Chapter 24
The smell of sugar and fried food fills the air as I approach one of the trailers stationed among the carnival games.
Large neon letters display across the top of the trailer: Cotton Candy, Lemonade, and Funnel Cakes.
Lights outline each board to draw the attention of those passing by.
A small girl and her mother walk away with a bag of cotton candy and smiles so big you’d think they both just won a special prize.
Losing a game to a girl would be a massive blow to most men, but when the prize includes anything with Kaylee I could give a shit less, even if I had wound up in last.
“How can I help you, sir?” says a scruffy man with a shirt covered in grease and powdered sugar.
“I’ll take two of your largest lemonades and a funnel cake.” I grab my wallet, looking back to where I left Kaylee and smile when we make eye contact. Returning my stare back to the worker’s permanent frown, my smile cuts in half.
“Yeah, that’ll be fifteen dollars.” He looks unamused, much less vibrant than the man running the derby, but not unpleasant.
The second he sends my order through the window of the trailer, Kaylee arrives at my side and I glance down at the green bag she didn’t have moments ago.
“That to hide the spicy little poster ya picked?” I look from her hand into the sea of green and brown within her eyes.
“Something like that.” A small laugh passes her lips, and my eyes linger on them before the man at the counter clears his throat.
“Sorry about that.” Handing a lemonade to her, I grab the funnel cake and lead her away from the crowd. I look for a place that doesn’t have as many patrons and land on a grassy area beneath a large oak tree as I take another large swig of my lemonade.
Music plays in the background from the carnival speakers and I find myself bobbing my head to Yellowcard’s Ocean Avenue.
She laughs under her breath. “I wonder who burns their CD’s. To go from Alan Jackson to Yellowcard is a wild transition.”
The combination doesn’t seem wild to me at all. Maybe that’s because I like to keep things interesting, not trap myself into only liking one thing. One minute it’s the oldies, the next minute it’s Green Day. “I like it. Whoever it is has good taste.”
“Is that so?” She doesn’t look convinced. “I pictured you to be a fan of the country classics. A big Johnny Cash fan or something.”
I can see how she’d think that I rarely exist without my cowboy boots and hat. “I just so happen to have a much more eclectic taste than that,” I reply, one of my brows quirking up in challenge.
“Spell eclectic, Casanova.”
“Ouch. Sassy as always, I see,” I jest.
She leans back, her head cocking to the side as she takes me in. “Enlighten me. Now I’m dying to know. If you could burn me a CD right now, who would be on it?”
Well, now I’ve done it. It’s like finding out there’s a pop quiz and the panic sets in so quickly you forget everything you learned.
What the fuck would I put on the CD? Should I offer songs she’d like, or just sputter the first songs that come to mind?
I don’t even make CDs, I just switch around the radio like I’m shuffling an iPod.
Don’t like a song? Not feeling something that day? Next.
I decide it’s easiest to list bands I like, leaning pretty heavily into the songs I’ve heard today.
“Easy. I absolutely would let Yellowcard and Alan Jackson share the same set, but they’d be sitting with Puddle Of Mudd, Tim McGraw, Eminem, Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, and Destiny’s child—don’t go tellin’ me ya don’t like Survivor.
I won’t believe ya.” Surprise radiates in her glare. “What?”
“Nothing, I’m just…intrigued. How about your favorite movie?”
She rests her elbows on her knees after taking a drink of her lemonade, readying herself for my answer.
“Young Guns.” She gives me a telling glare. Okay, that one seems a bit more predictable. “And yours?” I ask.
“Titanic,” she answers without skipping a beat. It makes sense her favorite movie is tragic, most girls’ is. Predictability ain’t bad though, that’s a damn good movie.
“Is this my sign you’d leave me in the water like Rose did Jack?” I ask as a joke, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious about the answer.
She shrugs, a mischievous glint burning in her gaze as she says, “Depends on how I feel after this date.”
Feisty per the usual, but, nonetheless, I laugh.
Questions whirl in my mind, but I don’t get the chance to ask one as she shoots off, “Cereal before milk or milk before cereal?”
I pause. Of all the questions to ask, this is what she lands on?
I mean, there has to be some hidden meaning behind it, right?
No, I’ve got to be over thinking this. We all do it the same.
It’s just a trick. Whatever, we could talk about nothing, so long as I get to spend time with her, I don’t care.
“Not exactly the type of question I expected, but definitely milk before cereal.”
“Hmm. Okay.” She looks confused by my answer as she scrunches her cute, little nose.
It feels like she’s let down her wall, humanizing herself through a silly little interrogation. Seeing this side of her is fun.
“Why’d ya ask that?” I start to overthink my answer, like it makes any difference. Replaying what my routine is as if I have to confirm I answered correctly. “That good or bad?”
She hums. “Just making sure you didn’t have a crazy answer. It’s pretty important to make sure I know the person I keep kissing isn’t a serial killer.”
“Interestin’ way to gauge somethin’ with such high stakes, but since ya didn’t walk off, I’m guessin’ I passed?” She laughs, the sound like music to my ears. I bite back a satisfied grin. “So, cereal first puts me on NCIS?”
She shakes her head, her grin growing wider as she says, “No, milk does.”
“What? Why?”
“Because why would you fill an empty bowl with milk? You literally can’t fit as much cereal in that way.”
“I guess lock me up now.” I blow out a breath for some dramatic flare. “I like to add a little bit of cereal at a time. Can’t stand soggy shit, and I’ll drink the milk if it causes a problem.”
She starts to stand. “Well, it was nice knowing you.”
I reach for her hand and pull her back down.
“Fuck it, I’ll eat it your way. It’s weird, but not a deal breaker.
” There’s a lightness on her face, a warmth in her eyes I’m not used to.
And now that I’ve seen it, I’m addicted to it.
“Okay my turn. What’s with all the fancy outfits?
Even today, you’ve got sparkles on your ass. ”
“Did you just admit to looking at my ass?” she teases, not a trace of anger or hostility lurking beneath the surface.
With a wink, I reply, “I did, and I’d do it again. No shame here.”
She considers her words as she takes another piece of funnel cake into her mouth. I do the same, forgetting we even had it. “I like to make everything I own feel more me. Bright colors and sparkles just feels so much more fun than wearing black.”
“Well, I like it.” Honestly, I like everything she wears. “Ya could wear a potato sack and still be just as attractive. But I like that ya try somethin’ different. Ya look good.”
“Thank you, and thank you for the snacks,” she says, before taking another bite of funnel cake. A soft sound of enjoyment passes her lips. A moan of delight I wouldn’t mind hearing if she took a bite of me as well.
“Ya have to admit this beats whatever ya had planned for today.” I keep my tone light, but I’m burning for the answer.
“Even more than I expected, Casanova.”
The honesty in her words hits me like a semi truck. I wasn’t expecting her to agree so easily. A teasing jest? Maybe. A snarky response? Definitely. But raw, unbridled honesty… Yeah, that’s a shock.
I glance down as she bites her lip, and I notice a bit of powdered sugar at the edge of her mouth. I can’t help but place my finger under her chin, tilting her head back ever so slightly as I brush away the sugar with my thumb.
“Now, Angel, ya be careful dishin’ out a sentiment like that. Ya might have me grovelin’ on my knees before ya know it.”
Her full lashes flutter down then up again, and, for whatever reason, it sends a chill down my spine.
I keep my hand under her chin a bit longer, before leaning in to kiss her pink, frosty lips.
The taste of lemons and sugar dance between our tongues.
A sweetness that carries over to the perfume she wears, and it takes everything in me not to pick up where we left off in her office.
I keep my lips close to hers, looking deep into her stare. “Guess we both got a prize today.”
“Is that so?” She glares back at me with an intensity I would love to explore.
My pulse roars in my ears as I fight to hold back the smile on my lips. Ma always says persistence pays off and boy was she right. As I stare back into the green and gold eyes of the most enticing woman I’ve met, I can see a spark I hadn’t seen before, and I think I’m the match.
“Yeah, mine started this morning when ya said yes.”
We spend the day talking and playing games, as well as going on a few rides.
The typical first date, but since it’s with Kaylee it just feels better.
The day rolls over into night, and we find ourselves within a massive party tent set up to host various bands and give a place for adults to relax without kids.
Practically a makeshift bar with a massive dance floor and enough booze to water the town.