Chapter 110 Especially Sweet
It wasn't a long walk to the bonfire celebration. The evening air had a chill to it, but with several bonfires blazing and crowds of people everywhere, the cold didn't stand a chance. Instead, the whole place felt warm and lively.
Wentworth and Danny had already arrived. He stood in the crowd and waved Matilda over. She jogged toward him—no point hiding it anymore since everyone in town knew they were together anyway.
There were three bonfires with two or three hundred people gathered around. At first, everyone circled the fires dancing. The steps were simple enough that anyone with working limbs could follow along. Matilda and Wentworth held hands as they danced, the firelight painting their faces red. Before long, they were both sweating.
When the group dance ended, it was free time. Some people kept dancing while others started wrestling on the grass. Matilda was worn out, so she and Wentworth found a patch of grass to sit on.
"You having fun?" he shouted over the noise.
The crowd was loud.
She smiled. "Yeah."
With him around, everything was fun. Even the air tasted sweeter.
They were also roasting lamb on site—super cheap, five bucks got you a huge chunk of meat. Wentworth asked Matilda if she wanted some. She nodded. While he went to grab the meat, Matilda noticed Ethan in the distance buying two pieces as well. He handed one to Carol.
Carol took it with a quiet, "Thanks."
A moment later, two local guys wandered over to Carol, asking if she wanted to dance.
Carol held up her meat. "I'm still eating. Can't dance."
"Eat after."
"It'll get cold. Won't taste as good." Carol declined.
The guy kept pushing. That's when Ethan stepped between them and Carol. "Let her finish eating first."
"Who the hell are you?" one of the guys asked.
"You don't know him? He's one of the visiting doctors," the other guy said, eyeing Ethan.
"Pretty boy," the first guy muttered before walking off.
Ethan didn't take the bait. Getting into it with locals wasn't smart. Carol looked at Ethan standing in front of her and got to her feet. "You don't need to fight my battles. I can handle these things myself."
"I was just... worried about you."
"Nothing to worry about."
Carol tossed out that line and walked off. Ethan stood there frozen. Even though they'd slept together a few more times since that night, it never seemed to go beyond physical. She was all fire and passion at night, but ice-cold during the day.
Was she still hung up on her dead husband? Or was she just playing around? Was he nothing more than a warm body to her?
The thought left Ethan feeling pretty damn defeated.
...
Matilda ate her roasted lamb and danced with Wentworth a while longer. Eventually Wentworth got tired of the noise and suggested they drive to their usual spot to watch the moon.
Just as they were about to get in the car, Danny called out, "The captain's ditching us again!"
Matilda turned around. Danny and Rick were both staring at them with puppy dog eyes. It was a holiday—holidays were supposed to be about being together. Seeing Danny's expression, Matilda found herself saying, "Why don't you guys come with us?"
Danny asked, "How could we? You want us to third wheel?" His mouth said one thing, but his eyes kept darting to Wentworth, waiting for approval.
Wentworth saw right through Danny and Rick. He shrugged. "Since my wife's inviting you, might as well tag along."
Danny and Rick lit up immediately.
That's when Carol called out to Matilda. "Dr. Spencer, where are you and Major Gonzaga headed?"
"Somewhere quieter and more beautiful."
"Can I come?"
They all knew each other anyway—celebrating together was no big deal. "Sure, ride with me?"
"Yeah."
Danny and Rick had driven their pickup, so there was room. That's when Matilda's eyes landed on Ethan nearby. He was watching Carol with this hopeful look but seemed too awkward to ask if he could come.
For the first time ever, Matilda actually invited Ethan. "You want to come along?"
Ethan's face brightened. He hurried to catch up.
Wentworth drove with Matilda in the passenger seat, leaving the back for Ethan and Carol. The whole ride, only Matilda and Wentworth talked. The two in back stayed quiet.
Ten minutes later, they reached their usual field. With so many people tonight, they didn't bother with the tent—just laid out a tarp on the grass. Wentworth brought down snacks, grapes, and wine from the car.
Matilda and Carol started cutting fruit. Danny wasn't much for delicate work, so he grabbed a soccer ball from the car and started kicking it around with Rick. Seeing them, Ethan joined in.
Once guys have a ball, they bond instantly. No introductions needed.
In the moonlight, Carol watched Ethan play. He moved well—looked pretty good out there.
Matilda couldn't help asking, "Is something going on between you and Ethan? I've noticed he keeps looking at you lately."
Carol laughed. "Not really. If anything, he's looking at you. He came here chasing after you in the first place."
"No, he doesn't look at me anymore. I keep catching him smiling to himself at work, and he rushes back to the diner the second his shift ends. That's textbook crushing-on-someone behavior. Otherwise I wouldn't have invited him tonight."
Carol paused, then put on an indifferent act. "Then he moves on pretty fast. He was chasing you not long ago, and now he's already switched targets? Shows he's not exactly the steadfast type."
Matilda went quiet. It wasn't like Ethan was cheating. He'd just moved on after failing to win over the person he liked—that was normal, wasn't it? She actually felt kind of bad for Ethan.
"You're reading too much into it," Matilda finally said. "Time tells all, I guess. You'll figure him out eventually."
...
After the guys finished their game, everyone sat on the grass together to chat. The moon here seemed so much bigger than in Phoenix City. Matilda thought this year's moon was especially beautiful, and the people especially genuine.
She had her love, her friends, good wine. They drank and laughed together until midnight. Even Ethan, who'd felt like an outsider this whole time, finally seemed part of the group.
Since Matilda had told Wentworth about Ethan and Carol, Wentworth had stopped being guarded around him. He was even refilling Ethan's glass without being asked.
Later in the night, they did end up pitching the tent. Matilda and Carol slept inside while the guys crashed on sleeping pads outside. Safety in numbers—they slept right there on the grass until dawn.
...
When morning came, Wentworth dropped Matilda at the clinic, then took Carol and Ethan back to the diner.
Carol yawned. She planned to catch a few more hours of sleep.
Ethan quickly called after her. "Carol!"