The start of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire means Wes can finally get back to his seasonal job and distract himself from his recent messy break-up. There’s plenty for him to think about at the Faire, such as his role as a wandering flower merchant, the overwhelming August heat, and Carlo, who plays a handsome knight.<br><br>Carlo is the exact opposite of Wes’s ex, Phillip, who won’t let their relationship die easily. The young knight is sweet and caring and chivalrous, but Wes has sworn to himself he’s not ready to jump back into dating yet.<br><br>When Carlo collapses off his horse during a joust, Wes has to confront his own feelings for his new friend, as well as Phillip’s constant attempts to win him back.

Heat Wave: Manheim

Frantically, Wes mentally went through a list of people who drove themselves to Faire and could give him a ride home, or at least knew public transportation enough to get him to 30thStreet Station. He had so many questions, so much he wanted to say, he didn’t think he could last a week. Ellie was already rushing to the car, though, and he knew he had to follow.


“I’ll see you Saturday,” he told Carlo.


Wes smiled back, then hurried after Ellie with a single tear in his eye. 3


It took two days, but after serious questioning of his motives, Wes looked Carlo up on Facebook and sent him a friend request. The winning argument was that it would make their friendship seem more casual. Instead of having to look forward to the weekend and building up so much excitement to spend so little time with one person, now they could be in touch whenever. The fact that Wes spent half an hour scrolling through Carlo’s timeline meant next to nothing.


Chapter 18