Cavin suddenly felt the need to walk on eggshells.He needed all of these people in his corner.
“Georgia, the kids are simply trying to raise money for the community,” Sam announced.
“No one mentioned that,” Georgia argued.
Noel looked at Sam and then at Cavin.
“They’re giving away the hot chocolate.Only accepting donations,” Sam offered.
“Wait, they have signs on the front of the table with prices,” Georgia recalled.Noel glanced down to where she helped the kids affix the signs as Cavin stepped back and Georgia walked to the front of the table for a better view.“Where did the signs go?”
“Are you sure there were signs?”Cavin asked nonchalantly.“Have you tried this hot chocolate?”he asked as he changed the subject while lifting the cup in her direction.“It is delicious.I might invest in these kids.They are the kind of forward-thinking people this town needs.”
Surprising everyone, Georgia took a sip.“It is good,” she admitted begrudgingly although her expression remained disgruntled.
“I’ll have a cup,” Sam said with a large smile.
Georgia chimed in again.“If the hot chocolate is indeed free and this truly is to raise money for the community, which organization is it helping?”she inquired while staring at the kids.
Levi and Laney suddenly appeared even more frozen than throughout the whole confusing ordeal.
A random MISSING DOG poster on a nearby light pole caught Noel’s attention.“It’s for animals,” she reeled off.
“What kind of animals?”Georgia probed.“What’s the organization?”
Cavin followed the movement of Noel’s eyes, and he imagined Georgia would keep pressing.“Lost animals,” he concocted.“The kids are starting a fund to help find missing animals.”It was actually a brilliant idea, he thought.
Levi and Laney looked like a couple of spectators at a ping pong match with their little lost eyes bouncing from one person to the next.
“What is the organization’s name?”
“We are still working on the details,” Noel replied.
“Kids, don’t forget to pour me a cup,” Sam reminded them, removing a bulky wallet from his dress pants pocket and casually tossing a crisp ten-dollar bill into the tip jar.
Levi and Laney smiled and worked in tandem quickly making another beverage.
If Georgia’s eyes had been on a hill, they would have rolled all the way to the bottom.“How do you know so much about this potential nonprofit, Mr.Dawson?”she interrogated studying him closely.
The fact that she used his last name didn’t slip past Cavin.“These folks are the first people I met in Beaufort yesterday, and we had a discussion over beverages and cinnamon rolls,” Cavin disclosed, purposely leaving the details to the imagination.
“Is that right?”Georgia declared, giving Noel a sideways glance all the while keeping her focus on Cavin.“It doesn’t take you long to get around a new town, huh?”
Cavin felt the intensity of her accusation.“I like meeting new people,” he countered.
Georgia shifted her gaze to Noel.“The kids can keep the hot chocolate stand up today, but before setting up shop again on the sidewalk, which is a potential insurance liability, you all will need to complete the necessary application paperwork at the municipality office.”
“Sure we can do that,” Noel offered to appease the woman.
“If you need help, I imagine your business consultant, Mr.Atlanta here, can assist,” Georgia proposed, patting Cavin’s firm chest.She then painted a smile on her face and altered her tone to match the chirpy birds in a nearby tree, locking eyes with Cavin.“Let’s get together again soon,” she suggested before winking at Noel as she turned and walked away, her hips moving like a runway model on a mission.
Noel furrowed her brow, scoffed, and with folded arms monitored Cavin’s expression closely.She thought his eyes would most likely follow Georgia’s departure as Sam’s had, but to her surprise Cavin didn’t so much as glance in the woman’s direction.An instant later his gaze met hers, and the two studied one another for a moment.
“This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted,” Sam declared, turning his attention back to the table.
Laney and Levi grinned.
“They can sell it by the gallon,” Cavin stated and then quickly rephrased, “I meant the kids take donations for a gallon.”As soon as Cavin finished the statement, he thought it sounded kind of odd to sell hot chocolate by the gallon; he had never heard of that...but why not?
