It’s the girl I’ve been glimpsing around town.
I grab Bree’s arm. “That’s who I was telling you about!”
Bree looks where I point. Since I can’t leave the bakery table, like a good best friend, she rushes through the crowd for me. However, the kid is quick and seemingly knows how to disappear into groups of people.
Bree returns, catching her breath. “I hope an angry parent doesn’t track me down and holler at me for chasing their child.”
“She wouldn’t have run unless she was up to something.”
I scan the crowd, looking for any sign of dark hair and familiar features. “She looked so much like Kai. Same age, same build, same?—”
“Same what?” Lane’s voice comes from behind us. He and Kai have appeared, both sporting matching Knights face paint.
“Just thought I saw someone familiar,” I say smoothly.
Glancing around nervously, Kai goes pale under the red and silver paint.
“Everything okay?” Lane asks, having noticed too.
“Fine,” Kai says, but his voice is tight. “Can I go play the hockey stick ring toss game?”
Something is definitely going on. But what?
“How about later? I have to get ready to crush the competition,” Lane says mock-aggressively.
Half the guys take to the ice with face paint and Knights uniforms and the others in bright yellow and green regalia—Cobbiton colors—the charity game is fun and lighthearted, but absolutely dominated by the Knights players, who are holding back against the enthusiastic but outmatched local volunteers.Lane scores twice and sets up three other goals, playing with a near constant smile.
Even as I cheer from the stands, I can’t shake the feeling that shadows are gathering around our perfect day—the mysterious girl, Badaszek, who doesn’t so much as grin, and the female fans who wear pink jerseys with Lane’s name and shake pom poms while chantingLSJ.
After the game, as we’re packing up the bakery booth and preparing to head home, Kai announces he wants to go back to the midway.
Lane says, “The festival is winding down and you’ve had a pretty big day.”
“I just want to skate a little more. Please? Just for a few minutes?”
Something about his tone sets off alarm bells in my head, but Lane agrees, and soon we’re back at the Ice Castle—a smaller version of the Ice Palace rink. Kai laces up his skates with unusual urgency and heads onto the ice alone.
“He’s been so excited today, which I expect, but then he’ll suddenly start acting strange,” I tell Lane as we watch him skate.
“What do you mean?”
“Jumpy, secretive. And those pranks at the bakery?—”
“What pranks?” Lane’s attention sharpens.
“Well, not pranks exactly.” I explain about the rearranged items and the sense that someone’s been in the building when I’m not there. With each word, I doubt myself, worried I’m overworked, overwhelmed and am imagining things.
“You think Kai?—?”
I take a risk and blurt, “Either Kai has help from a girl who looks so much like him it’s spooky, or I’ve got a serious nisser—gnome—problem.”
Lane stares at me for a long moment, then his expressionlightens as he smooths a piece of loose hair from my cheek. “I’ve called my sister. Texted her. Could send a carrier pigeon ...”
I bump him with my shoulder, feeling immediately at ease in his presence despite everything going on.
He continues, “But the likelihood of her having another child, us not knowing about it, and the girl ending up here, is doubtful.”
I nod, now more worried that stress is really getting the better of me.
