Page 12 of Fall for You (Second Chances #7)
Ronnie
A lana and I spent the next two weeks sneaking around, the same way we did as kids – although at least now I had a house of my own and I didn’t need to bribe my cousin to buy us beer.
When we weren’t stealing kisses or sneaking off to my house for a quickie, we were both working full throttle on the Fall Festival.
It started the Friday before Halloween, and since the holiday also fell on a Friday, the festivities were continuing through the Sunday after, for ten full days.
Usually we kept it at seven days, but Alana had convinced the committee to add that second weekend to bring in more tourists.
Judging by the crowds we got the first weekend, I was glad she had. I’d been too busy on the farm to visit the attractions set up downtown, but I could see from the town Facebook page and all the #Hayword and #FallFestival hashtags that it was as packed as the farm was.
The changes we’d made this year to create more activities were working well, but it meant that we needed significantly more staff and volunteers than we had in previous years.
Fortunately the good people of Hayword had stepped up.
In addition to our neighbors, Alana’s whole family came out to help every single day.
Chloe and her best friend Skyler helped out in the kids enchanted forest. Mr. Doyle was working with my father at the Haunted Barn, and Mrs. Doyle worked at the hot chocolate stand.
Meanwhile Alana circled the grounds, taking pictures, reminding people to tag us on social media, and helping out wherever we needed her.
Today was night eight of the Fall Festival – and Halloween – and we’d already rescued multiple people from the corn maze, put out a small fire caused by someone dropping a still-burning cigarette in the trash, and dealt with some toppled hay bales that two ten year olds pushed off the tractor during one of the hayrides.
We’d also sold lots of pumpkins and farm-grown produce, completely cleared out my mother’s supply of homemade jams, and we were making bank selling souvenir pictures with our new photo and selfie stations.
We’d all had fun with the pictures. Alana and I took several with us sticking our faces through the pumpkin heads, then she took a few with her family posing between skeletons. Even my parents had posed for some selfies.
Alana and I weren’t too busy to share a few stolen moments together…
sitting close together on a hay bale during the last hayride of the night with our hands intertwined, a quick make-out session behind the store, and lots of secret glances and ‘accidental’ touches that kept me in a state of semi-arousal all week.
As I watched the last of our guests pull out of the parking lot, a voice drew me out of my reverie.
“I have to admit honey, all of your ideas worked out great.”
I turned to see my parents approaching, walking hand in hand. They were both smiling proudly.
“Separating the haunted house and the corn maze was a big win,” Dad said. “And the kids all seemed to love the enchanted forest. I’ve seen multiple return guests this week, and we’ve never had this many people post about us on social media before.”
“Yeah, it’s gone really well,” I agreed. “Of course Alana’s work marketing the event has also been crucial.”
Mom nodded in agreement. “We’ve already more than surpassed what we made during the last festival before the pandemic hit.”
We still had two more days of the Fall Festival, but I was feeling kind of sad that it was coming to an end.
Not just because we were getting a much-needed infusion of cash for our family business, but also because I knew that once the Festival was over, Alana would be focusing on getting a new job.
A new job that would take her far away from me. Again.
I’d told myself to play it cool, to not let my feelings get involved, but despite that I’d fallen head over heels in love with Alana.
It was different this time. The first time we’d been kids, and while everything felt real and intense back then, it was nothing like the grown-up love I felt now.
This was the kind of love that made even a practical woman like me dream of fairytale weddings and adopting kids and all the other things you did when you found your soulmate.
Except my soulmate would soon be back in New York City among her fancy friends.
People I would never fit in with, even if I would ever consider leaving Hayword.
I never would though. This farm had been in my family for over one hundred and fifty years.
The land was in my blood, I couldn’t leave it any more than I could chop off my arm.
If I’d had any doubt that I could leave this town, the four years that I’d spent downstate at the University eliminated it.
“Oh look, there’s Alana,” my mother said, pointing to where Alana was helping her mother close up the hot chocolate stand.
“Yeah she’s been here all week,” I reminded my mother, but I knew what she was doing: matchmaking.
“You two seem so close the past few weeks…” Mom’s voice trailed off, inviting me to talk.
“She’s only here temporarily,” I reminded her.
“So was I, once upon a time.”
That got my attention. “What?”
“I met your father when I came to Hayword to visit my aunt and uncle,” Mom said.
I nodded. “I think I remember you saying that.”
“When I got here, I really hit it off with Susie. She was like the sister I never had.”
I knew that the woman I called Aunt Susie was actually Mom’s cousin, not her sister, but I didn’t know how they got to be friends.
“We were really tight, Susie and I, like you and Alana used to be.” Mom paused, and even in the dim light I could see her blush. “Well, not exactly like you two, I mean we are related after all, but we were best friends.”
“Yes Mom, I get it,” I said with a touch of impatience.
“One night Susie and I went to a party down at the lake and I met your father. It was love at first sight. Every minute he could get away from the farm, we spent together.” Her voice turned dreamy. “I felt things with him, did things --.”
“I’m going to stop you right there, Mom,” I interrupted. “I do not want to hear about your sex life with Dad.”
My father sighed deeply, mumbled under his breath, and walked away, the same way he did every time my mother and I talked about something that embarrassed him.
“Anyway.” My mother emphasized the word impatiently.
“When the summer was over, your father asked me to stay in Hayword. He wanted us to get married, and I told him he was being ridiculous. We were too young, and we’d only known each other a couple of months.
I told him that I was going to finish college, going to make something of myself, that I wanted something more than to be a housewife on a farm. So I left town.”
She had my full attention now. “Then what happened?”
“I went down to college, and I was miserable. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t study.
I called your father in tears one night, telling him that I missed him, that I’d made a terrible mistake walking away.
Two hours later, he was banging on my dorm room door, demanding that I pack because he was taking me back to Hayword whether I liked it or not. ”
“Really?” I couldn’t imagine my mild-mannered father acting like that.
“Really. I moved into Susie’s house and went to community college with her while dating your father. Two years later, after I finished my degree, he asked me to marry him again. That time I said yes.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
Mom’s smile was sentimental. “I had to leave him to realize how much I didn’t want to leave him.”
“Well, Alana didn’t seem to have that realization when she left me,” I said bitterly.
She patted my shoulder. “You were too young then, both of you. Maybe now you’re not.”
Mom wandered off after Dad, and I went to help Alana and her family close up so they could leave. Alana had come in the same car as her family, so I couldn’t ask her to stay, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to.
As her parents and sister walked to the car, she held back, leaning close to me as we walked.
“Two more days of this festival and then we’ll have more time to hang out,” she said. “As happy as I am that it’s going well, I’ve missed our sexy times.”
“Me too,” I said fervently. “You’ve done a great job marketing this event though Alana, I want you to know that.
We’ve easily had twice as many attendees as we’ve had the last several years, both here and downtown.
Everyone’s saying that these are the biggest crowds we’ve had since before the pandemic. ”
“I’m glad I was able to help.” Her voice sounded a little sad. “I’ve been documenting everything so that whoever takes over for me next year will have a blueprint of what I did, who I talked to, and what worked.”
Her words were like a punch to the gut, but I did my best not to show it. It wasn’t like it was a surprise that she was leaving. It didn’t make it hurt any less though.
“Well I’d better go before Dad makes me walk home.” Alana pulled me into a quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”