Page 3 of The Great Maple Mistake (Love in Maplewood #8)

Cody

Like swimming through molasses, I slowly drag myself awake.

At least, I think I’m awake. There’s a thrumming, almost like the windows are reverberating.

It’s a deep bass, but muffled. Coming from outside?

My foot starts moving to the beat, and with every passing second, the sound gets louder.

And clearer. I catch bits of the melody, and my brain snaps online as I recognize the tune.

It’s Raining Men is an oldie but a goodie as Aunt Viv would say.

With a groan, I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling, which I’m now realizing is covered in pastel pink wallpaper with tiny rose-red hearts scattered in a random pattern.

Seriously, who papers their ceiling? Aunt Viv, obviously.

It’s like being in an inside-out tissue box.

Humming along with the song, I roll out of bed and yawn, blinking blearily.

God, what time is it? I snag my sweats from the floor and haul them on over my boxer briefs.

I’m not usually one for wearing much around the house, but since this is Aunt Viv’s home and not mine, I feel obligated to be semi-decent.

Still half asleep, I shuffle across the hall to the bathroom and wince at the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Again, I wonder what time it is. I didn’t pull into Aunt Viv’s driveway until around two this morning.

She met me at the door, we said hello, she went to bed, I took a shower and then passed out before my head even hit the pillow.

Chuckling, I round the corner into the kitchen.

“Unless you have someone else staying here, it’s me.

” I head for the coffee pot and open a few cupboards until I find the one with the cups.

I grab a cow-shaped mug, moving the cow trivet out of the way, so I can set my cup on the counter and pour myself some wake-me-up juice.

“Is there someone else staying here I should know about?” I know there isn’t, but teasing her is too much fun.

I carry my coffee to the oval oak table where Aunt Viv is feeding the last of her breakfast to Stanley, her apricot standard poodle.

I lean down and kiss her cheek, then plop into the padded oak Shaker chair beside her.

She snorts. “No. It’s just Stanley and me in this old house.

” The house is old, but Aunt Viv keeps it in great shape.

Well, she hires the local handyperson to do that, but she can afford to.

Aunt Viv’s a CPA, making ‘the big bucks.’ A lot of the work is remote for several decent-sized companies scattered around the state, and she has no romantic partner or any kids, as long as you don’t count the four-legged one begging at her feet.

So her disposable income is her own to spend as she wants.

And she wants to spend it on Stanley and this house. And I’m here to support that.

I sip my coffee and try not to think about my lips pressed against a cow butt, even if it is ceramic. Stanley nudges my leg, and I reach down to scratch behind his soft ears. “I woke up to The Weathergirls. Something going on in town?”

“Pride, silly boy. Remember? I told you the festival was this weekend.” She stands and takes her dishes to the sink.

“Unless you’d like me to make you breakfast, I’m heading to the festival in about half an hour.

There was a painting I saw at the Art Walk that I can’t stop thinking about, and I want to see if it’s still there.

Then at two p.m., I have a slot for Storytelling at the library. ”

I push to my feet once I notice the cow clock over the doorway.

Damn, how is it almost noon? Dragging my palm across the freshly close-cropped hair above my ear, I consider my options.

I could unpack my SUV, which definitely does need to happen today since I report for work tomorrow morning at eight a.m. I don’t want to drive a fully loaded SUV to the station.

But all that work doesn’t sound appealing at the moment.

I could scope out the town for a few hours before I unload my stuff.

It’s been about fifteen years since I’ve been here, and that time it was only for a weekend.

I wasn’t even twenty-one yet, so I stuck close to Aunt Viv’s house.

Now that I’ll be living in Maplewood, I should probably get to know my way around.

Especially if I’m going to be out on fire and EMT calls.

And I should definitely get to know the locals.

My stomach growls, and I consider what to do about that too. “Does this festival have food?”

Aunt Viv rolls her eyes at me and laughs. “It’s Maplewood, hon. Of course there’s food at the festival.”

Maplewood. Maple. Maple food. My stomach gurgles again, but this time it’s not with hunger.

“Um, do they have stuff that isn’t maple flavored?

” She looks at me like I’ve said something offensive.

“I just—” I don’t really want to relive the childhood trauma, so I let it go.

“Never mind. I’ll go take a quick shower and be down in half an hour or less. ”

She beams at me. “Wonderful! We can walk over to the park together.”

I finish the last of my coffee, rinse the cup, put it in the dishwasher, then sprint upstairs, excited for the day’s adventure.

Even if maple things are involved. Twenty minutes later, I’m downstairs in knee-length, olive green canvas shorts, a peach-colored fire and EMS T-shirt, and my Birks.

I find Aunt Viv in the living room reading People magazine. “Ready?”

She sets the magazine aside and stands, smoothing down the front of her bright yellow sleeveless knit top. “Ready.”

As we walk the three blocks to the town’s main square, Aunt Viv presses a key into my palm. “Here’s your house key. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay after my library hour. I don’t like to leave Stanley at home by himself for too long. He’s not used to it, and he gets anxious.”

I’m not going to point out that she’s the one who probably gets anxious when she’s gone for however ‘too long’ is. “Thanks, Aunt Viv.” I pull my keys from my pocket and slide the shiny new addition onto the clip.

“You stay out as long as you want. Like we talked about, we’re roomies.

” She grins like it’s the best thing ever.

“Just please remember common courtesy about when you won’t be home for meals and when you’re going to be in or out overnight, and same for me.

” She pats my arm. “Okay, I’m off to look for that painting. ”

I lean down and kiss her cheek. “Have fun. Be safe. And if you find what you’re looking for, and you want me to carry it home, just text me and I’ll come help you.”

“I will, sweetie. Thanks.” She gives me a little wave and heads off to what looks like the craft area.

I stare hard at the food booths, take a fortifying breath, and walk in that direction.

It doesn’t take long to determine that most of the foods are maple-based, maple glazed or, in the instance of the rock candy, straight maple.

I shudder. It’s horrifying, and I can’t possibly experience this solo.

I take out my phone and pull up the camera app, switch to video, and make a circle, trying to fit in as many food booth signs with the word maple on them as possible.

Then I switch to my messaging app and send it to my childhood best friend.

Me: Guess where I am

Josh: ??

Me: That’s not guessing, but since you’ll never guess I’ll tell you. Maplewood Pride

Josh: You made it. Good. You ditch your Aunt Viv already?

Me: Nah. She ditched me. laughing emoji

Josh: LOL

Me: You missed the point of my video

Josh: You had a point?

Me: middle finger emoji MAPLEWOOD

Me: watch the video

There’s a pause, and I assume Josh is watching.

Josh: O M G. nauseous emoji

Me: IKR?! I totally didn’t think this through

Josh: Fuck. I’m so sorry man. That sucks balls

Me: And not in a good way

Josh: laughing emoji What are you going to do?

Me: man shrugging emoji Cook my own meals for once? Eat out only in the next town over?

Josh: Good luck with that. I’ve had your cooking

Me: fuck off. I’ll let you know if I find anything edible

Josh: Sounds good. Gotta run. Alicia and the baby are waiting in the car. We’re headed to her mom and dad’s for a BBQ. Thank god her dad uses a dry rub and not a maple glaze! barf emoji

Me: Lucky. Tell Alicia I said hello and kiss her and baby Mia for me

Josh: Will do. left facing fist emoji

Me: right facing fist emoji

I put my phone away and wander through the food booths, eyeing the options, desperately looking for something without maple.

It takes longer than it should, but I finally find a vendor selling hamburgers with a spicy maple sauce, and beg the guy to hold the sauce.

He gives me an odd look, and I try to scramble for an excuse, because obviously this town takes its maple seriously.

I can see that now. And I don’t want to offend anyone, especially on my first day here.

Luckily, when he hands me the burger and bottle of water I ordered, the sauce is in a little tub tucked in next to the pickle.

I pay and head toward one of the picnic tables, dropping onto the bench seat and diving into the food.

Without the sauce. The burger is pure perfection, and I turn to check out the sign on the booth.

Sparky’s Restaurant. I vaguely remember eating there during my last trip to Maplewood, and I’ll definitely be eating there again. This burger is incredible.

Just as I take a huge bite, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

I turn and look up into the face of an angel.

Okay, not a real angel because I don’t believe in that whole heaven and hell as actual places thing, but wow, he is something else.

His short brown hair is swept back in loose waves, and he has kind, hazel eyes and the cutest freckles dotting the bridge of his nose.

I quickly chew my mouthful and set down my burger, wiping my hands on my napkin before straddling the bench so I can face him head-on. “Hi.”

The cutie smiles, and damn if I don’t get a fluttery feeling in my chest. “Hi.” He thrusts out a hand, and I take it, giving it a shake.

“I’m Alex MacDougall. I’m taking promotional photos of the festival for the town website.

” He grabs the camera hanging around his neck and lifts it with his free hand.

“I was shooting several pics of the area here, and you happen to be in a few of them. Do I have your permission to post one or more of them, if they turn out to be pictures I want to use?”

I’m about to tell him he can have anything he wants, but that’s probably not appropriate. “Can I see them? I mean, what if I have my mouth full of burger, or I’m blinking or something? I gotta make sure I don’t look foolish. Right?”

I grin up at him, and his smile gets bigger.

“Sure. Here, I can show you the raw pictures right now.” He gently removes his hand from mine and motions for me to scoot over so he can sit next to me.

God, he’s practically between my legs, and I feel the tendrils of arousal tickle up my spine.

He flips the camera so the lens is pointing at the ground and fiddles with the buttons on the back for a minute.

Then he tilts the camera so I can see the screen.

He hasn’t removed the strap from around his neck so he has to lean in or risk choking himself.

He smells like clean sweat and some cologne I’m not familiar with, but damn it smells good. Fresh but sensual.

I focus on the camera screen and not how close his face is to mine.

What did he say his name was? It takes a minute, but I get there.

Alex. Alex Mac-something-or-other. But definitely Alex.

He flips through four or five photos, and they’re all great shots of the area.

I’m not the focus of the pictures, but he still managed to make me look good.

No chewing shots or me with my mouth open wide in an attempt to fit as much of the burger into my maw as possible.

I linger as long as possible without being creepy, and then lean back.

He leans back too, putting a respectable distance between us.

Damn. “They look really good. And yes, you can use them if you want.”

His face lights up, and he reaches for his back pocket. “Great! Would you mind signing this release form? It’s just your standard consent to allow me to use your picture.” He pulls a small stack of papers out of his pocket and sets the top sheet and a pen on the picnic table.

The few short paragraphs cover who he is, why he’s using the pictures, and a short statement giving my permission for him to use the photo or photos.

There isn’t much to it, and it seems straightforward, so I pick up the pen and print my name on the first line and then scrawl my signature on the second.

“There. Done.” I smile at him again, because I can’t help myself.

“Thanks.” He glances at the paper. “Cody.” He hesitates for a moment before pushing to his feet, collecting the paper and pen, then tucking them back into his pocket.

“If you want to see the final product, you can check out the events page on the town’s website.

” He fidgets with his camera and then meets my gaze again. “You visiting? Or live in the area?”

A million butterflies swoop around my belly.

Even I know that’s no casual question. He’s interested.

“Actually, I just moved here last night. Aunt Viv’s active but getting older, and I wanted to be near in case she needs me.

” I don’t mention that she’s my last remaining relative, now that my parents are gone. “Family’s important.”

“It is.” He cocks his head to the side. “So Aunt Viv. Is that Vivian Howland?” I nod again and Alex grins. “She does the books for my dad’s ad agency. She’s great.”

“Yeah, she really is.”

Alex gestures at my burger. “Anyway, I’m interrupting your lunch. And I need to take more pictures of the games and things.” He steps backward, but keeps his gaze locked on mine, and the swooping in my chest starts again. “But I’m sure I’ll see you around town.”

Yes. Yes you will. “You can count on that.”

His cheeks get very pink, and he ducks his head, but his smile is huge. “Okay. I will.” He turns and hurries off into the crowd.