Jesse said as he and Charlotte set out to do the walkthrough of the stage and the backstage areas they’d use for the Miss Marietta Fair pageant. “When’s the big day, Charlie?” She shrugged. He caught a weird vibe from her as they walked side-by-side across the planes of the dusty fairground. “I don’t know. We haven’t gotten that far yet.” “No? What are you waiting for?” “A formal proposal would be nice.” She shoved her hands into her pockets and lifted her chin a little higher as they walked. “I heard you went ring shopping last weekend.” She stopped and looked at him with her hands on her hips and her head cocked. “I expected more from you, Jesse Guthrie.” “What?” His voice had more of an edge than he’d intended, but there she was in her defensive stance, looking like she wanted to argue, and he couldn’t understand why. All he did was ask about Tom. “You’re listening to the town gossip? I didn’t take you for the type.” He threw his hands up.
