Chapter 14 #2
He shook his head. “No, as the mayor I oversee the approval of licensing all our local vendors. Part of the approval process involves them bringing in samples of their goods.”
Audrey laughed. “That sounds like a great job, trying out samples of yummy food and drinks. Have you gotten to try a lot?”
Evan smiled—a smile so big it was almost a grin.
Audrey’s stomach gave a bit of a jolt when she saw it, and she wished he would smile more often.
His smile was really quite wonderful. “I definitely have,” he said.
“But it’s not just me—our whole staff samples the food.
The vendors do as well. It’s kind of like a giant potluck with lots of government paperwork involved. ”
She laughed again, liking the way his eyes crinkled around the corners a little. They reached the concessions stand and he ordered them both pieces of chocolate and vanilla fudge along with two strawberry lemonades.
“My treat,” he said gallantly as she was reaching for her purse.
“Oh. Well, thank you.” She smiled at him and took the fudge that he was handing her. Their lemonades were ready a moment later, and they began to stroll around the flea market, sipping from their plastic cups and nibbling at the mouthwatering fudge.
“This fudge is even better than I remembered,” Audrey said, closing her eyes as she savored the sweet, creamy taste. “It’s award-winning, isn’t it?”
“That it is. And this lemonade hasn’t won any awards yet, but I think it would make a great contender. Don’t you?”
“I do.” She took another sip, relishing it. “Yes. Definitely.”
They strolled along in silence for a few more minutes, but the awkwardness between them seemed to be melting.
After a while they came across a couple of antique jars that were filled with candy, one with M&Ms and the other with jellybeans.
There were several small sticky note pads and pencils resting on the table next to the jars.
“Oh, look, a contest,” Audrey said with delight. “You have to guess how many pieces of candy are in these jars. I used to be so good at these when I was a kid.”
Evan smiled at her. “I was too.”
“Huh. Well, challenge accepted.” She grinned at him. “May the best citizen of Coral Sands win.”
He rolled back his shoulders as if he was getting ready to fight as he reached for one of the sticky note pads, and she was both surprised by and attracted to his unexpected playfulness. “You know what I used to do?”
“What?” she asked, grabbing a different sticky note pad. Hers was bright pink, and she’d chosen it on purpose because she considered it to be a confident color that said, “I don’t need anybody’s pity.”
“I used to think about who set up the jars,” he said, leaning to the side to look at the back of the jar of M&Ms. “I used to wonder if they just sat there counting out five hundred pieces of candy. Did they count a second time? How long did it take them?”
She laughed. “I thought you meant you had something you thought about that helped you figure out how many pieces were inside the jar. Here I thought I was about to get some secret knowledge that would help me win.”
“What, give away my secret strategies? Never.”
Audrey grinned and turned her attention to the jars.
She tapped her pen against the sticky note pad as she tried to decide what number she wanted to guess.
She was good at math, and that always helped her do well in that sort of game.
As she considered the answers, she kept stealing glances at Evan.
He’s so fun to be around, she thought, unable to stop herself from feeling surprised. I mean, I didn’t think he’d be a total crank on a date, but he’s got a goofy streak to him that I never would have expected.
Evan was quick to decide on his answers.
He folded up his sticky notes and tucked them inside a jar that was labeled “Guesses.” Audrey took a few more moments to decide, determined not to let his speed intimidate her.
With a flourish, she placed her sticky notes inside the jar.
Most people had used yellow and blue sticky notes, and she liked to see her bright pink papers inside the jar, as colorful as birds of paradise.
They went back to their browsing, but this time instead of walking in silence they began to talk to each other about what they were seeing.
“Oh, my grandmother had a painting just like this one.”
“These candles smell fantastic, don’t they?”
“I always thought horseshoes must have been very uncomfortable for the horses.”
“I’ve always wanted a kerosene lamp, but I never knew where I could find the kerosene.”
They began to share details about their tastes and their histories. Audrey felt delighted by all the antiques and she couldn’t hide her enthusiasm. Once or twice she caught Evan smiling at her as if he liked the way she got so giddy about things.
“Look, a chess set,” Evan said as they reached the beginning of one of the last tables. “Have you ever played chess?”
“A little,” she admitted. “I learned the rules a long time ago from my grandfather. I haven’t played it much.”
“Would you be up for a game?”
“What, now?” She laughed.
He nodded. “Why not? We can stand here and play. This poor chess set has been sitting here unused for who knows how long. I’m sure it’s dying for company.”