She shook her head. “In Edencrest, it’s considered garish. It’s not allowed at all.”
“That seems cold.”
It was. Before this moment, though, she’d never noticed how much. This wasn’t just festive, it was warm, making her feel like she was somehow part of or welcome to everything around her. Edencrest was a cold mausoleum in comparison.
“Well then.” He placed a hand at the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. “I guess we’d better make sure you have as much fun as you can before you go back.”
His words were tinged with just the right amount of mischief to make her want to see what he had in store. “Aren’t we here to work, though? What about Cindy’s shop?”
“Sarah, Cindy’s employee, is covering it right now. I told her we’d be there in about two hours to take over. So until then, we get to enjoy the festival.”
She looked around, taking a breath and loving the scent of buttery popcorn, roasted nuts, and cotton candy filling the air. She looked at him and felt a giggle bubbling up in her chest she knew had nothing to do with the snacks she intended to buy. She was keenly aware that the man whose company she was privileged enough to have was certainly responsible for the lightness she was experiencing.
He took her to all the shops, giving her a chance to talk with the vendors. Each one connected to their stores in a way that was so much deeper than just commerce. It was like these small boutiques and storefronts were part of them, or at the very least a reflection of them.
They neared the cotton candy stand, and she moaned so deeply it could be heard above the music blasting from the loudspeakers throughout the strip. “You want some?”
“I shouldn’t. I’ve already eaten roasted nuts and had some of those sweet rolls from Ms. Sonia. I really shouldn’t.”
“Yeah, but you will.” He maneuvered them through the crowd to get them to the stand, slipping his hand into hers with natural ease, as if he’d done so a million times before. “And I promise you won’t regret it once you taste it.”
Too caught up in how good his skin felt against hers, she willingly walked into temptation. Besides, the excitement etched into his wide smile over something as simple as cotton candy was so intoxicating, she couldn’t have resisted if she’d wanted to.
She chuckled as she watched his gaze follow the winding path the vendor was creating with his metal sugar spoon.
“What?” He stitched his eyebrows together into a deep V, which amused her enough to turn her chuckle into a full-blown laugh.
“For someone who appears so stoic most of the time, you light up at the simplest pleasures in life.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but the line moved up and it was their turn to order.
“Hey there, Sheriff,” said an older white man with a long full beard and kind eyes. He was stout, wearing a plaid shirt, denim overalls, and a faded red baseball cap. He looked like a mix between Santa Claus sans his red suit and Uncle Jesse fromThe Dukes of Hazzard. “It’s nice to see you outta uniform mingling with the rest of us.”
Michael groaned and nodded. “I know, Mr. Preston.”
“You work too much. The Mrs. said the same to me a few days ago.” He pointed a finger at Michael and narrowed his gaze in mock disappointment. Yet no matter how hard he attempted to look stern, the edges of his mouth crinkled into smile lines, tugging his mouth into a warm grin. “Matter fact, we were gonna invite you over for dinner tonight to make sure you were eating more than diner food. You look thin and the Mrs. worries you ain’t eating right.”
Vanessa caught the embarrassed look on Michael’s face and smothered a smile behind her hand. He didn’t seem to mind, though. His face lit up as he gave her a nod.
“Thanks, Mr. Preston. I’d love to, it’s just, I already have plans.” He pulled his gaze from hers and returned his attention to the cotton candy vendor. “My friend Vee came to visit with me for the festival. Vee”—he reached for Vanessa, opening his arm and beckoning her to stand closer—“this is Mr. Preston. He owns and operates the best orchard in Monroe Hills.”
The older man extended one hand to her and removed his hat in a display of suave, old-school manners. “Hello, dear. It’s very niceto meet you.” He playfully smacked his hat against Michael’s arm and grinned at her. “What are you doing running around with this sourpuss?”
A look passed between her and Michael and she could see the concern popping up in the faint lines on his forehead.
“Michael said the festival’s spectacular, so I figured I’d come out and give it a try.”
“Well, welcome.” Mr. Preston nodded as he released her hand and put his hat back on. “You make sure he shows you a good time. If he doesn’t, you come find me and I’ll set him straight. Ya hear?”
“Hey,” Michael protested. “You’ve known me all my life. You’re supposed to take my side.”
“Son,” Mr. Preston said with a laugh. “When a woman this beautiful is around, there’s only one side to take: hers. Maybe if you’d learn that, she wouldn’t be the first friend you’d brought ’round these parts.”
Michael blew out an exasperated breath and threw up his hands, shaking his head in exaggerated frustration.
“Can I just have the cotton candy, please?”
“She certainly can,” Mr. Preston began as he grabbed a paper cone and began twisting and scooping up the sugary blue treat. He smiled and handed Vanessa what looked like a triple-size portion that made Michael’s jaw drop.
