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“You’re forgiven,” he said with a soft sigh, staring toward the carnival rides.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought he blinked away tears.

“Cass was my first best friend. We were a close family, though she always tested the boundaries. Especially with Mom. But now—” He glanced down at her. “Want to find a ride? Get some food?”

“Again, I am so sorry.”

“Forget it.” He pulled her in, holding her so close she could hear his heartbeat beneath his Nickle High Eagles Football T-shirt. She hugged him back, breathing in his clean scent.

They moved on to the fun—hot dogs and sodas, a funnel cake and ice cream.

Bellies full, they hopped on the carousel, knocked each other around in bumper cars—her side still hurt from laughing—and took a turn on the mechanical bull.

She got tossed the moment the machine started.

But Caleb hung on for the full eight seconds.

Onlookers cheered when the event staffer—also known as the ride jockey—rang a bell, blew an airhorn, and handed Caleb a cheap, aluminum belt buckle that said Champion .

“What next, Champ?” she said, leaning against him as she admired the buckle. “Ferris wheel?”

“How about the pony ride over there?”

“For a bull-riding champion? No way, it’s the Ferris wheel or nothing.” She grabbed his arm and tried to drag him toward the line, but he remained planted. “What gives?”

“If you must know, rusty bolts holding up big, circular wheel is not my idea of fun. Plus, I don’t do heights.”

“You just rode a bull.”

“Yeah, a mechanical one.”

“Come on, please.” She grabbed his hand and leaned back, tugging. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

“Emery, I’m serious. I can’t.” He freed himself and wiped his hand down his shorts. “Just thinking about it makes me—”

“You’re really scared?” She pointed to the giant wheel. “They wouldn’t run the thing if it wasn’t safe. And it’s not that high.”

“How do you know it’s safe? ’Cause a couple of dudes say so? No, no way. If that thing fell apart, we’d drop, what? Three hundred feet?”

“So are you worried about safety or heights?”

“Both.”

“Nope. One or the other. Like when your mom took you to the store as a kid and said you could only get one treat, but the Skittles and the M&Ms both called to you.”

“Quinn, this is not even the same.”

“I’m making it the same, Ransom. Is it safety or heights?” She braced herself for his answer, ready to counter.

“Well, I guess ... safety.”

“Perfect. Let’s go. The ride is safe or else the carnival would be buried in lawsuits.” She shoved him from behind this time. “Fears are meant to be overcome.”

“No fair, I don’t know your fear.”

“Guys who hate the Ferris wheel. Keep walking, Ransom.”

Finally. She got him to the line, but he shifted from side to side, cracked his knuckles, ran over to talk to a passing friend.

“Caleb, let’s go. We’re up.”

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” He climbed into a bucket, shaking it, leaning over the side, over the front, inspecting the rig.

He turned to the event staffer. “Is this thing safe?”

“As far as I know.” The tatted man squinted at Caleb through a twist of cigarette smoke. “Man up, bro, you got a pretty girl with you.”

“Hey, Caleb,” Emery said, “if you really don’t want to go—”

“Forget it. I’m in. I’m in. Let’s do this.” Caleb jiggled the metal bar locking them in. “Want to make sure it doesn’t come loose.”

When the wheel moved to fill the next bucket, Caleb closed his eyes, breathed deep, and white-knuckled the safety bar.

“Open your eyes,” she said. “Experience the thrill.”

“What happened to closing your piehole?”

“Wow, okay, I guess we’re—”

“Emery, please, I’m trying not to freak out and embarrass myself.” He tensed as the wheel rotated higher.

She regarded him for a moment. He was really and truly scared. She regretted goading him onto it now. With a slight hesitation, she gently set her hand on his jiggling leg.

It seemed like forever, but the ride finally started going round and round, up and down. Caleb stopped shaking his leg but jumped at every creak or squeak, clinging so hard to the safety bar he might have to take it home with him.

“This thing was built during the Roman conquest,” he muttered. “Listen, can you hear the bolts straining? Feel the swaying? Hey, we’re stopping. Why are we stopping?”

“To see the view.” Emery scooted closer and slipped her arm through his. “We can see the whole town from here. We’re higher than the Starlight sign, and I can see fishing boats way out there. Oooh, and the lights of the Sands and the Beachwalk and Sea Blue Way. It’s magical, Caleb.”

Suddenly, she felt him relax. “Everything looks so small,” he said.

“At home, in winter,” she said, “we can see all the way down the street. I never see Mrs. Myrtle pushing her husband’s wheelchair in the summer.

Too many leaves. But in the winter, she takes him for a walk every morning.

People don’t like hard things, or winter, but Mom says that’s when our perspective gets fine-tuned. ”

“What do you see when the old lady pushes her husband down the street in winter?”

“Love.” Emery blushed and scooted away from Caleb. “I see true love.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you before, Emery.”

“I certainly hope not. How would I be unique if there were a dozen of me?”

“I’m glad there’s only one of you.” His eyes searched hers as if he wanted to say something else. “Emery, can I—”

“Hey.” She flashed her white Serendiporama card. “We never looked at our fortunes.” She scooted another inch away from him. He was going to kiss her! “What does yours say? That you’re going to be a millionaire?”

Caleb read his card, making a face. “It says ‘Immanuel, God with us.’ That’s not a prediction, that’s the town motto.” He leaned toward Emery. “Read yours. Remember, if you get ‘Be a millionaire,’ we go halfsies.”

“Mine says...” She looked up at him. “‘Immanuel, God with us.’”

“You were right.” He reached for her card. “Serendiporama was rigged.”

“You seriously didn’t think a machine could predict your future, did you?”

Caleb ripped up the cards and tossed them into the wind, then shifted closer to Emery and clasped her hand in his as the wheel kicked into motion, slowly moving toward the ground.

After a moment, Emery exhaled and gently rested her head on his shoulder. She’d never been this close to a boy before. She’d only witnessed romance by watching her parents or friends at school—which was mostly drama and heartache.

Caleb felt like belonging. If this was love, it was the best feeling in the world.

Now . . .

Town Council Agrees to Fund Main Street Initiative

By Emery Quinn Editor-in-Chief

The Sea Blue Beach town council recently approved measures to establish the first-ever Main Street initiative with architect Caleb Ransom heading up the project.

“While we’ve enjoyed the westward expansion of our town, we’ve neglected the original settlement east of the Starlight,” said Mayor Simon Caster. “This section of Sea Blue Way, along with the business owners, needs some attention.”

Main Street America, a nationally recognized organization, has helped small towns across the country to revitalize for more than forty years.

“We hope to learn from those who’ve gone before us,” said Caleb Ransom. “But we also want to do what’s right for Sea Blue Beach. We’re a unique city. We want to capitalize on the things that make us special.”

The first Main Street meeting will be held Thursday, January 23, at the Starlight Museum, 7 p.m.

“We’re looking for volunteers,” Ransom said. “Come on out, Sea Blue Beach. We need your creativity.”

Developers Looking at Development in the East End

By Jane Upperton

Thorndike Alliance, one of the largest real estate investors on the Eastern Seaboard, is looking at Sea Blue Beach.

“We see so much potential in this town. Our goal is to bring revitalization and industry to the gem of the north Florida coast,” said Terry Burton, CEO of Thorndike Alliance.

“We have a lot of confidence in Thorndike,” said Alfred Gallagher, owner of Gallagher Realty, a multimillion-dollar company. “The shacks on the northwest corner of the East End, the Org. Homestead Neighborhood, are beyond repair. With or without Thorndike, we need to modernize the East End.”

Mac Diamond, owner of Diamond Dog Golf Courses, thinks the location is perfect for a nine-hole course and clubhouse.

“We live in the Sunshine State, home to golf and tennis pros and amateurs,” Diamond said.

“Think of the revenue a golf course could bring to the to the East End. Much more than fixing up a couple of Florida Cracker homes.”

But not everyone agrees with the progressive view.

“I’ve never understood how we became East versus West,” said Teddy Gardner, a long-time Sea Blue Beach resident and owner of a fishing charter in the West End. “I don’t want to see the Org. Homestead destroyed.”

Misty Harden, owner of Sweet Conversations, also wants more attention on the East End. “Our businesses are vital to tourism as well as the locals. We all want to succeed.”

While the West End voices are loud, Mayor Simon Caster has no plans to work with Thorndike or any developer. “Right now, our focus is on strengthening business in the East End through the Main Street initiative,” Caster said, “Which will strengthen all of Sea Blue Beach.”