Chapter 24
C harlotte couldn’t believe her luck! They’d seen the zoetrope, worked through her list, and now it was time for the finale of the day. She eyed an opening on the sidewalk big enough for both of them to sit and wait for the parade and fireworks. She realized parades were not for everyone, usually including her, but this one came with dazzling lights and an earworm of a soundtrack, and then fireworks came right after. She grabbed Gregory’s hand and tugged him toward the open spot.
“How do you feel about sitting down for a while?” she asked him.
“I would pay money to do that,” Gregory said.
“Welcome to the world of tired theme park feet. I’ll warn you now, they will hurt even more after we sit for a while.”
Gregory winced. “I think that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Once in front of the designated spots on the curb, she gestured grandly. “May I present your throne for the next hour or so.”
She wished she had her phone ready to capture the withering look Gregory gave her.
“Charlotte, if I sit all the way down there I might not be able to get up. Or move again.”
“I’ll help you, it will be okay.”
He groaned as they settled in. Charlotte got it; his muscles were new to the stamina required for a day in a sprawling theme park. At least he wasn’t complaining about the sitting-on-the-ground part.
Charlotte folded herself and sat beside him and then stretched out her legs, gray sneakers peeking out from the bottom of her blue jumpsuit’s legs. They’d had an amazing time. Charlotte hadn’t had a full day of playing without work in a DreamUs park in forever. Sure, they were calling this a research trip, but it’s not like she was opening a ride or doing a conference call from a ride vehicle. “See, this concrete’s not so bad, right?”
Gregory smiled. He looked more relaxed than Charlotte would have expected. “Not at all. Now, tell me what to expect from this parade. There’s no, like, audience participation, is there?”
“Not usually. But you never know,” Charlotte teased. “If there is, I promise to shield you. I think you’ve experienced enough theme park essentials for one day.”
Gregory nodded so hard Charlotte thought he might hurt his neck. “There is so much to do. Too much? How do people fit everything in all in one day? Especially if they have kids!”
“Well, DreamUs isn’t exactly mad about people wanting to split their trip across multiple days.”
“Ah, so it’s intentionally designed to be overwhelming? I feel like I need a degree to fully understand the LinePass system.”
Charlotte held up a hand. “LinePass and how it’s evolved from a helpful free tool to being more about another way to increase profits is a whole conversation neither of us has the energy for—except to say it’s the exact opposite of what we want to do at Lands. We don’t want to upcharge for every convenience, and it’s something I’m sad to see happening in Dreamland and other DreamUs parks. Especially when the tickets are not cheap and families save for ages to come here. Plus, systems like LinePass as it is now make Dreamland more overwhelming. It can be a challenge to help guests not feel the pressure of doing every little thing—people want to get their money’s worth. For many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip and they don’t want to miss out. It was always a constant conversation at DreamUs to balance what a guest wants and can reasonably do in a day and what we—I mean they—offer. But ultimately, the company had to kind of ‘train’ guests to let go of the idea of cramming it all into a single day.”
She looked at Gregory up and down and said, “As you’ve experienced, going at full throttle all day is exhausting. I hope it’s still been fun for you, but there is a thin line between delirious joy and delirious collapse.”
He stared intently at the asphalt by his shoes and chewed on his lip, that loose lock of hair swooping across his forehead. Charlotte wanted to be closer and it was impossible to pretend otherwise. She scooted in and gently wrapped her fingers around his arm.
“You have had fun, right? You can be honest.”
Gregory breathed in and turned his stare toward Charlotte. The impact of his full attention lit her skin on fire, especially where her fingers made contact with his skin.
“Charlotte”—he paused to cover her hand with his—“I’ve had the most fun. I didn’t have high expectations because I’m me, but I should have known better. I can see why you loved being part of the company that makes all of this.”
She did, she reminded herself. That’s why she hoped for a positive response to her DreamUs application. But when Gregory removed his hand to gesture at the park, Charlotte found it difficult not to grab it and pull it back to her side.
“Thank you for showing me around. It wouldn’t have been as special without you,” Gregory said, serious and sweet in perfect concert, as only he could manage.
“I loved doing it. I’ll show you around any theme park any time.” Charlotte winked. She was sure the wink didn’t look as cute as it felt, and also why was she winking and making showing him around theme parks sound like a euphemism?!
“I like the sound of that,” Gregory replied and Charlotte was dying to know if he was attempting to flirt. She could ask, she thought, but no, that would be too awkward even for her.
“But,” Gregory added, “no more spinning cups. In fact, no more rides with spinning objects, no matter what they are. Not worth losing my lunch or ice cream snack or whatever delicious thing I’ve eaten.”
Charlotte nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. You have yourself a deal.”
She held out her hand in the world’s most obvious ploy to touch Gregory again. He clasped her hand firmly and pumped it three times and every nerve in Charlotte’s fingers tingled.
“I love when neither of us drives a hard bargain,” Gregory said. “Now, we have a little while until the parade starts, so how about I go get us snacks?”
“Snacks! As long as you don’t mind torturing your feet, yes, please. It’s a parade worth waiting for, I promise. And then fireworks!”
“I’ve learned to trust you.” He smiled. “And speaking of people I’ve learned to trust, can you see if Melanie has any snack recommendations for this time of day and part of the park?”
Charlotte clasped her hands together. “You’re learning. I’m so proud.”
* * *
Peanut butter cookie pie and chocolate-dipped marshmallows devoured—Melanie said she couldn’t be forced to choose between them—Charlotte and Gregory watched the last float of the parade roll down the street. Charlotte had stolen a number of glances at Gregory out the corner of her eye during the parade—enough that he’d finally assured her that yes, he was still having fun.
“Your first theme park parade is over now. What did you think?” she asked.
He started to respond but shook his head and lifted a napkin to the corner of her mouth and dabbed. “You had a little chocolate, just there.”
“Oh, thanks.” Charlotte knew her cheeks turned pink but hoped the nighttime lighting obscured it. She was weirdly happy that Gregory felt comfortable enough with her to wipe food off her face.
“Anyway, I liked the parade, though I can’t wrap my head around how it’s cost effective to do that every day. But mostly what I want to know is how long that music will be in head?”
“Ah, that. I’m sorry to report it is with you for life now. You’ll hear it all the time.”
“I figured as much,” he said. “How long until fireworks?”
“What, you’re not going to look at the Dreamland app?” Charlotte asked.
“Hey, it’s a really well-designed app,” he said, nudging her shoulder with his, “but no, I figured you could tell me.”
Charlotte stood up slowly, her professional theme park feet screaming as she put weight on them again, and reached her hand out to help Gregory do the same. “They’ll happen soon but don’t rush standing. You’ll regret it.”
He grasped her hand and unfolded his long limbs, his sleeve falling back enough to tease more of his bicep tattoo. Charlotte pulled and Gregory groaned, joining the chorus of people around them standing and stretching.
“You were not joking about my feet. I never want to sit again.”
“The hotel has a mint foot rub in the rooms that is heaven.”
Gregory grunted at her.
She offered her elbow and he wrapped his arm around hers. It was for stability, she told herself. “Keep your eyes up there.” Charlotte used her free arm to point at a patch of sky above the castle and slightly to the left. “Next time we come to Dreamland, we’ll watch the fireworks from that direction. Less of a crowd and a view that’s as spectacular as this.”
“Next time?” Gregory asked.
Oops, Charlotte hadn’t been aware she had hopes for returning to Dreamland with Gregory one day and she certainly hadn’t meant to voice them. She cleared her throat and dropped her arm, breaking contact with him. “Uh, yeah. You know, in case we need further research for Lands.”
“Research, yes, of course. Always more research to do,” Gregory answered, his lips twisting to the side.
Charlotte wanted to own up to her attraction to Gregory. She thought he’d reciprocate the feeling, but she didn’t know—not even with what might have been an almost-kiss on the Jungle River Cruise earlier. She hated being wrong. Look where being confident in a relationship had gotten her with Chad. His cheating had broken her sense of trust in her own judgment maybe more than it had broken her trust in others. But as she looked at Gregory’s profile, illuminated by the softest orange light, she thought he might be worth putting herself out there again. If nothing else to sate the warmth in her stomach that only grew more intense the more time she spent around him.
Gregory turned his head toward her, maybe sensing Charlotte staring at him, and his lips curled up at the ends. She tracked every micro movement. He lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. The first firework cracked in the sky, startling both of them. They giggled at how easily they jumped, and swiveled their heads away from each other and toward the sky.
Booming music underscored each splash of color, some of the fireworks exploding in elaborate flowers of sparkles and others falling like rain. Charlotte leaned into Gregory’s side as the illuminations popped in the air, painting the park in ever-changing hues. The backs of Gregory’s fingers brushed against hers and neither of them pulled away.
Gregory laced his fingers through hers and Charlotte inhaled sharply. The presence of his hand in hers caused waves of joy and lust to radiate through her. Sharing this moment, in one of her favorite places in the world with Gregory, during fireworks, was too much. Not enough. Her knees might give out. She held Gregory’s hand harder.
The tempo and volume of the music increased as the show’s grand finale began. Charlotte had seen this show enough times she could see it with her eyes closed, but she never tired of the ending, the way little bursts of white light gave way to color gradation, the fireworks getting bigger and brighter.
Gregory turned to face her and lifted his free arm to gently turn her toward him. He stared into her eyes and then at her mouth and Charlotte thought swooning was a real possibility. She closed the space between them, still holding hands. He wound his other arm around her waist, and she reached up to brush his jaw with his fingertips.
His eyes were full of wanting, no doubt a reflection of her own. Charlotte tilted her head up and met his lips with hers. She closed her eyes, afterimages of fireworks glowing against her eyelids, matching the explosions ricocheting through her as she and Gregory softly, tentatively kissed, a kiss that became more sure by the second as she realized he wanted this, too. Gregory unlaced his fingers from hers and used both hands to pull Charlotte against him; she sunk her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, deepening the kiss. Charlotte whimpered, not quite believing a kiss could be like this.
When they finally pulled apart, the fireworks over the park’s sky were over but they were still sizzling inside her.