“Glad to hear it.” A look of relief crossed Dr. Zhang’s face. “Richelle, what should you say?”
She stared at the ground. “I’m sorry.”
Gemma plastered a smile on her face. “No harm done, except I seem to have lost my shoe.” She glanced behind Richelle and noticed the plastic footwear flashing in the distance.
Henry grinned. “We can’t have Cinderella losing her glass slipper. Can we?”
“No.” Richelle shook her head.
He walked over to the shoe and retrieved it, along with his hat. Approaching Gemma, he knelt down. “Princess, let’s see if this fits.”
Richelle giggled.
As Gemma slipped her foot back into the shoe, Henry remarked, “Well, it looks like this shoe was made exclusively for this princess. It fits like a glove!”
Their eyes locked for a moment, and there was an undeniable spark in the air.
“Coach Gemma, are you ready to go to the haunted hayride now?” Richelle inquired.
Reading the couple, Dr. Zhang cleared his throat. “I think she needs another minute or two, pumpkin. I’ll help you find your friends, and Gemma can join us in a moment.”
Richelle tilted her head to the side. “But she said she was fine.”
“How about we walk through the trick-or-treat trail on the way?”
“But Mommy said no candy.” She pouted.
Dr. Zhang blinked slowly. “It’ll be our secret. We can keep it at my office.”
Her arms flew around her father’s legs. “Daddy, you’re the best.” Taking hold of his daughter’s hand, Dr. Zhang led her toward the food booths.
A few moments of silence elapsed between Gemma and Henry.
He removed his hat and scratched his forehead. “So, are you enjoying the festival so far?”
“All five minutes of it, yes.” She sniggered. “I see you went with the Indiana Jones costume again after all.”
“What can I say? Never mess with success.” He spun around in a circle, modeling it for her. Gemma soaked up the sight of him. The dark brown trousers conformed to a very fit body and shapely bum.
“You have a bullwhip too?”
“Never leave home without it. And I see you didn’t go for the fairy route.”
“No. I didn’t know I’d need a costume until the last minute. It was either this, a peacock, or a sloth.”
His lip twitched. “Those are, um?.?.?. interesting options. I personally would’ve picked the sloth, but I’m glad you went for the princess. It suits you.”
“Me too.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you over to the hayride, so your little friend doesn’t think I’ve turned you into a frog or something.”
They started strolling side by side.
“Cinderella would never get turned into a frog. A servant, maybe.”
“Noted.”
The scent of freshly-popped popcorn mingled with the sweet aroma of sugar, creating an irresistible blend that made Gemma’s mouth water.
