“Your work apron?” Griffin asks jokingly.
Camden rolls his eyes, but Noah isn’t deterred. He hops, unable to contain his excitement. “Is Benny coming too?”
Knox nods his head. “Yes, Benny will be here. He volunteered to be the unfortunate soul who drops into the water.”
I raise a brow in disbelief. “Benny volunteered?”
“When have you ever known Benny to do something he doesn’t want to do?” Knox ends his rhetorical question with a wink.
Griffin storms ahead of us as the dunk tank comes into view. “What the hell?”
“Wait back here.” Knox reaches for mine and Noah’s hands to stop us. But I dodge him and scurry after Griffin.
The water in the dunk tank is covered with a layer of something that has a deep amethyst hue. Griffin already stands there, cursing up a storm. When I reach his side, my breath gets caught in my throat as my stomach knots.
Belladonna flowers float in the water tank.
I rub my eyes, shaking my head in an attempt to rid myself of the hallucination. But when I look again, the belladonna is still there.
Knox’s expression turns venomous. “Who would do this?”
“My money’s on Amos.” Griffin’s mouth twists wryly.
I stare incomprehensibly at the flowers. “Amos? What does he have to do with this?”
The muscles in Griffin’s jaw flick angrily. “Amos knows just as much about Scarlett as we do. Belladonna is her favorite flower. And Amos has the resources to arrange something like this.”
“Griffin’s right,” Knox agrees. “Amos hates that we never stood by him through the trial. He probably had a friend bring the flowers after we all left earlier.”
My heart still races despite Griffin and Knox’s logic.
Each time I saw my brother, he had belladonna in his hands. I thought seeing him confirmed that I’m insane. But was his ghost trying to tell me something?
“Do you think he’ll try anything else?” I wring my hands behind my back.
Griffin sounds confident in his answer. “No. He had his fun with this stunt. We’re in the clear.”
Blowing out a breath, I will my pulse to slow. But my mom instincts flare, and I turn, looking for Noah.
Knox grabs my shoulder. “Kat and Camden took Noah to get a treat.”
My shoulders slump. “Thanks.”
Knox wraps me in his embrace. “Let’s get this cleaned up, and then we can find Noah and ride the Ferris wheel. He told me earlier he really wants to ride it with all of us.”
Griffin steps up behind me. “I say we focus on having fun and making memories tonight.”
My heart flutters, and my body softens. Lifting on my toes, I give Knox a quick peck, then turn and do the same with Griffin. “Sounds perfect.”
After we’ve tossed all the flowers, families swarm the fairgrounds to enjoy the festivities, and Benny arrives wearing swim trunks and a black shirt that says, “This is My Halloween Costume.” Though I’m trying to hide it, the corners of my mouth curl upward.
Benny glares. “Don’t say it.”
Ignoring his warning, I hug him. “I love it. Thanks for coming to help.”
Benny’s eyes turn soft. “Anytime.” He takes his position on the little seat above the water and takes his shirt off, tossing it aside.
Oh. My.
