“Gavin, so nice of you to come out and support our local runners.” Marla’s appearance pulls me out of the moment, and Posey is quick to drop my hand. But I catch Marla noticing.
“Yes, you as well, Mrs. Greene.”
Marla tilts her head. “Oh, Marla, please.”
“Okay, Marla.” I put out my hand. “Nice to see you again.”
Her handshake is much firmer than her daughter’s.
The announcement comes that the race is about to start, so we end our conversation and I go back to my table.
“Okay, Maverick and Jack, you need to keep count of every cup of water you give out.” I lean in as though we’re in a football huddle and we can’t let the opposing team hear us. “Jack, use those brown puppy-dog eyes to get the runners to come to you. Maverick, keep refilling and any girls around your age, use flirting to your advantage.”
They both nod, and I pray that Erwin and Calista do great at the finish line.
It takes over twenty minutes before a runner reaches us. Posey rushes to him, saying hello using his actual name.
“Vote Greene, Mato,” she says, handing him a cup of water. She shrugs after he passes. “He’s a police officer with my brother.”
Two more people come, and we each pass a water to one. Which means she’s still up by one.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see a message from her. It’s a picture of a guy who has a multicolored mohawk. I pocket my phone and narrow my eyes at her.
More runners come, and Jack is able to swindle some older women over to our side. They all say what a cutie he is, and he smiles, handing them water.
I raise my eyebrows at Posey, and she just rolls her eyes.
I take out my phone and send her a text message.
Me: Might as well mark it on your calendar now. Every two weeks.
The three dots appear, and I look up to see Marla and Hank handing out water. Declan is sitting back in a chair, messing around on his phone.
Posey: Aren’t you afraid the scissors might slip again??
She attaches a GIF of Edward Scissorhands.
A rush of runners are coming, so I slide my phone into my pocket and grab some cups to pass out. There are so many people that the runners don’t show preference, but just take whatever cup they can. Maverick refills another row and I see one piece of the Greene’s plywood hit the ground because they’re done with the top level.
Great, I might be campaigning with a mohawk.
The middle pack of runners don’t give us much breathing time, or time to text one another, which is unfortunate because all I keep thinking about is what she’ll send me next.
We get to the point that some of the runners are taking their own waters off the tables. A man slows and tells Jack to pour a cup over his head, bending over so the little guy can do so. We’re fortunate that a few others copy the motion. Jack thinks it’s the best thing ever, and it’s helping us get rid of water, so it’s a win as far as I’m concerned.
“Those don’t count!” Posey points and screams over the runners’ heads.
“We never said the water had to be consumed,” I say.
She inhales deeply and Marla turns to her, probably asking her what is going on. I wonder if Posey will tell her about the bet.
The race keeps us busy for another half hour. I had no idea how big this run was until right now. But as quickly as the big group came through, it slows to one runner here, one runner there.
Posey: How’s it going over there?
I glance up to see her relaxing in the chair Declan was in. He’s gone and I assume he’s up with Rylan at the finish line. They’re on their last row of cups. We checked in on our counts about a half hour ago and were neck and neck so we both poured out an equal remainder of cups. Whoever gets rid of all of those first will be the winner. I only have to get rid of these cups on the table before her, and I should be good.
Me: You know how much I spend on haircuts? It’ll be nice to get them for free.
She doesn’t respond, and a small group comes through and mostly goes to Posey’s side. From the bits of conversation I hear, they must know one another. Then Fran and her gang come down the path.
I smile. I’m pretty sure they’ll come to me.
“Fran!” I exclaim, clapping. “Way to go, ladies.”
All their cheeks are already pink, so I have no idea if I made them blush.
“Gavin,” they say in unison.
“Maverick, come out from behind the table.”
He picks up a few cups of water and we hold them out.
“Fran!” Posey yells. “Sunrise Bay born and bred.” She points at herself.
I shake my head at her.
“You can call me Blake Michaels.” I hate it when people use my character name from High Society, but I will not be able to pull off some absurd haircut while I’m campaigning, and I know Posey has the guts to give me one.
“Sorry, Posey,” Fran says. “Blake,” she coos, and I ignore the nausea.
They stop instead of walking past, which sucks because the other runners coming up are now at the Greene table since mine is blocked. The good news is that the women all drink more than one cup. By the time they leave, I’m out of water.
I pull out my phone
Me: Look up.
Posey glances from her phone over to us, and that’s when I realize that their table is empty too. This sucks. We never decided anything about a tie.
I’m trying to think what we can agree on with a tie. Until her smirk forms a frown, and she questions Hank and Marla. They each shrug. Hank’s already packing up.
The two grandmas return with the golf cart, Erwin on the back.
I walk over to Posey. “Is that frown an indication that you’ll have to put me in your planner?”
She takes a deep breath. “I’m going to kill Declan, but yes, apparently we have water left at the finish line and you’re out.”
I tsk and chuckle. “Sorry you lost.”
“Don’t be condescending.”
“I’m not. I am sorry, but I’m happier that I won.” I smirk and walk backward. She watches me go and slowly her hands move toward a cup of water she was drinking earlier. She wrote her name on it after I insisted so that it wouldn’t get mixed up in the count. She picks it up and walks toward me. “What are you doing?”
“Posey!” Marla yells.
She’s already mid throw and I run into a body, moving out of the way right before the water douses Erwin. He stares at Posey in disbelief and a low whine erupts out of him.
“Oh my god, I’m sorry,” Posey says.
Erwin shakes his head in disbelief and stomps away. “Scary. Scary. Scary.”
Posey glares at me and all I can do is smile. Because if I was honest about what I really want to do to her right now, people would think I’m crazy. What can I say? I’ve always liked a woman who puts her feelings out there for all to see.
I swear the entire town of Sunrise Bay has congregated in the high school auditorium.
I’m with my mom in my old English classroom while she has her makeup touched up by Nikki. I have no idea where Gavin is, but I can feel him in this building, which sounds crazy.