Page 256 of The Havenport Collection

Eliza

“ P retty, pretty please?” Val asked, jumping up and down.

“I don’t know,” I hedged, “you just ate that entire bag of maple kettle corn.”

“But the Maple Festival is only once a year. It’s not like I’m going to eat maple cotton candy every day.”

She had a point, and maple cotton candy was pretty excellent, but as the daughter of two dentists, I cringed. “Okay, fine. But you have to promise to brush and floss extra tonight.”

“Yes.” She fist pumped, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the food stalls.

As we waited in line, I insisted on zipping up her fleece jacket as she rolled her eyes at me. Even though it was the end of April, it was still chilly, especially as the sun was going down, and I didn’t want her getting sick on my watch.

We had already played games in the children’s area, eaten our weight in maple-themed goodies, enjoyed the art exhibits, attended a maple sugaring demonstration, and taken a horse-drawn carriage ride through the town square.

It had been years since I had come to the Maple Festival—last year I was working at the hospital—and I was having a blast.

Matteo’s restaurant had a booth at the festival, and he was busy working, so I was watching Val for a couple of hours and then Gio was going to take her home around eight.

“I think this might be my favorite festival,” Val mused, while picking at her massive mound of cotton candy.

“I bet you say that to all the festivals.”

“I do.” She giggled. “But maple syrup is awesome.”

“I agree. And Vermont gets all the maple love, but we have a long history of maple harvests in Massachusetts too.”

“Oh, I know all about it. My teacher was going on and on this week about the historical significance of the maple industry. Blah blah blah. It tastes good.”

I snagged another bite of cotton candy. “Do you want to walk down to the harbor before we have to meet your uncle?” I asked.

“I want another maple bacon donut,” Val said.

“I’m drawing the line. How do you fit it all?”

“I’m a growing girl. You know my dad; I’m going to be super tall.”

“At the rate you’re going, I don’t doubt that.”

We headed down to the water and found ourselves walking along the raised boardwalk that looked out at the harbor. We were admiring the boats and trying to guess how cold the water was when I heard someone call my name.

“Hey! Liza!” I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Ryan.

“Hello,” I said awkwardly, wishing he would just go away.

“I haven’t seen you in weeks. Who is your little friend?”

Val’s face was stony. “I’m Valentina Rossi. Who are you?” She looked him up and down with an appraising eye that reminded me of her Aunt Nora. This kid could be downright terrifying.

“I’m a friend of Liza’s.”

“It’s pronounced E-liza,” Val said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Right. Cool kid,” he said, looking at me. “Can we catch up later? I’m late to meet Carlo, but I’ve missed you.”

He leaned in and gave me a one-armed hug and walked off, leaving me a bit flustered.

Valentina turned to me, the anger burning bright on her little face. “Is that your boyfriend?”

“Oh God, no,” I said, recovering quickly from the shock of the encounter. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

She eyed me suspiciously. “Good. He seems lame. Also, if you want a boyfriend, you know my dad is available.”

I handed her the cotton candy, stuffing a huge piece in my mouth, and continued walking, unsure how to respond.

“He likes you. You know, he like likes you.” She wiggled her little eyebrows at me. “Sometimes I catch him staring at you like you are a beautiful princess. Like Kristoff with Princess Anna.”

“Sweetie, it’s not like that. Your dad is a very nice man, but you should probably let him find his own dates.”

“No way. If I don’t find him a girlfriend, he never will. I see you looking at him too. I know he’s grumpy and kind of old, but he is a really good dad and makes awesome food. He would probably cook you whatever you want every single day if you promised to be his girlfriend.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. This kid was beyond perceptive.

“I appreciate the offer, but I think your dad and I are better off as friends.” I felt terrible about lying to her, but I was completely out of my depth.

I wished Matteo and I had talked about this—what to say, how to explain things—so I didn’t have to stonewall her.

Because the truth was, I had fallen hard for her dad, and for her, and wanted nothing more than to be his official, public girlfriend.

But I couldn’t tell her that, not yet at least.

“Let’s keep walking; it’s almost time to meet your uncle.”

After handing off Valentina, I went in search of my friends and found them, unsurprisingly, at the beer tent. We walked around, chatting and taking photos. When the line died down, I headed over to the Nonna’s Kitchen booth to say hi to Matteo.

He was busy at work with his chef coat on, greeting people and serving food, with his older brother Bruno helping as well. He gave me a big smile and held a finger up when I walked over. I stood waiting while he prepared something and presented it to me.

“Here,” he said, pulling me behind the tent. “Taste this.” He held up a delicate looking pastry that sort of resembled a small ball, dripping with maple syrup.

I took a bite, savoring the warmth, the crispness, and the sweetness. “Oh my God,” I purred. “That is incredible. What is that?”

He smirked. “It’s a maple ricotta fritter. Just fried up a fresh batch.”

“Gimme,” I said, taking the remaining half out of his hand and popping it in my mouth.

He stared at me for a moment before reaching over and wiping a bit of maple syrup from my mouth with his thumb. I paused and stared at him, feeling the desperate urge to kiss him.

He licked his thumb and winked at me. “I need to get back to work. How was Val?”

“Great. We met Gio about an hour ago, and she was pretty hopped up on sugar, so he’ll have a hell of a time putting her to bed.”

Matteo laughed. “He deserves it. Thanks for hanging out with her.”

“My pleasure. We had a lot of fun. When will you finish up here?” I had barely seen him this week and hadn’t been alone with him since our weekly date last Monday.

“Late,” he answered. “We have to clean up, break down, bring everything back to the restaurant, and then get ready to do it all over again tomorrow.”

“Do you need help?”

“No. Bruno’s here with me all night, and tomorrow Gio’s helping. We’ll be fine. I’m just tired.” He studied my face for a moment. “But I need to see you. Monday?”

I nodded.

“Because I think we should talk.” My heart stopped; those were terrifying words.

He grabbed my hand. “Don’t look upset. It’s just been a while since we connected.”

“Sure,” I said, not understanding what he was getting at. “You know where to find me.”

He held my hand up and kissed it. “I’ll be thinking about you, Eliza. Make sure to wear something sexy for me.”

And before I could respond, he headed back into the booth where the line had grown even longer.

I wandered around a bit dazed until I found my friends again. I wasn’t sure what he meant. Part of me thought maybe he wanted to take things to the next level, tell Valentina and make things official, but part of me worried it was the opposite.

I didn’t have much time to analyze every word because Ryan was incoming, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “Liza, babe. Where have you been?”

I wiggled away from him, his touch repellant. “I’ve been busy.”

“You don’t respond to any of my texts, and you’re never around to hang out.”

I turned and looked at him. Objectively, he was very handsome, but I felt nothing. He was childish and selfish and annoying, and I was furious that he thought he could touch me.

“I said I’ve been busy.”

He grabbed my hip and pulled me into him. “Let’s go back to my place. I have some nice wine, and we can watch Netflix.” His finger trailed down my shoulder, and I shuddered.

I pushed him back gently, hoping he would get the hint. “No thanks,” I said firmly.

“Why? What’s up with you?” he said, seeming hurt.

“I’m just not interested in being your fuck buddy anymore.” I saw a few heads turn, and Juniper’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Hey, it’s not like that. We’ve been friends our whole lives.”

“Have we? Because it seems like we’re two people with nothing in common who barely tolerate each other and fuck when we’re bored. But I’m not that girl anymore, and I don’t want that. So if you are my friend, then you will understand.”

He took a step back and his face fell. My friends drew closer, probably to kick his ass if he said anything disrespectful, but he didn’t.

“That’s cool,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “I get it.”

I nodded, feeling much better. I needed to get that out and make sure he understood my feelings on this. Ryan had been a mistake I had made too many times. Every time we hooked up I felt terrible after, and no matter what happened with Matteo, I knew I deserved more.

I had been given a taste of what a real relationship felt like. Attraction, respect, compatibility. And I was never going back to subpar hookups just to feel validated.

Gina came over and hugged me. “I am so proud of you.”

Meadow and Juniper crowded around me. “That was epic. I would’ve used more profanity, but respect.”

I was feeling good. I had Matteo, at least for now, and a job interview in a few days at the clinic. I had supportive friends, an amazing town, and I was finally feeling the pieces of my life come together. I felt different. I was different. And it felt fucking great.