That was the night he’d known she was someone he could fall in love with.
Staring at the plate of pretzels, he held back a sigh. So they had a past. It was foolish to pretend it hadn’t happened, that they hadn’t been friends. Was it also foolish to think that maybe they could be friends again?
Derek picked up a pretzel, broke it in two, and handed one half to Ash. “Bon appétit.”
With a full-on grin, Ashley took the offered gift and popped the bite into her mouth.
Chapter 7
Thank goodness for second chances.
Despite Ashley’s appointment mix-up last weekend, today’s festival meeting had gone smoothly so far. “Does anyone have any questions before we break off into our subcommittees?”
Her eyes swept the back section of the Frosted Cake, which Ms. Josephine had graciously reserved for the festival planning committee’s late-afternoon meeting. In addition to the complimentary cookies the proprietor had contributed to the cause, the restaurant’s expansive windows, eclectic beach-themed decor, and racks of homemade jams made it a much more inspired meeting place than City Hall.
Mayor Jim Walsh jumped up from his seat nearby and sauntered toward Ashley. “I know I speak for all of us when I say thank you for your hard work on this, Ms. Baker.”
A murmur bubbled through the crowd of twenty-two volunteers. From his seat next to Madison a few tables over, Evan eyed his dad warily. Old Bud Travis, who sat on Madison’s other side, winked at Ashley and gave an encouraging smile. A few of her Griffin cousins sat in the back, including Spencer, a pastor at the community church at the south end of Main Street, who flashed her a thumbs-up. His mom Elise sat next to him, pen poised above paper as she listened intently to the conversation.
Ashley acknowledged the mayor. “Of course. I’m happy to help.”
“And we know how much you do for our town, believe me.” Mayor Walsh placed a light hand on her shoulder. His voice rang with sincerity, but if Evan were right, his dad’s only ambition was to get reelected come the fall. He hadn’t even supported Evan’s festival idea at the beginning. Not until he saw how the town had backed it. “If it gets to be too much, though, you just let me know. I’ll be sure to get you the help you need.”
His fingers—and his implication—pressed into her like one-hundred-pound weights. So much for second chances. “Will do.” She turned back toward the crowd. “I’m sorry again for missing last week, everyone. Thanks go to Evan for his assistance filling in the gaps.”
Evan waved it off. “No problem.”
Carlotta Jenkins raised her hand, her red nails a perfect match for her bouffant hair. “I have a question.” The woman’s mouth was perpetually puckered as if she’d just had one too many lemons in her iced tea. “Rumor has it that you might take over Kyle’s business soon. Is that true?”
Ashley bit the inside of her cheek before she lashed out at the woman she and Madison referred to as the Queen of the Walker Beach gossips. She was only asking because Kyle wasn’t in attendance today. He wouldn’t have taken any of her guff. “Um …”
“I also heard that you are being forced to plan Derek Campbell’s wedding to that French girl.” Carlotta’s mouth twisted into a sympathetic frown, but her eyes held a glint—like a shark sensing dribbles of blood in the water. “Poor thing.”
Ashley’s eyes snapped to the back of the room, where Derek’s sister Heather sat. Thankfully, she seemed too engrossed in a quiet conversation with her longtime friend Alex Rosche to have heard Carlotta’s words.
But the whole rest of the room leaned forward with one collective breath.
Madison stood, her chair scraping against the tile. “Does anyone have a question that actually has to do with the festival? No? Fine. Get into your subcommittees, then.”
The growled command got people moving, and Ashley plopped back into her chair, breathing a bit easier. She needed to make her rounds, ensuring the subcommittee chairs had what they needed to move forward until their next meeting. But for this moment, she allowed herself to be still.
Evan slid into the seat across from her. “I’m sorry about my dad. He was out of line.”
“Please don’t worry about it. And he was right. Sometimes it does feel like too much.” Ashley rubbed the corner of her eye. Last night hadn’t provided her much sleep, not after so much time spent in Derek’s presence.
“Ash, we can get you some help, you know. You don’t have to do this all on your own.” Evan massaged the back of his neck.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I just have a lot going on, but I love helping out with the festival.” And who else was going to do it? She was the resident events gal, the one people looked to when they had a need to fill, especially when it came to planning and organizing. Not that others weren’t capable, but everyone else was busy too, and she really liked having something of value to give to her town.
She liked being needed.
The thought unsettled her. She did it for them, not herself. Right?
Of course she did.
Shaking her head, she forced a smile. “And besides, we’ve made a lot of progress. The hardest part is done. Now, the details are up to the subcommittees. I’m just managing them and making sure they stay on track.” That wasn’t the total truth—there was still a ton for Ashley to do. But she didn’t want Evan to worry. He had enough on his own plate.
“If you’re sure.” Evan sniffed the air and groaned. “Oh man, I can smell Josephine’s meatloaf and potatoes. Having meetings here is way too distracting.”
Ashley laughed. “Maybe you can
