her better judgment, she gave him a wicked grin. “For most of the day, anyway.”
To her delight—and shock—Maverick laughed. “Thought it was pretty smooth how I managed to sneak you away from the table for a few minutes.”
Ella had warned Maverick that while she would be at the carnival, she wouldn’t be able to talk to him because she would be with her mom. He’d promised to behave—but then he’d decided to push the envelope when he came up to their table armed with twenty bucks.
He’d been the epitome of politeness and charm as he asked her mother which of the cookies she’d baked, then proceeded to buy them out of the remaining chocolate chip cookies.
After giving Ella a covert wink, he’d walked away.
Mom had been taken by his good manners, asking his name. Ella told her, wishing she could have told her mother a lot more than that about the boy who’d claimed her heart. Ella loved her mom and longed to be able to share with her more about her thoughts and feelings. However, past experience had proven that anything she shared with Mom would be passed along to Dad.
With the cookie supply diminished, Mom had sent Ella to their car to retrieve a box of snickerdoodles they hadn’t been able to carry in when they’d first arrived.
Glad for the chance to sneak a peek at the rest of the fair, she escaped the table, claiming she was going to go to the bathroom on the way, simply to buy herself as much time as she could. Mom nodded, her attention quickly snagged by another fair patron.
As soon as Ella was out of her mother’s sight, Maverick had caught up to her, convincing her to take a few minutes to play one of the games with him. She’d selected the ring toss, not because she thought she’d win but because it was the closest and she didn’t want to press her luck by being gone too long or running into someone who might tell Dad she’d been walking around the fair with a boy.