Chapter 3
3
“ T ime to take your photo with the Easter Bunny,” my sister says to Cam, who’s sitting in the grass, happily sorting through the contents of his Easter eggs. She turns to me with a mischievous look on her face. “You should get one too.”
“Yeah, right! For all I know, there’s some creepy old man under there.”
She raises an eyebrow. “You’re the one saying there are no options in this town, and you think this guy is into you, so go flirt with him.”
“The Easter Bunny?”
“He can’t be that creepy if the park district is letting him take photos with hundreds of kids.”
“You want me to flirt with the Easter Bunny?”
“Not the Easter Bunny.” She nudges me. “The guy behind the costume.”
“Mmm …”
Megan gives me her classic older sister dare face. “Take a photo with him. It’ll make me smile for the rest of the day.”
I sigh dramatically, but I can’t resist. I’m not one to turn down a dare. Grabbing Cam’s hand, the three of us head toward the line. As we wait, I find myself staring at the Easter Bunny. Who could be behind that fluffy mask? He’s tall—like, really tall—and after seeing that lady from the park’s district giggle with him, I’m starting to wonder if he’s someone around her age. Maybe a friend of hers? He knows who I am, so he must live around here. Could he be one of my regulars at La Nonna?
A sudden thought strikes me, and I smirk. It’s ridiculous, but … “Have I ever told you about one of my regulars, Chad?” I ask Megan.
She squints. “The guy that owns the boat rental company?”
“Yeah.”
“What about him?”
“I was thinking—what if he’s the bunny?”
“Seems random, but … his company is one of the sponsors of this event.”
What if Chad is the bunny? “He’s cute, but he’s always given off big brother vibes.”
Cute is a little bit of an understatement. He’s just over six feet tall with light brown hair and brown eyes.
“He’s also too old for you,” she immediately chimes in.
“How do you know how old he is?”
“Because I’m a nosy lady that eats up all the gossip in this town.” We both laugh at its truth. “Twelve years is a huge age gap … especially at your age.”
“Why are you trying to make me feel like a baby?”
“Because you’re my baby sister.”
“Just because I’m six years younger than you doesn’t make me a baby.”
“Says the baby.”
I nudge her. “Well … Chad’s never said anything that would make me think he’s interested.”
Not that I’ve been looking for an in . I’ve been obsessed with Aaron Olson, the hottest guy in Lake Geneva, for the last year. But Aaron’s off the market now … and definitely not interested in me.
Chad. Replaying some of my conversations with him, I smile. He’s funny and smart. He gave me some great advice when I was buying my car. Nothing but big brother vibes.
“Go ask Nicholas who the bunny is if you’re so curious. He would know being on the town’s business council and helping put on these events.”
“I’m not that curious! I’m channeling my inner Nancy Drew.”
“You’re curious!”
But Chad’s never outright flirted with me. Sure, he tips well, but nothing like the guys who use it as a form of flirting. The bunny, though … the bunny’s been unusually interested in me today.
“If you do my nails, I’ll flirt with the bunny,” I propose.
“Flirt how?”
“I’ll give him a kiss on the cheek for the photo.”
Megan gasps, her face lighting up. “You would not!”
“If you promise to do my nails, I will.”
She cocks her head. “What if the bunny wants your number after?”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”
“If the bunny is that obsessed with you, he’ll ask for your number.”
I roll my eyes. “We’re not going to run every possible scenario while we wait in this line. I’m just going to give him a kiss on the cheek.”