Chapter 1 #2
I was looking forward to spending the afternoon with Gideon. I’d need to remember to take a few pictures to post on social media for the festival since I was their volunteer PR person, but if I got those done early, I could enjoy the rest of the day.
Gideon swiped a second croissant on our way out the door, which I took as a positive sign, and then we were on our way.
Main Street was busier now than it had appeared earlier. We dodged clusters of tourists peering into the whimsically bowed shop windows. Gold lettering on the businesses’ hanging signs glittered under the warm afternoon sun, as if to encourage people to get even closer.
When we arrived at the festival gate, we paid the entrance fee.
They asked for our ID, which I thought was a little silly.
I didn’t think I appeared underage, and Gideon certainly didn’t.
But whatever. We did as asked and received wristbands, which showed we could imbibe the various brewed offerings.
“Is there anything you want to do before the winners are announced?” Gideon asked once we were inside the fence.
I shrugged. “Nope. You?”
Gideon rubbed the back of his neck.
“What?”
“Perry’s working at The Hearth and Griddle’s food truck today…”
“And you want to check on him?” I finished for him.
It was cute how Gideon didn’t think he was the alpha in town, but he took so much interest and care in the locals.
And I knew he worried about Perry more than some others in his pack—not that he’d call them that, no matter how true it was.
I’d heard the bigfoot was an amazing cook, but he was also painfully shy, so Gideon’s concern made sense.
“Yeah, if that’s okay.”
I slipped my hand into his and squeezed it. “Of course. Besides, you’ll need something more to eat than a couple of croissants.”
That was the other thing I’d discovered recently: Magical beings ate a lot, especially shifters.
As we approached the food trucks, I didn’t have to look at the names on the trucks to know which one Perry was running because Az and Tulip, two members of my grandfather’s Misfit Monsters Support Group, were already there. They were standing off to the side, frowning at anyone who got close.
In front of the window, an oblivious man and woman were ordering their lunches.
“And no lettuce,” the man said, shuddering as if leafy vegetables were unspeakable horrors. “Like zero. If I see anything green on my burger, I’ll bring it back and demand you make me a new sandwich from scratch. Don’t think I won’t do it, because I will.”
“He really will.” The woman at his side was nodding. “And for me, I want everything. I want two slices of tomato, but only if they’re fresh, and three pickles, but only if they’re crisp, and one squirt of mustard, but no bigger than the size of a quarter, centered on the bun…”
People like that made me wonder if opening a food business would be a mistake. They stole the joy out of everything. Perry appeared to be having similar thoughts as his shaggy hair fell over his flushed face and his shoulders hunched.
Az leaned forward, scowling right in the couple’s faces.
A feeling of dread fell over the area. Uh oh.
It was never advisable to anger a demon.
Tulip smiled menacingly from Az’s side and waggled her webbed fingers at them.
Her teeth were extra pointy. Provoking a mermaid was just as bad for one’s health as pissing off a demon.
The couple, who I suspected might be human, stepped back as if finally realizing their precarious situation.
“You know what…” The woman, who’d paled considerably in the last few seconds, peered over her shoulder at the other food trucks. “I’m wondering if a burger will be too heavy. Perhaps a chicken wrap would be better. Honey, what do you think?”
I hurried forward and patted Az on the back as I placed myself between the unsuspecting couple and Tulip.
“It sure smells appetizing, doesn’t it?” I asked with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Yummy. I bet those burgers will be amazing.”
My efforts didn’t work. If anything, they scared the couple more than the mermaid and the demon had.
The man tugged his companion toward the chicken truck, looking back with wide eyes, as if making sure no one was following them.
Tulip, though, was indeed moving in their direction.
I slipped my hand into the crook of her arm and stopped her from stalking the couple through the festival grounds.
Inside the truck, Perry groaned. “You can’t keep scaring away the customers.”
Az brushed imaginary lint off his shoulder. “They were assholes. You don’t need their money.”
“I do want their money, though,” Perry said. “That’s the whole point. Denise won’t let me work the truck if I don’t make money.”
I shot a beseeching look at Gideon, but he was scowling in the direction the couple had gone, as if he wanted to follow them as much as Tulip did.
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” I muttered. Then I studied the menu. “I’d like to order something. And Gideon wants something, too.”
Perry perked up. “What can I make for you?”
His question was even-toned, as if he’d practiced it. His hand trembled a little as he held his pen over his order pad. The other misfits turned to the window, as if sensing his hopeful anticipation. Excellent. It was better for everyone if the misfits focused on him.
I ordered a medium serving of onion rings, but the others ordered one of everything else.
I bet everyone was feeling guilty for driving away Perry’s earlier customers.
But how long would it take to prepare that much food?
I checked the time on my phone. We still had a few minutes before the winners were announced, but we would be cutting it close.
Once the grill and the fryer were sizzling with all the things, I turned to the others.
“You can’t stay here.” I pointed at the misfits.
Az crossed his arms, and Tulip narrowed her eyes at me, but Gideon nodded. “Declan’s right. Perry chose this. Obviously, both he and Denise think he’s ready. We need to give him space.”
“But they were mean. I bet they wouldn’t be so mean if they were at the bottom of my pond,” Tulip said, stomping her foot in the little puddle of water that’d formed under her.
“No, they would be dead because humans can’t breathe under water,” I whispered, hoping none of the other people milling around the area heard me saying that. “And we don’t kill people. Especially when they did nothing wrong.”
I held up my hand when Tulip opened her mouth to argue.
“No. Wanting a firm pickle and not liking iceberg lettuce aren’t punishable crimes.” Then I turned to Gideon, considering the conversation finished. “We’ll need to eat quickly if you want to get over to the stage for the announcement of the winners.”
“Yeah. I need to be there. Leon insisted.” Then he eyed Az and Tulip. “Please behave after we leave.”
Tulip harrumphed, but both she and Az conceded and agreed to give Perry some space.
I suspected their self-control wouldn’t last long, but we couldn’t stay here all day and monitor them.
Sometimes you just had to hope for the best and pray that by the end of the day, no one would be knocked on the head and hauled into a pond.