Two more of the burlier of my guys came forward to help. Molly must have mobilized everyone.
“I got you.” I gathered Amber close, prying the door open a few more precious inches to get James in, them Amber. “Stay inside.”
She nodded.
“Get down so you’re away from the windows.”
She nodded again, her fingers clutching mine for a second before the door slammed.
“That’s enough.” I held my arms up. “Ambrose won’t be coming out. I’m sorry for those who are disappointed. Please head over to the refreshment stall near the Wonderland Lights and we’ll get you all free drinks and cider donuts.”
“I don’t want a donut, I want Ambrose to sign my arm.”
“Mine too. I want to get it tattooed.” A girl stumbled into another trio wearing sparkly paint with symbols on their faces. Ididn’t know what they meant, but I could spot a fanatic versus a fan at this point.
I crossed my arms, making my already big chest seem larger. “If you’re not going to shop, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Ambrose won’t be taking photos or signing anything today.”
“Man, that’s not fair.”
I ignored the upset voices, signaling to a few extra people I’d hired just for the opening day. Anger rose as I saw the benches overturned and the barrels on their sides spilling the flowers and rocks all along the path. Trash bins had been turned over in the chaos.
The front stoop of two of the retail spaces had been torn off.
A door hung from the Clay Haven shed with broken crockery littering the doorway.
Finally, we moved most of the crowd up to the hill where they could spread out. The grass was muddy from the previous day’s rain along with the foot traffic. There were people waiting with their phones at the ready for Amber to come out.
There was no way I could get her out of there without some motorized help.
I lifted my walkie. “Bill, I need the golf cart with the beefed-up engine to the Rudolph station. I need you to take Amber out of here and to my house. It’s got the most security.”
“On it.”
Molly wove her way through the last vestiges of the crowd. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. We’ll have to clear out early. There’s too much damage.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Tate. There’s more damage down near the front arch as well. A bus load of people came in. They definitely weren’t on the schedule.”
“Based on the number of Ambrose shirts I’ve seen I’d bet there was some sort of fan event put together we weren’t aware of.”
“You think?”
I shrugged. I hadn’t believed her when she said things might get dicey if she came to the opening.
The mob mentality had happened so quickly. Far more intensely than the day at the orchard.
“Let’s just assess the damage. I’ll have Valerie make an announcement that we are postponing the opening tomorrow.”
“Do you think we have to go that route?”
“Have you looked at North Star Lane? They ripped one of the benches out of the damn ground. It was bolted into the stone.”
Molly gasped. “Let me go take a look. Will you be okay here?”
“Yeah.”
I wanted to go inside and check on Amber, but I didn’t trust the fans who were lingering on the sidelines. They kept looking over here, craning their necks and raising their phones as if no one would freaking notice.
