Chapter 16
Maggie’s feet seemed rooted to the ground. Her breaths stuffed into iron lungs.
Ethan.
He took tickets from a boy who settled on a stool with the others. The guy spoke through his headset. “All right, folks. Squeeze
the trigger and aim for the hole to make the minions rise. This is a race—first minion to the top wins a prize. Ready, set,
and... go!”
A bell sounded. In her peripheral vision the minions quickly rose.
Seconds later the guy called out, “And seven is our lucky winner. Come claim your prize, young lady.”
Someone bumped Maggie from behind, pushing her forward, but her attention never wavered from the guy.
Josh steered her from the crowd, stopping near the game as the players left their stools. The carny assisted the winner with
her prize.
“We found him,” Maggie said numbly.
“He’s younger than Ethan would’ve been.”
Maggie nodded. Her mind spun in dizzy circles like the swing ride, making her stomach churn.
The guy handed the girl a small furry turtle, then called through his headset, “Step right up! It’s easy-breezy. Aim the gun
and win a prize!”
“What should we do?” Maggie asked. “I can’t think.”
“Let’s play the game so we can get a closer look.”
As they headed over, Maggie was unable to tear her eyes from that familiar face. He looked so much like Ethan had at that
age. Those deep-set blue eyes and strong jawline. His mouth was a little different. His lower lip thicker, his smile different—not
tilted up more on one side like Ethan’s had been. Not his twin, but close enough.
“Two?” the guy asked as Maggie and Josh approached.
“Yes, please.”
“That’ll be two tickets.”
Maggie looked at Josh. They hadn’t bought tickets tonight.
But Josh must’ve had some left over from last time because he pulled the tickets from his wallet and handed them over. “You
look an awful lot like someone I used to know. Ethan Reynolds?”
The guy shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“The resemblance is uncanny.”
“Really?” He flashed a smile. “Well, they say everyone has a twin out there somewhere.”
Another customer approached and he diverted his attention to the newcomer.
Josh tugged Maggie to the stools farthest from the young man and they took their seats.
Maggie squeezed Josh’s arm. “He even sounds like Ethan, don’t you think?”
“He does. But there are some differences too, up close.”
“I noticed.” Her attention swung back to the boy. “How old do you think he is?”
“Eighteen to twenty-one maybe?”
“He looked older in the photo.”
“It wasn’t a clear shot. He’s built lean like Ethan. Not as tall, though.”
“We should talk to him after the game. Find out how old he is and where he’s from. We have to figure this out. Maybe we can
get his name and contact information, then we could just look him up.”
His gaze locked on her. “Listen, Mags. We should probably tread carefully here. We don’t know what we’re stepping into.”
His comment made that anchor sink a little deeper in her gut. What were they dealing with here? “You’re right.”
While the guy rallied more players, they studied his every move. He seemed more extroverted than Ethan, calling boldly, making
conversation with folks who came over. But some of his mannerisms, like the way he gave his cap a sharp tug, reminded her
of Ethan.
There was definitely something here.
They played three games in a row. Maggie, mind whirling with questions, could hardly hit the target. Josh, on the other hand,
won the last two games.
After the winning bell sounded, he stood and Maggie followed suit. She hoped he had a plan because she hadn’t thought this
far ahead, and his warning about treading carefully buzzed in her ears.
Ethan’s look-alike approached. “Congrats, man. You get to pick from these prizes since you won twice. The sea turtles are
popular, but personally I think the monkey’s pretty sweet.”
Josh nudged Maggie. “Whatever the lady wants.”
“Um, let’s go with the monkey.”
“Good choice. Plus, bonus, his hands Velcro together so he can hang on to you instead of the other way around.”
Maggie accepted the little blue guy. “You do a nice job with the game. You must’ve been at this awhile.”
“Actually, I’ve only worked here a few weeks.”
“You’re a natural then,” Josh said.
“Well, thanks, guys.” He stepped away, clearly needing to return to his job.
“Have a good evening now.”
“Same to y’all.” He turned on his headset. “All right, folks, step right up. Aim for the target, make the minion rise, and
win a prize! It’s just that easy!”
As she and Josh folded into the passing crowd, Maggie couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder. “We have to go back. We
didn’t even get his name.”
“We know where to find him, though. We should talk this through a little. Plus Erin will be dropping Zoey off soon.”
Maggie checked her watch. He was right. She’d completely lost track of time. But who could blame her when she’d just found
the apparition of her dead husband?
It was too noisy to talk, so they kept their thoughts to themselves as they navigated the crowd. But the longer Maggie reflected,
the more she realized Josh had been right about biding their time. They might’ve stumbled upon a tricky situation. The particular
scenario she imagined made her wonder if they’d soon regret their curiosity.
Was he thinking the same thing?
Once inside the quiet of the cab, Josh started the vehicle and pulled from the lot. The glow of streetlights flickered on
his face, revealing a furrowed brow and a downturned mouth.
Maggie didn’t want to be the first to say it.
He glanced her way, holding her gaze for several full seconds before returning his focus to the road. “It can’t be what we’re
thinking.”
“I know.”
“My parents are happily married. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they fuss and fight sometimes, but they’re completely devoted to one another.”
“I agree.”
“My dad is head over heels for my mom.”
She twisted the situation every which way and couldn’t come to any other reasonable alternatives. Marriages could go through
difficult times. Case in point: her own parents, whose marriage had lasted only a handful of years. But it was hard to imagine
Brad having an affair with another woman. Even good people could make terrible mistakes, though.
“And yet”—Josh’s voice carried quietly through the cab—“there’s a young man running around town who looks almost exactly like
my brother.”
“Maybe your dad donated sperm at some point.”
He shook his head. “Say the guy’s twenty years old—we would’ve been teenagers when he was conceived. He was making good money
and Mom was also working—”
“What?” she asked a moment later when he remained silent.
“It could’ve been back when I was sick. I was too stuck in my own misery to give them a thought at the time, but imagine the
stress they would’ve been under, having their son’s life on the line.”
Josh had had lymphoma when he was a young teen. He’d been in and out of the hospital a lot. And she remembered well the stress
the family had been under while they prayed he’d survive the disease. “We don’t know for sure how old he is.”
“He wasn’t around a lot when I was sick. I thought it was work. But could he have been under so much stress that he strayed?”
She wished she could say no. But it was a long time ago and his father, though wonderful, was only human. “I don’t know, Josh. It doesn’t seem like him at all. He’s the most honest person I know.”
Josh was quiet the rest of the drive and Maggie didn’t want to press the sensitive issue. When they arrived at the cottage,
he walked her to the door in silence.
On the porch he turned to her. “I’m going back down there.”
“To the carnival? Now?”
“Yes.”
Maggie wanted to go with him. She checked her watch. Erin had texted that they were on their way and it was already past Zoey’s
bedtime. She’d had a busy day and would be tired and possibly cranky. “What will you say to him?”
“I don’t know yet. I don’t want to make him suspicious. If an affair did happen—well, we don’t know what his situation is.
I don’t want to make him question everything he might’ve been told about his paternity. Especially when we have no proof it
even happened. I’ll think of something.”
“If you wait till tomorrow, I’ll go with you.”
“We don’t know if he’ll be working tomorrow. And I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get more answers, I won’t be able
to sleep tonight.”
He seemed so despondent. The porch light illuminated creases above his brows. The thought of his dad having an affair seemed
to be wrecking him. This was not the direction either of them had expected the situation to go.
She set her hand on his jaw, the bristles tickling the soft flesh of her palm. “It’s gonna be okay. You’ll see.”
One side of his mouth lifted in a mirthless smile. “Hope you’re right.”
She wanted to ease his worry. Comfort him the way he’d comforted her in Rock Hill. But the memory of that kiss they’d shared all those years ago—the memory of that confusing connection—stopped her from drawing him into her arms.
She offered a smile instead as she let her hand fall. “Either way, we’re in this together.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’ll call you later.”