“Can I have chicken nuggets instead?” Jett asks, and Jesse chuckles as they head off.
“Did he give you any crap about the outfit?”
“A little, but your mom wasn’t having it.”
“Thanks for letting him do this.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Because it’s hokey as fuck?”
“It’s your family, Jesse. Your heritage. His, too.” I reach for his hand and our fingers tangle naturally. “You look handsome, by the way. I especially like the pants.”
“Oh, yeah?” His eyes sparkle as they lock on mine. “They’re kinda tight.”
“I noticed. They show off your ass.”
“My package, too.”
My cheeks warm. “I noticed that, as well.”
“You sure you don’t just want me for my dick, city girl?” He shifts in, his hands lifting to my hips.
“It’s definitely a perk, but it’s not the only reason.”
“Hmm.” He narrows his eyes skeptically, but his grin says he’s playing.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” I say, smoothing my hands over his chest.
“Okay…”
“I moved all of my stuff here. Jett’s, too. Jinx helped.”
“Oh, really? You asked my brother to help and not me?”
“Yes. I’m still proving myself, remember?”
“I already told you we’re good, babe.”
“Not quite yet.”
“You’re killing me. I just want to kiss you already,” he husks, lowering his head just enough to bump his nose against mine.
“You’ll get to today.”
“Yeah? When?”
I drag a taunting finger along his lips. “You’ll know when, frat boy. Trust me.”
JESSE
By the time we polka around the festival grounds and work ourselves into a sweaty mess, it’s the middle of the afternoon and the crowd is at full roar.
“I’m going home to shower and change,” I mutter to Jinx and Aiden, who finally showed up an hour ago. “I fucking stink and I have a lady to win back.”
Aiden laughs. “Hold tight, Romeo. They’re about to announce the pie contest and you know Ma’s gonna want a picture with all of us when she wins.”
“Can we all say a quick prayer that Mikayla doesn’t beat her again? I can’t listen to her piss and moan for another year,” Jinx grumbles as we amble over to the pie booth, where the crowd has already started to gather.
“You gotta admit it was kinda funny,” I say, wiping my sweaty face with my sleeve.
“In hindsight, yeah, but only because it’s almost over. Or so we hope.” Aiden grins.
We sidle up behind Chuck and Susie, as well as Paul, Hannah, and their kids, and Jett practically crawls up my leg to get a better view.
“Can’t see Mama,” he says, as I lift him to my shoulders. “There she is! Grammy, too!”
At the front of the tent, lined up behind a bunch of mostly eaten pies, ten of Cole Creek’s finest ladies smile, patiently waiting for their results. At some point, since I saw her last, Hayden changed into a sleeveless white dress that flows over her curves like her hair does her shoulders. I can’t look away.
“Your mom looks pretty up there, doesn’t she?” I ask Jett. “You think she’s going to win?”
“Uh huh. Grammy, too.”
“Sure hope so.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Time to crown our Polish Pie Princess!” Bren Bishop paces to the end of the lineup, mic in hand. “I’ve had the pleasure of sampling each of these delicious creations myself and I must say that this year’s decision was extremely difficult.”
Ma rolls her eyes next to him and Hayden tries to keep from laughing. Mikayla holds up the other end of the line, holding the crown and an anxious smile.
“Without further ado, let’s get to the results. In third place, we have Mrs. Janikowski and her classic lattice cherry pie. Always a treat, Mrs. J, but I do believe you outdid yourself this year.” The crowd claps as Mrs. J accepts her trophy and gives Bren an almost indecent hug that makes the crowd laugh.
“Whew!” Bren pulls away, fanning himself with the results card. “I hate to know what kind of greeting I would have got if you’d won, Mrs. J.”
She waggles her eyebrows at him and returns to her spot.
He blows out another breath, adjusts his shirt, and returns his attention back to the card. “Moving on to second place…” He pauses and swallows and I can literally see the fear in his eyes. We all can.
“Shit,” Jinx mutters. “Who’s buying the vodka?”
“With only one point separating our number one and number two spots, our second place winner this year is none other than Mrs. Enders and her incredible coconut custard.”
The crowd cheers and Ma pastes on a smile that’s surprisingly more sincere than I expected.
“Thank you, Bren.” She leans up to kiss his cheek and accepts her trophy without incident, while each of us kids stands there, waiting for the top of her head to blow off. But it doesn’t. She simply retreats back to her spot, giving Hayden a wink and little elbow nudge.
“And now for our big winner,” Bren says slowly, scanning the rest of the contestants to draw out the moment. “With her caramel apple creation, our new Polish Pie Princess is newcomer Hayden Foss.”
Hayden’s eyes go wide and Ma shrieks, pointing all the way down the line at Mikayla. “Give me that crown!”
Poor Mikayla’s face turns red, but she hands the crown over so Ma can place it on Hayden’s head.
Jett hollers from my shoulders, “Good job, Mama!”
“Oh, thank fuck,” Aiden sighs.
“You’re telling me,” Dad adds, and all I can do is grin.
“Congratulations, Hayden,” Bren says into the mic. “Are you familiar with our tradition? Do you know what you have to do now?”
Oh, shit, I forgot about this part.
“I do,” she says with a bright-eyed grin as she picks up her pie plate and starts for the crowd.
“It’s gonna be me.” Jinx rolls his shoulders and puffs his chest. “I have a good feeling about this.”
“Think again, asshole.” Last year, I’d ducked out before Mikayla could find me in the crowd, but this year… that girl and that pie are mine.
The crowd shifts in front of us and suddenly Hayden is standing before me, batting those pretty lashes over those stunning dark eyes and pretty pink lips I haven’t kissed in far too long.
Aiden takes Jett from my shoulders as Hayden steps forward with a smile.
“So, there’s this thing I have to do,” she says confidently. “The funny thing is… it wasn’t part of my plan. I didn’t even know about it until a couple of hours ago.”
“Oh?” I shift forward, keenly aware that hundreds of people, mostly my friends and neighbors, are watching us.
“I had something entirely different in mind for today, but this…” She presses her lips together as her nostrils flare ever so slightly and her cheeks flush. “This feels right,” she rasps.