“That was weird,” she murmured.
“How well do you know that guy?” Connor asked bluntly.
“Not well at all.”
“You might want to keep it that way.”
Someone cleared his throat behind her. “Oh, Pete! Connor, have you met Pete? He owns Stink Bug Brewery.”
Connor and Pete shook hands and talked for a minute or two, and then Connor grabbed her hand. “We should go. I want to check the judging schedule downstairs.”
Maggie promised Pete she’d return later; then she and Connor left to find the escalators. Once they were descending to the lower level, Connor let go of her hand and glanced around. “This place is going to be packed by Friday.”
“Isn’t it fabulous?”
“Fabulous?” He gave her a curious smile. “Most people would be annoyed with all the crowding. But not you.”
“This is my first festival, after all.”
“Right. No wonder you’re so excited.” They stepped off the escalator and walked the long corridor toward the judges’ hall. “So all this time you were entering competitions under your Taylor James name, you never actually showed up for any of the awards?”
She shook her head. “Not once.”
“Why not?”
She really didn’t want to have this conversation, but she owed him an answer, even if it was lame. “I’m shy.”
He snorted a laugh. “You’ve never been shy a day in your life. What’s the real story?”
Back when he knew her, no, she hadn’t been shy. But over the years with Alan, she had learned to become invisible. She couldn’t say that, though, so she tried to keep it simple. “Things change. I’d been away for so many years, and by the time I got back home, I didn’t really know anyone anymore. Some old friends had left town. New people had taken their place. You know how it is. So I wasn’t as sure of myself as I used to be. Especially when it came to competing in this business.”
“But your father ran a brewpub. I remember he was always winning medals. You must know you’d be welcomed wherever went.”
“If only that were true.” She smiled reflectively.
“Okay, even if nobody knew you, you’ve got this business in your blood. You had to know that your product was excellent. Seems like you’d want to show up in person and get the accolades.”
“You’re right, I should’ve,” she admitted, “but I didn’t. My confidence was pretty low, especially after a few run-ins with people in town. It made me realize I wasn’t ready to take on the general public, so my cousin Jane and her boyfriend agreed to attend the competitions on my behalf.”
“What run-ins?”
Maggie cringed inwardly. Leave it to Connor to hone in on that key detail. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that and she was wondering how to explain herself when they were interrupted.
“Hey, Red, is that you?”
Maggie turned and saw Johnny, the muscleman she’d met at yesterday’s check-in.