There weren’t many moments among the festival madness that got as quiet as this one.
“You could hear an acorn drop out there, folks,” Tom Reynolds said into the mic. Also known as Sheriff Tom, the exuberant announcer with the baritone voice had been the events commentator for as far back as Justine could remember.
“We’ve got fourteen contestants in this year’s Pie Pageant—you heard me right, fourteen.”
Burke leaned into Justine. “Is that the usual amount of entries?”
She shrugged. “Pretty much.”
“Now for a little background on each of our seven judges,” Tom continued.
Justine nudged in closer to Burke and rested her head on his shoulder. He’d long ago abandoned his flannel shirt, different from yesterday’s, in favor of the white tee shirt he wore beneath it. The tee was soft, warm against her skin, and smelled like his aftershave. A scent that made her sigh.
She’d spent a large portion of the day trying to rein in her wandering thoughts. They’d start off with the tiny tease in the car before the event started yesterday. Then shift to the moment by the bonfire with the cotton candy. Their time spent on the blanket, that’s where she wished her thoughts would dwell.
But inevitably, they’d dart straight to the encounter in her kitchen after she and Burke had finished the pies. They’d been acting like an engaged couple the entire afternoon. Which might explain the way Burke pulled her in for a little affection. But the conflicted look in Burke’s brooding eyes said it wasn’t without thought. Even the way he’d pulled her into him—so slowly, a conflicted, almost questioning furrow in his brow—said there was intent behind the action.
That look didn’t frighten her. What it had done was make Justine think, just for a moment, that his feelings for her went beyond their let’s-convince-everyone-we’re-in-love type of thing. No one was around, after all. Yet there he was, pulling her close and looking at her in a way that triggered the flutters in her tummy. In a way that had her wanting to show him that her feelings were real too.
Until his expression changed.
Somewhere between that second and third step, she saw the hesitation vanish and the look of triumph take its place. That’s the look that sparked fear in her. Because to Burke, this was likely just a game. A may-as-well-have-fun-while-I’m-here kind of thing. In truth, Justine wondered if she couldn’t perhaps achieve a similar approach. It wasn’t everyday a man like Burke came into town. What would it hurt to enjoy their time while he was there?
The trouble was, she didn’t know how to control her growing feelings for him. She’d learned to give herself to the moment and not hold back. To drink up the joy and peace from small pleasures.
But time with Burke went beyond small pleasures. He was all consuming. And for that reason, possibly even dangerous to her. Tomorrow he’d head to Big Bear Lake to spend most of the week with his family, which was wonderful and horrible all at once. Justine was very happy for Burke; he needed this time with his family. Deserved it. The horrible side was simple—it meant she wouldn’t get to see him in the days ahead.
Tom was introducing the last of the judges now. Just two more to go before they introduced the pies according to numbers, not the names of contestants.
Today’s events had gone off with minimal hitches where the games, food, and fun were concerned. And now, parents sat along the seating in back, allowing the little ones who’d competed in the newspaper ship contest to lounge in the grass behind them and play quietly with their ships.
The rest of the townsfolk were seated toward the front of the amphitheater, upright and ready to watch the judges determine who would win the next Pie Prince and Princess.
“I hope to tell you that the mere names of these here pies will have your mouth watering. They’ll also have you itching to make a bid on the duplicate pies donated by each contestant, in which the proceeds will go to Piney Falls charitable Christmas funds.
“As you can see, our judges are seated and ready to roll. They’ll determine the winner based on the following criteria, in order of importance: Taste, which includes both flavor and texture of the pie filling and the crust as well. Appearance is next—the overall pie and the appearance of the slice itself. Last and also least is creativity. That