“Should we give some of your ice cream to Wendell?” Levi asked.
“No. His mouth don’t work.”
Savannah chuckled. “You’re right—that is a great point. Would bears like ice cream?”
Wren shrugged, then dug in with her spoon, scooping up a giant bite.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Levi held up his palm like a stop sign. “Small bites, there, sweet pea. Or else you’ll get an ice-cream headache.”
“A what?”
“If you eat cold stuff too quickly, your brain starts to hurt,” Savannah said.
Wren looked at her and Levi, clearly uncertain.
“It’s true,” Levi said. “We wouldn’t lie to you.”
Wren took a tentative bite of all the ice cream loaded on her spoon.
Juliet joined them, carrying a bowl. “Did you all want some?”
“No, thanks,” Levi said.
“I’m good,” Savannah added. She leaned forward and carefully picked up her mug of tea. “Warm beverages and blankets are more my style tonight.”
It was nice to be here with Wren, acting like Levi belonged. But it felt like a lie. She wasn’t sure if her stay in Opportunity would last. They were pretending, just to make everyone else believe they were a couple. Levi had only stopped by to make sure she was okay. They had no romantic feelings between them. This was all an act. One she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with.
Chapter Eight
He never wanted to tie another knot in a latex balloon again. His fingers ached from the strain, and his eyes burned with fatigue, yet despite drinking multiple cups of coffee and eating a cream-filled doughnut, he still felt exhausted. The only bright spot in this early-morning adventure? Savvy and her sisters’ constant chatter as they worked, providing him with a sense of companionship, even if it was just for a few hours.
“Well done,” Savvy announced, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the balloon arch they had constructed.
“This was way harder than I thought,” Hayley said, sipping her mocha. The vibrant blue-green-and-white creation spanned from one side of the trailer to the other.
At the last minute, Wyatt had convinced a buddy who owned a clothing shop in Fairbanks to loan them a family of three mannequins. Miranda and Jasper had styled them all in hiking clothes from the store. Hayley and Juliet had posed them under the balloons, standing in a papier-mâché meadow and facing a Denali replica. Savvy had filled in empty spaces on the float with artificial boulders, flowers, and a stuffed but lifelike husky dog.
Levi shuddered to think which member of the community had contributed such a huge stuffed animal. Hopefully, Wren wouldn’t notice, or she’d be begging for one of her own.
“This is incredible,” Juliet said, linking her arms through her sisters’. “I’m so proud of you, Savvy.”
At five in the morning, he’d met the girls here at his grandparents’ property to finish their float for the parade later that day. He’d campaigned for tying knots and inflating all the balloons the night before, but Savannah feared they’d deflate or, worse, pop. Finally, she admitted her fear that someone might vandalize their masterpiece—a legitimate concern, considering Candace’s behavior toward her in the past. He couldn’t blame her for being scared, knowing how mischievous people could act on the night before the big parade.
He scrubbed his hand across his face. “Anything else I can do? We need to leave soon.”
Wren had stayed the night with his parents. His folks had plenty of responsibilities that morning. They’d probably spend at least an hour setting up tables and chairs at the booths for the festival that took place after the parade. Dad had agreed to bring Wren to meet Levi at the place where the floats lined up. But he’d made it clear he wouldn’t be babysitting today.
Savannah stood beside him, tapping one finger against her chin, clearly lost in thought. She’d poured herself into this project, and he could see the pride on her face. Savannah’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, her shoulders back and chin up. And her smile. Man, that smile made him want to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless.
“Savvy?” Hayley prompted her. “What else do we need to do?”
“I think we’ve got it under control, but you can always double-check the candy supply.” Savannah pointed to a large storage bin on the barn floor loaded with candy and small plastic buckets.
“Okay, we’re on it.” Juliet stifled a yawn. “I’ll need that caffeine to kick in any minute now.”
He followed Hayley’s lead and opened up one of the large bags filled with wrapped sugary treats. He poured some candy into the buckets, then passed the bag to Juliet. They checked all the buckets to make sure that they were sufficiently stocked. When they were content that everything was in order, he glanced at his watch—it was already five minutes until nine.
“We should go,” he said. “The kids will be lining up soon. We don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Savannah stood back and snapped a few pictures with her phone.
They’d rounded up a few local kids—elementary school students, plus a couple of responsible middle schoolers to keep them company while they rode through town. All the kids were supposed to meet them at the line-up spot at nine thirty. Given he’d have to drive at a snail’s pace to get to town without damaging anything on the float, they needed to leave.
He drained the last of his coffee, then tossed the cup into the trash. “I’ll open the doors when you’re ready, and we can hitch up the truck to the float.”
“Almost ready,” she said. “I need two more pictures of my faux mountain, then I’ll be set.”
He didn’t blame her for documenting her work. Once the kids were on board, the float would look like a moving advertisement for outdoor recreation in Denali’s foothills, complete with the balloon archway and an incredible replica of the world-famous mountain. This is exactly what he’d wanted, but at the same time, Savvy had done more than he expected. He was eager for Jasper and his dad to see the masterpiece. He still felt the warmth of her arm brushing against his as she’d put together the foundation for the balloons. A fuzzy feeling he couldn’t identify continued to swell in his chest.
Love? No, not that soon after Tori. His feelings for Savvy were growing deeper than just respect or admiration. It was something warmer, something brighter. But this wasn’t love.
Savannah took one final lap around the float, making sure everything was in order.
“Hey, Savvy, we really need to go,” Levi said from the driver’s seat of his grandpa’s red pickup. His arm rested on the open window, and he smiled at her.
“I know.” She wiped her damp palms across her jean shorts. “I just want it to be perfect.”
He chuckled. “It looks great already. Come on, hop in.”
