Chapter 8
ETHAN
I hadn’t been able to get Lawson off my mind. I realized after her day off she was working at keeping me at arm’s length.
That kiss on the bayou and the one I’d given her after dropping her back home that night told her in no uncertain terms that I was interested in her.
But I didn’t want to spook her and make her feel uncomfortable.
Giving her a little space made me antsy, but I tamped down my impatience.
She needed time to acclimate to the idea of staying in one place.
I wanted her to get comfortable with that idea.
Each day I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her. I let her have her breathing room, but as the day of the craft festival opened, three days after I’d last touched her, I was determined to at least talk to her.
As I drove through the part of town that was open to traffic, Main Street and the square had been closed down, through stop and go traffic, finally reaching the Sheriff’s Office to report for volunteer duty, I was eager to help out.
I knew she was manning Brax’s booth that would be selling food to the hungry tourists and craft enthusiasts who were already flocking to Suttontowne for the two days of organized chaos.
But I was also ready to give Mike a hand in policing the area, making sure things flowed smoothly, deterring crime, and any other duties that cropped up.
Inside the Sheriff’s Office several other guys were milling around until Mike’s strong voice said, “Let’s all go into the conference room.”
We piled inside and as we came in the door, we were issued a T-shirt and a badge to clip to our waistbands. The back of the T-shirt said, Crowd Control, Hope Parish Sheriff’s Office . Mike went over what he expected and then gave us our assignments.
Before I left, Mike said, “It’s good to have you with us, Ethan. I know if you’re on the job I won’t have to worry.”
Mike gave me a list, and I headed out to the center of town. Later, I was working the square, making sure no one was trying to park in an area that was restricted unless they were a vendor.
It was a hectic morning and I had very little time to breathe, but Lawson was still heavy on my mind.
I wanted to know why she was putting up roadblocks.
What she was running from and why? As I was checking the credentials of one of the driver’s, I heard, “I just want one more. I have good money. I can pay.”
I waved him through to park in the city hall lot and turned to see what the shouting was about.
As I came around one of the booths, one serving burgers and beer, a man was pounding on the counter. “Serve me!”
I looked around for a deputy, but they were scarce in the area. When he suddenly lunged across the short expanse, separating him and the guy manning the booth, grabbing his shirtfront, I moved.
I got the guy in a simple hold, one that sent him to his knees. “Call the Sheriff’s Department,” I said to the booth operator and he grabbed his cell.
“Let me go,” the man shouted.
“Keep your voice down and calm down, sir. Have you been drinking all morning?”
“Yes, what’s it to you?” he shouted.
“You’re looking at drunk and disorderly. I’d be a little quieter and more respectful,” I said calmly.
“Look, I just wanted a drink,” he growled, slurring his words.
“I think you’ve had enough.”
A cruiser pulled up and Mike got out. He walked over to me and said, “Looks like you’re doing my job again.” He smiled.
I nodded and said, “He was getting handsy with the booth operator. Drunk and disorderly.”
Mike grabbed his wrist even as the man began protesting again, swearing a blue streak, but when he saw the uniform, he clammed up.
Mike cuffed him and led him to the car. Once he was safely inside, Mike said, “Thanks for doing such a good job, Ethan. Maybe you should think about law enforcement. You have a knack for it. Just a thought.”
“I don’t know, Mike.”
“I’ve always got an opening for an excellent candidate. Think about it.”
“Do you have a superman’s cape beneath that shirt?”
Lawson’s voice froze me in place, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. I turned around and found her leaning just outside Outlaws’ booth.
“Shh, you’ll blow my cover,” I murmured as I walked over to stand in front of her.
She laughed. “Oh, I don’t think it’s a secret at all,” she said.
She looked amazing today, her thick blonde hair wrapped in a messy braid that graced her shoulder, the tail reaching almost to the waist of her jeans, her blue eyes like a slice of sky, and her teasing smile was the best sight of all.
She’d lost those circles under her eyes and that gaunt look.
She was dressed in a simple yellow blouse, but even in those clothes, she still had an air of class about her.
“I see Brax roped you into taking a turn on the booth.”
“Partly.” Her blue eyes were bright with genuine pleasure. “I volunteered, just like you. I would do anything for Brax.”
“You tend to be a hard worker.” I nudged her. “But don’t let him hear you say that.”
She nudged me back. “I could say the same thing about you being a hard worker. How many jobs do you have?”
I leaned in. “With the superhero gig that makes three,” I said.
Her eyes went wide, and she grinned up at me. “You’re forgetting the white knight job. Can’t leave that out. You’ve got the armor and all.”
“Hello, friends,” Martha said as she came up to the booth. “Brax wanted me to fill in so you could eat lunch. He said I wasn’t supposed to take any excuses, and I was supposed to tell you that you would have to deal with him if you didn’t take a break and eat.”
“Excuses?”
She looked up and ticked them off her fingers.
“I’m not hungry. I can stay and help out.
It’s too hot to walk around. I’d rather eat Brax’s food for lunch.
” She rolled her eyes. “That one was all his. So, on your way, sugar.” She made a shooing motion with her hands.
“Go with Ethan. He knows other booths that will have fabulous food. He’s a veteran. ”
She turned to look at me, the pleasure intensifying in her eyes. She slipped her arm through mine, and Martha propelled us both out into the open. “Oh, customer,” she quipped. “Got to go, but have fun.”
“There are a lot of pushy men in this town,” Lawson mumbled, but there was a wealth of affection in her voice. She jostled my arm. “So, where to Mr. Veteran of Food Booths.”
“There’s only one other place I would eat lunch besides Brax’s, and I can get his food anytime since I seem to always be behind that bar these days.
” I knew why that was. I’d taken on more shifts, leaving the business in Chase’s and our employees’ capable hands.
Chase hadn’t said anything, but he gave me knowing looks.
The rumors on every gossips’ lips were all about Lawson and how I looked at her as well as plenty of speculation about who she was and where she came from.
One person even started a rumor she was a slumming heiress who’d lost all her dough.
I wasn’t sure about that, but her clothes were pricey. Even Verity had noticed, yet she was living out of her car and was a starved waif when I’d found her on Outlaw’s threshold.
“Where’s that?”
“Imogene’s, Samantha Sutton’s booth.”
“Oh, right. You’ve raved about her food. Let’s go there.”
I looked across the bright square grounds, searching through the dozens of canopied booths and spied it. “This way,” I said leading her, liking the light weight of her arm tucked into mine, the feel of her soft, smooth, slightly damp skin.
We wended our way through booths selling upcycled furniture, vintage housewares, pottery, handmade toys, jewelry, and original works of fine art.
There was a line for face painting, and Lawson and I cut through as the kids smiled up at us, some with sticky faces.
The air was heavy with tantalizing aromas and I was famished.
In the distance, I could hear the music of a band playing.
The square was filled with so many people, Lawson had to let go of my arm, but I snagged her small hand in mine as we got into the line behind a woman with a small child, who kept asking his mom about apple pie.
“Be patient,” she murmured. “It’s worth it, sweetie. ”
I turned to Lawson and smiled. “She’s right. Samantha makes the best pies around here.” The woman looked over her shoulder at me and then smiled at us and nodded.
“What’s your favorite?” she asked.
“All of them,” I said with a grin and the little boy laughed and nodded enthusiastically.
Lawson laughed with him, the genuineness of it lighting her eyes from within. I could get lost in that light forever.
When it was our turn, Samantha looked up, then smiled broadly. She leaned out from her booth and shouted, “Sky?”
Sky leaned out, too, peering through the crowd, her booth full of her beauty and bath products. She ran a brisk online business. “Yeah?”
“Lunch? We’ve got Ethan and Lawson here. What do you say?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be over in a second.” She disappeared from view and the line at her booth closed in around the empty space.
We ordered: me crab cake sliders with slaw, and Lawson opting for crawfish and lobster sauce, probably fresh from Chase.
Samantha went for the chicken and andouille jambalaya, and Sky didn’t take long in ordering pulled pork and mac and cheese.
We couldn’t find a table so instead Lawson and I settled on the steps of the gazebo with Sam and Sky sitting on a nearby bench.
We dug in with no conversation between any of us for several moments. “My God, Sam, this is heavenly,” Lawson said.
“Thanks. It’s good to see that you’re still here. How goes it at Outlaws?”
“Brax keeps me busy.”
Sam nodded. “I hear you’re doing his books.” At the surprise on Lawson’s face, Sam smiled. “Small town.”
“Yes, I’m good with numbers, and I simply love it.”
It was clear she was being reluctant to answer. “Did you go to school for accounting?”