“Do you think we should go back and help out at the ice cream stall?” I ask, somehow feeling I should be working and not idling time away. Raiden might need me, or more like I might be missing Raiden and want to check in with him.
“Heavens, no,” Britt says, “The key is to keep them so busy that they can’t think of anything else.”
She’s got a point. “Until six, though?”
“Meh, Derek and I set up the trailer, but they’ll pack it up and drive it back to the factory. After all that, they’ll barely have time for a shower before the dance floor opens. You’re going, aren’t you?”
I hesitate. “I didn’t think that far.”
“Better have a pretty dress ready and your dancing shoes on standby. Nobody misses the Ashleigh Lake Fair dance. Not even on a day like today. There’s a sweet history there that the Logans always honor.”
26
GEORGIANA
Britt and I walked back from Sharky’s and paused for a minute at the ice cream trailer. With the afternoon heat, the line seemed twice as long, and Raiden and Hunter were knee-deep in handing out taster spoons, selling three-scoop cones and bowls, and in good humor side-stepping the flirtatious comments some of the women shot at them.
At the trailer, Raiden pulled me aside for a minute. I had hoped to go to the dance with him, but he urged me to go with Britt and be in time for the charity auction beforehand, as they’d be busy until later packing up and driving the trailer to the factory.
Back at the boathouse, I flipped through the clothes I’d brought and settled on a strapless dress in an ocean blue that screams Miami. It has a tight bodice but a full chiffon knee-length skirt that is flirty and sexy. I’d folded it into my suitcase on a whim when I left home, but when it had spilled out of my suitcase that first day, I’d felt like a total idiot for bringing something so frivolous along…and yet here was the perfect opportunity to wear it.
Now I’m all showered and dressed, hair and make-up done, my outfit rounded off with a pair of heels that I already want to kick off…with Britt as my date. We’re driving up a tree-lined road to the country club, which I haven’t been to yet. As the trees split open and the clubhouse comes into view, my breath catches, and I gape. It’s a graceful old building, much bigger than I’d anticipated, with a wide wrap-around porch and fairy lights casting a soft glow over the people already gathered.
“How serious is this country dance then?” I ask Britt, relieved that I didn’t opt for blue jeans, a plaid shirt, cowboy boots and hat as my instinct suggested when I put small town and country dance together.
“It’s the highlight of the summer,” she says, cruising the parking lot looking for an open spot. “Luckily our community isn’t that big, so everybody can come if they want. There’s a tent on the other side where you can buy something to eat. The country club sponsors the evening as part of their charity drive, so I hope you have enough cash for drinks. That’s where they break even.”
I laugh. “I don’t plan to drink much, so I should be okay.”
“You’ll catch a lift home with Raiden?”
“Yep.” I wish he was here, but he sent me a message an hour ago to let me know they’re still busy.
Britt parks and we make our way to the clubhouse but getting there is a stop-start business as Britt knows everybody. Even I recognize a few people who stopped at the barn for a look-see at our tiny house over the past weeks.
Once we’re on the porch, we walk around to admire the auction items that are on display—artwork by local artists, two quilts by the local guild, some handcrafted wooden furniture, beautiful pottery, and stained glasswork. From the other side of the building, there are views over the golf course with the forests and the Vermont mountains painting a perfect picture.
The crowd gathers and it’s all jokes and teasing as the auction gets underway. The last item on auction is Miss Ashleigh Lake’s first dance, which goes for five hundred dollars. She reaches for a young man who gazes at her, both rather besotted, and once they’ve done a first turn on the dance floor, other couples follow suit.
There’s still no sign of Raiden, but I spot Hunter as he strides into the hall, only to watch him chatting with people everybody knows except me.
Britt is dancing with someone and I’m feeling like the proverbial wallflower when Hunter makes his way to me.
“Care to dance?”
“Thank you.”
I’m in Hunter’s arms, but this isn’t where I want to be. “Where’s Raiden?”
“He had an errand to run at the drugstore, but he’ll be here soon.”
Hunter smells shower fresh and his eyes are the same striking blue as Raiden’s, but nothing stirs in me, unlike with Raiden, who can undo me with a simple smile.
“Good sales today?” I ask. “Did your Nutty Crust perform?”
He laughs. “It sure did. The fair is always crazy, but it’s the best way to test a new product, as I get direct feedback from customers. People loved it.”
We’re turning around the hall and I have to admit that Hunter Logan is a good dancer.