“We’re old rivals.”
She and Cade spoke over each other, frowned. Tried again at the same time.
“He almost beat me for valedictorian.”
“Her friends hated me?—”
“He was always with the jocks?—”
“I mean, not that we’venotthought about?—”
“There was this volcano?—”
“Whoa.” Trent lifted both hands in apology. “Sounds like there’s a story there. Might have to get the writers out here for that one.”
Rosalyn’s chest heated under her shirt and she sought a sip of tea she could actually swallow this time. She pasted on a composed smile, trying not to read too much into Cade’s fumbled words.Not that we’ve not thought about…
Did he mean last weekend or in the years before? Not that it mattered.
Except it sort of did.
Cade’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded at Trent. Definitely avoiding eye contact with her. “Please, continue.”
“As I was saying, I also consider the overall vibe of the locals. Do they want to be involved? Will they be supportive? Some aren’t, if you can imagine.” Trent winced. “They don’t like progress or blocked roads or anything getting in the way of their daily routine. It can get nasty.”
“I’m sure as you saw earlier, the people of Magnolia Bay areveryinvested in their hometown and whatever it takes to help it thrive.” Cade hesitated, then glanced at Rosalyn. He raised an eyebrow. “Hopefully you consider passion a plus and not a negative.”
Now who was using subtext? Rosalyn licked her suddenly dry lips. “Cade’s right. The people here are very passionate. But sometimes passion can get carried away.”
She fought to keep her gaze on Trent despite the feel of Cade’s gaze on her profile. “But I think if you guys set up shop in the Bay, everyone would put that eagerness aside and adhere to the rules that were set…andnotcause a problem.”
Like she had. With her—ahem—passion.
Cade held her gaze. “But wouldn’t you say sometimes rules cause more harm than good?”
Oh boy. Her stomach fluttered. “Sometimes. But usually rules are there foreveryone’ssafety.”
“Safety?” Cade grinned, sending her flutters into a full-fledged swarm. “Don’t you work without a net?”
Felt like it right now, actually. “Yes…and I’ve got the bruises to prove it.”
“Okay, are you sure you two aren’t dating?” Trent tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “You have more chemistry than that last rom-com I scouted for.”
Cade’s eyes widened, then he leaned forward, covering the reaction with a cough. “I think what we’re trying to express is that the people of Magnolia Bay will be on board with whatever is expected of them.” He kept his eyes on Trent. “Because they’ll have to be.”
Rosalyn’s heart thundered. Was he still talking about them? Or the town? She couldn’t tell and honestly, did it matter? They had to find a way to work together through this festival and circus.
Not give in to the chemistry.
“To that point, I have to admit, I purposefully came earlier than I’d told Janie so the town couldn’t prep for me. I like to come on scene and see things exactly as they are.” Trent spread his hands wide. “Which was a bit of my annoyance. I assumed word leaked and I was being manipulated.”
“Well, you were,” Cade admitted. “But it was innocent. Someone heard who you were in the diner and word spread quick.”
“That’s part of the charm around here though.” Rosalyn shrugged, grateful for the rush of the AC kicking on overhead and cooling her cheeks that she knew had to still be hot pink. “Everyone is very genuine—what you see is what you get.” Except for maybe her and her secrets. She shifted in her chair. The urge to tell Cade the rest of her situation burned on her tongue.
But that could put him in danger. Not to mention—what would he think of her then?
“Of course, the downside to the whole ‘what you see is what you get’ thing is you might see a waitress in a top hat or a banker on a tightrope.” Cade snorted. “But regardless, it’s genuine.”
