Espresso Your Love (The Coffee Loft Series: Fall Collection)

15. Cassie

15

Cassie

I don’t know what’s going on right now. One minute, I’m waiting for a funnel cake and the next, Ryan practically tackles me. My heart is pounding in my chest as I walk with Ryan. His arm around my waist is something I can get used to, though.

As we approach the stage, I see Gabe Lawson, Ethan Mitchell, and James Bennett standing next to a group of guilty-looking teenagers.

“What happened?” Ryan’s voice is full of concern as he steps slightly in front of me. I clutch at the back of his shirt. Max is standing at attention on the other side of him.

“They tried to plug their phone into the sound system,” James informs us. “Looks like it caused an electrical surge, hence the disturbance.”

One of the teenagers chimes in, “We’re a band and just wanted to play some of our music.”

“How do you know Cassie?” Ryan demands.

Do they know me? I don’t recognize any of them.

“We heard she was in charge and were gonna ask permission but when the band stopped playing, we thought no one would mind,” the kid explains as he shrugs.

Ryan sighs, and I feel his body relax beneath my grip.

“Next time, ask for permission. You all caused a ruckus and scared the people here,” Gabe says.

“Yes, sir,” they all reply.

“Now, go enjoy the festival, and stay out of trouble,” Ryan tells them.

“Good job, Hayes,” Ethan says. Gabe and James nod, and they all walk away.

Ryan turns around to me and grabs my arms. “Cassie, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you?”

He shakes his head and looks down. “I should’ve been there.”

“You were there.”

He looks up at me. “But what if they really were dangerous? What if something happened?”

“But it didn’t.”

“Why didn’t you answer your radio? We tried calling you.”

I grab the radio that’s clipped to my jeans. “I didn’t get anything.” I push a few buttons, but nothing happens. “It must have died. I’ll have Millie get me a new one right now.”

He runs his hand through his hair and shuffles his feet.

“I’m fine. You made sure I was okay. You protected me,” I tell him firmly, trying to ease his worries.

“But what if I didn’t?” he says.

“Ryan, you can't live in ‘what ifs.’ Did you do what you were trained to do?”

“Yes.” But he doesn’t look convinced. Worry is etched on his face, probably running through every possible scenario that could have gone wrong.

“Ryan.” I grab him and turn him to me. “You can’t control everything. This happened under my watch, too. I’m in charge of this event, but unexpected things happen. We just have to move on.”

“I just…” He looks down at his boots.

“You just what?” I squeeze his arm, encouraging him to finish his thought.

He looks up at me now, something vulnerable in his eyes. “I just don’t want anything bad happening to you.”

Here is a tough, caring man standing before me. A man who practically sprinted across the festival because he thought I was in danger. A man who did everything he knew to do, and yet, he’s wishing he could’ve done something sooner.

How is this man not snatched up already?

“Well, Ryan Hayes, I can’t guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen to me, but I do appreciate your concern.” His eyes are still filled with worry. “I really am fine. More than fine. I got to see you in action.” I nudge his arm trying to lighten the mood, but it’s not working. “Ryan?”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I, uh, gotta check in with Ethan. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure, come find me.”

I watch him as he walks away, Max trailing next to him as he disappears into the crowd.

I understand him being concerned for my safety. And from his point of view, it probably seemed way more serious than it really was. But I feel like there’s more he didn’t say.

With a sigh, I turn to the stage. The electrician is already checking the sound system.

“Is it still usable?” I ask him.

“I’m going to reset it and test it. But it seems minor so we should have it back up in a few minutes.”

“Thank you. Radio if you need anything.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I nod and grab a freshly charged radio. I tell Millie to check in with me about the sound before heading straight to the Coffee Loft stand.

“Cassie! There you are!” Ash shouts from behind her booth. “Is everything okay? What happened?”

“Some kids trying to play their music on the sound system. Nothing major; the electrician says it should still work.”

“I saw Ryan rushing over, and Max was sniffing around. I thought it was more serious.”

“So did Ryan. He was still so…I don’t know. He wasn’t himself afterward.”

I tell her everything that happened.

“Maybe, he just needs to come down from the adrenaline rush. If he thought it was a real threat, it takes a minute to settle your nerves after something like that.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Hey, cheer up. Everything is okay! Ryan will be too.” She hugs me. “I have a little break. Come with me to check out the vendors?”

Ash grabs my arm and starts pulling me before I can even answer her.

It’s easy to get swept up in Ashley’s vivaciousness. She leads me from booth to booth, chattering about whatever catches her eye until we reach the candles.

We smell a variety of fragrances while the woman walks us through different pairing suggestions. When I smell the amber, I’m immediately taken back to the day Ryan stood on my porch informing me he was my neighbor. He stepped into my house, and that’s what he smelled like. He smelt the same when I was clutching his shirt tonight in front of the stage.

Why can’t I get more than five minutes without Ryan popping up in my head?

“Good choice.” The woman manning the booth breaks me from my thoughts. “Amber is associated with warmth and comfort. It has a natural earthy quality to it. That’s why it’s a favorite during the autumn and winter months.”

I inhale again. “What’s a good pairing with it?”

“I would suggest cedarwood for a rustic feel or vanilla to add more warmth yet slight sweetness to it,” she tells me.

“Let’s do vanilla,” I say, confidently. “Warmth, comfort, and a dash of sweetness. It’ll be the perfect fall candle.”

Ashley nudges me. “What’s with the smile? Picking a candle scent does not bring that much joy.”

“Maybe it does.” I shrug, and then the woman instructs me how to make the candle.

After we make our candles, Ash heads back to her booth while I roam the grounds checking in on the vendors. The rest of the festival goes on without a hitch. No emergencies or interruptions whatsoever. The bustling sounds of the day slowly fade as the festivities come to an end.

Ash runs up to me. “You did it!” she screams, pulling me into a tight hug. “It was a total success! Look,” she pulls up her phone, “people are tagging the town on social media.”

As she scrolls through picture after picture, my heart swells with pride and gratitude. Families, couples, and friends of all ages can be seen in each photo and video. The captions are flooded with praises for the vendors, the photo backdrops, and the activities at the festival.

My hand covers my heart, overcome with emotion at the realization that I pulled it off. This event was a true success. I did it! I glance around one last time, taking it all in. It’s almost empty now, with mostly vendors and volunteers tearing down their booths. This moment will be etched in my memory as proof of my abilities. Hard work, determination, and support from the Meadowbrook community made it all possible.

“One for the books, huh?” Ashley squeezes my shoulder.

“Absolutely. Thank you, Ash. For helping me and standing by me. I couldn’t have…” my voice trails off as the intensity of emotions threatens to choke me up.

“Just promise you won’t forget about little old me when you become a famous event planner.” She nudges me.

“I could never.” I give her an appreciative smile and squeeze her back.

I instruct my team on what to take down tonight and delegate what needs to be done tomorrow. I leave for the initial meeting for the Mercer wedding in the morning. It’ll be a quick day trip, but they’ll have to finish cleaning up without me.

Exhaustion finally catches up with me as I collapse into bed, my feet throbbing from standing all day. As I close my eyes, I’m plagued with an image of Ryan’s worried face. I hoped to see him again tonight or maybe run into him when I got home, but I didn’t see him at all.

The evening plays over and over again in my head, like an incessant loop. It starts with us eating hamburgers together, then we’re running through the maze together, and when the loud boom occurs, Ryan is at my side holding my hand. But then he starts to slip away, and I can’t hold onto him any longer. His fingers leave mine as he falls into a dark pit.

I jolt awake in my bed, heart pounding and sweat beading on my forehead. Slowly, I realize that it was all just a dream. The red numbers on my clock glare back at me, and I reach for my glasses. 4:30 AM.

I groan, falling back onto my pillow, and closing my eyes. Normally, I would get up and go for a run, but it’s my rest day. I knew I’d be exhausted from yesterday and have a long day ahead of me. But I guess I’ll do a short one then get everything ready for my flight, before a quick trip to Coffee Loft.

When I get to Coffee Loft, luggage in tow, it’s already bustling with energy.

“You’re here! I wasn’t expecting you today,” Ash greets me as she’s wiping down a table.

“Early bird catches the worm, right?” I manage a half smile.

“I mean this in the nicest way possible…but you look exhausted.”

“I am. I need coffee in an IV, stat.” I pat my arm.

“I don’t have a license for that. But I can get you a lofty. For here or to-go?”

“To-go. Add extra shots too. I’m going to need it.”

“You got it!” She winks at me, heading behind the counter to work her magic at the espresso machine.

I sit down at one of the tables by the window, pulling out my phone. I confirm the address to the driver that the Mercers insisted on sending for me. It’s not terribly long to the airport, but it will give me a little extra time to prepare for the meeting today. My phone continues to buzz one notification after another, mostly from social media and emails.

The Autumn Festival was a hit! I respond to a few emails that require immediate attention and flag a few to respond to later.

“You’re going to be fantastic. Just like you always are.” Ashley hands me a lofty to-go cup filled with golden liquid energy. It’s not an IV, but it’ll have to do.

“Thanks, Ash.” I inhale the rich aroma before taking a sip. I look up out the window when I see a black limo pull up. “It’s not every day you see one of those in our little town.” I chuckle as I stand.

“Have a safe flight, and remember how amazing you are!”

I give her a quick hug before grabbing my luggage in one hand and my lofty coffee in the other. As I struggle to open the door, it finally pops open. I look up to see none other than Officer Ryan Hayes holding the door open with his trusty sidekick next to him.

“Morning, Cassie.” He grins at me, his green eyes sparkling even though there’s an awkward tension between us.

“Morning.” I return his smile, a tad uncomfortably. A million questions whirl through my head, but this is not the time or place to ask them.

“Need some help?” he asks, reaching for my luggage.

“Ms. Thompson, I presume?” an older man in a suit with a driver’s hat asks.

“Yes,” I respond with a nod.

“I’ll take your luggage, miss,” the man says.

“Thank you,” I tell the driver, and he walks it to the limo.

“Fancy ride. The success of the Autumn Festival is already paying off?” He laughs lightly.

“My clients insisted…well, potential clients. I guess I’ll find out today.”

“You’ll do great, Cassie. Safe travels.”

“Thank you, Ryan,” I say as he turns and walks inside Coffee Loft.

I resist watching him leave as I turn to get into the limo. Sighing heavily, I slump into the plush leather seat and plop my phone in my lap. It continues to buzz with notifications, including a text from Ashley. Sure enough, she saw Ryan and wants to know what happened. I shake it off and turn my attention to the task at hand. I have clients to impress.