“What if Ryan doesn’t like this?” she asks. “I mean, he knows all about my parents’ proposal story, but he’s never really said anything about the fact that my mom was the one who proposed. I always assumed it just didn’t faze him, but… what if I was wrong? What if he’s not happy about this?”
“It’s going to be fine,” I assure her. I climb up onto my countertop to reach an upper cabinet, then pull out a cereal box that was on the top shelf.
“I could have grabbed that for you,” she tells me. “And is this really the time to sit down and eat breakfast? I’m just here to get the ring. You know how nervous I am.”
I smile without looking at her. I open the box, turn it upside down over my hand, and catch the ring box that falls out.
Tina frowns. “That’swhere you were keeping it?”
I shrug. “Where was I supposed to keep it?”
“In a safe,” she says. Her mouth hangs open incredulously. “Jesus, Priscilla. Anyone could have broken in here and stolen it.”
“I don’t have a safe,” I tell her. “Besides, who’s going to break in and steal someone’s stale cereal?”
She shakes her head, but I can see the smile that she’s trying to hide. “I can’t believe you.”
“Anyway,” I say. “The ring is safe. It’s fine. And today is going to be perfect. Ryan is going to love what you have planned. I promise.”
Her phone buzzes. She looks down at it, then smirks. “Ryan is reminding me that we’re going to the fair today. As if I could forget.”
I smile. “If only he knew.”
“I have to run,” she says. “Gonna go get my nails done. Everyone we know will be there at the fair, right?”
I nod. “Of course. As soon as you leave, I’m heading over there to make sure that everything is ready to go.”
She turns for the door.
“Oh, wait,” I say, stopping her. “Tina?”
She looks back over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“Don’t get ghosts this time,” I warn her.
She laughs. “I’m not making that mistake twice.”
* * *
I spend the whole morning on my phone at the fair, confirming plans and making sure the horses, the flash mob and marching band, and the fireworks are all ready to go. Oliver is here too. He talks to his students briefly before they find their places among several other people who are here for the flash mob.
I recognize other people from our practice sessions exploring the fair. Ryan’s mom is here, and so are Tina’s friends from work. I’ve already asked everyone to hang back and not approach the happy couple until after the show is over.
Oliver comes up behind me. “Tina and Ryan are here,” he says. I look up and spot them making their way to the horses.
“Let’s get out of the way.” We head toward an area where Tina and Ryan won’t be able to easily spot us, but we’ll have a good view of everything going on.
They stop at the petting zoo, and Tina bends down over the fence to pet a goat. I laugh. It’s just like her to pet a farm animal as if she didn’t just get a manicure earlier. While they’re distracted with the animals, I lock eyes with Frank. He’s standing next to a carriage with the two white horses, ready to go. I point at Tina. He looks at her, then nods and gives me a thumbs-up. I smile, returning the gesture.
Tina and Ryan move on from the petting zoo, and then she grabs his arm and points at the horses while excitedly jumping up and down. I can’t hear what they’re saying from here, but I know that Tina is convincing him to go for a carriage ride, because that’s what she and I planned.
Ryan shakes his head, glancing around them hesitantly. His own plan is supposed to be coming to life soon, and he won’t want to miss it for a carriage ride. But Tina is stubborn, and after a quick check of his watch, he agrees to get into the carriage with her. I give the go-ahead to the camera crew to start filming. They send a pair of drones up overhead to record from every angle. Now all I can do is watch, waiting for everything I organized to kick off like dominoes falling into place.
Oliver and I jog back across the fairgrounds to get to the area where everything will happen. I make my way over to our two singers, Derrick and Julie. I’m amazed that they’ve come so far with the song in just a few short days.
“Are you ready?” I ask them.
They nod. “We were up all night practicing,” Julie says.
