“Oh, that’s a bummer to hear. I’ve always wanted to go.”
Bekka chuckled and nodded. “I went to the Rose Parade once in Pasadena. It was amazing.” She’d stayed in an apartment with a friend, and they’d sat on the balcony and watched from above. The smell of all the flowers had been amazing.
“Pasadena is a little warmer.” Mari winked at her.
“Yeah, yeah, and I bet having an apartment you can see it from ispricey!” But it was still a great thought—a giant balloon eye looking in at you.
“Definitely. No thank you.”
“I can’t imagine living in New York.” Charlotte shook her head. “I moved to Denver for a while, but I was glad to come home. It wasn’t what I thought it would be.”
“So you’re from here?”
“We both are.”
“That’s cool. I kind of thought it was mostly tourists.”
“We are a tourist town, especially in the summers, but we have a thriving local situation.” Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “Fall festival, Christmas bazaar, Easter egg hunt, summer art show…”
Wow. Someone was very involved. Very.
“It’s too bad we didn’t know we were staying this long, we could have gotten Beks a booth at the bazaar. She reads tarot.”
“Oh, that would have been so cool! I would love to have something like that down at the farm. Or even at the farmer’s market.”
“Well, you never know, do you?” Bekka thought she was going to stay. She thought she was going to hope that Mari stayed too.
Was that insane?
“Farmer’s Market is a great idea. And I can get you into next year’s bazaar, if you’re around.” Charlotte leaned back in her seat as their food arrived. “Oh, yum.”
Everything smelled good, but best of all was the fact that no one stared when Lars fed Charlotte a French fry.
Mari dug into her chili. “Mm. Oh, this was a good idea, Beks.”
“Right? I was craving something hot and wet.”
She didn’t think about what she’d said until she realized everyone was grinning at her.
“Well, shit. You could have just asked. It would have been cheaper than lunch.” Mari leaned toward her.
Bekka leaned in as well, brushing their lips together. “Oh, honey—you’ve never been cheap. Not once.”
Mari took that offer and kissed her, grinning. “Thank you. I think?”
“That’s totally a compliment.” Charlotte tossed her hair and wiggled, so dramatic. “It’s perfect in fact.”
“Mhm. Pretty damn perfect.” Mari gave her a wink and went back to her chili.
People came and went—obviously everyone knew Lars and Charlotte, and they’d apparently made an impression last night as well. Everyone chatted a bit and moved on.
Bekka was in love.
“We better get moving, since we have a sled waiting for us. This has been really nice, though. Thanks for joining us.”
“I’m practically the welcome committee.” Charlotte beamed at them. “I’m sure we’ll see you again since you’re staying in town for a bit. Come get a tree if you want one. The leftovers are small, but they’re are a few cute ones left.”
“Thanks.”