I cut my eyes to her. “I did not act like a maniac.”
“She ran out of there like you did,” Lana chimed in.
“She ran out because—” I stopped myself, remembering the way the waves of her eyes had surged after pulling away from my lips, like she too didn’t want to stop. Coughing, I deflected lamely, “She had to leave.”
They all laughed at my obvious bullshit, even Ryan and Gerald who were in the back when Alta stormed in had witnessed her leaving like there was fire under her feet.
Speaking of Ryan… I turned to give him a look, motioning for him to get going. Springing up, he grabbed the keys to the truck and scampered off.
“Don’t forget the gas!” I called out.
“Got it, boss!” he called as he jogged away.
Movement out the corner of my eye caught my attention and I looked up just in time to catch the storm as it passed over me. Ahead of us, walking toward the vendors was Alta looking up at the sound of the familiar word. Her eyes connected with mine immediately from the center of the grounds.
She was dressed for the weather and the occasion in khaki colored shorts and a sage green t-shirt that read “SWWS Staff” across the front. Her long waves were down like normal, but pushed away from her face by a white headband, a lanyard around her neck, and a clipboard in hand to complete the look.
Her cute camp counselor chic outfit wasn’t what caught myattention, though. It was the instant blush that colored her cheeks when she saw me notice her, and the way she dropped her eyes over my own ensemble—a simple t-shirt and jeans—before looking away.
So she was thinking about what happened in my office too. And from the looks of it, she was avoiding it as much as I had the past few days. I understood. Just thinking about the way her lips felt now made me want to go over there and do it again, and this time for real.
Then I noticed who else was with her and glowered as a whistle sang from behind me.
Both Lana and Jules ran up to flank my sides, looking out over our fold up tables as they watched the group in front of us. “Who the hell isthat?”
I was beginning to really hate that question, because walking right next to Alta this time was some huge guy. And judging by the deep color of his skin, he was probably not her brother. The way they walked together, closer than strangers but not quite touching, told me that they were familiar but not close. But the way she talked to him without any of the shyness I noticed her having with new people, I could also tell that they knew each other from outside of this event.
“Oh my God, there’s another one!” My lovely assistants continued to gush as we watched yet another man show up beside Alta and sling his arm around her, rustling her up a little bit. She laughed and pushed him away promptly before stepping back so that she was facing them both.
“Get back to work,” I said to the two of them, elbowing Lana gently. “I want this booth to look pretty. We need to sell at least twenty tattoos today to make this worth it. So you guys get pretty too while you’re at it.”
Both girls' mouths dropped, snorting out laughs before running off into the trailer, no doubt to use the mirrors. They loved a reason to doll up.
While they did, I busied myself with resuming work on the flyers Jules left, my eyes traveling not so subtly back to the girl in front of me. And that quick, it was like I had witnessed a transformation. After looking away for only a second, Alta had morphed from being just another girl, to being the boss I was used to her being.
Clipboard poised and ready, she was reading off some list to the large one, pointing in various directions around the grounds. To the other guy, tall with a mixed complexion and curly hair topping his head, she gestured to the other side of the festival before sending them both on their individual ways.
Next, she talked briefly with two girls who rushed her almost as soon as the guys had left. They had a whole slew of volunteers behind them, all wearing matching shirts identical to Alta’s. For them, she made a phone call, and within minutes a small fire-headed girl who looked minutely familiar came charging Alta and wrapping her arms around her.
I watched curiously as she hugged her sister, brushing hair back up into her ponytail and shaking her shoulders in what looked like upbeat encouragement. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I put together that this couldn’t be the sister who’d made her so angry. But where wasshe?
Appearing almost like a ghost at their side was another figure who fit the bill. It was written all over the way Alta, who I knew to be perfectly at ease with almost everyone, stiffened at the sight of her. The solemn looking dark-haired girl had to be the sister she was fighting with.
It would’ve been clear to a stranger that there was something going on between all the girls. Still, Alta was the one to smile and say something between the three of them to break the brief awkwardness and keep the momentum moving.
That’s my girl.
I coughed. I meanagirl. That’s a girl… that I know.
Jesus. I internally rolled my eyes at myself.
Breaking away, Alta waved goodbye to all of her visitors before turning and closing her eyes. Taking a huge breath she started nodding to herself and I instantly knew she was giving herself one of those pep talks like the one she gave herself when I first met her. And when her eyes came down again they locked right on me.
Straightening up to my full height, I realized she was coming right at me, clipboard wielding.
“Harper,” she said, stopping right in front of our booth. She looked like she was ready to let me have it, she was in her‘take care of business mode,’but as soon as our eyes connected she lost her words.
Air was the only thing that left her mouth as she stared at me, her eyes moving from my eyes to my mouth and back again. It was adorable. I could watch her flounder all day, but since I’d just witnessed how in charge she was just a second ago, I didn’t want to take that away.
