“Will you take us to see the goats?” Sam is asking Graham by the time I make it to them.
“Why doesn’t your dad take you to see the goats?” he asks her.
I clap him on the shoulder. “That’s your job.”
“Do you know how many kids are here?” Bode asks. I can’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but I’m sure they’re wide with worry. “I can’t handle this.”
“Too bad it’s too cold for a dunk tank. We could’ve put you in there no problem.”
“Asswipe,” he mumbles.
“C’mon, let’s go, boys.”
Noah and Graham set the girls down and hold their hands as we walk toward the entrance of the carnival.
Two rows of games stretch out behind the check-in booth. The rings of games echo in the field. Sugary sweet smells scent the air. The sounds of animals hit my ears and I groan. I only hope I can stay far,faraway from them.
“This is unlike any carnival I’ve ever been to,” Noah comments.
“It’s the school’s biggest fundraiser,” I tell him. When we reach the check-in desk, I get tickets for the girls to play games and hand them each a stack.
“How did you get roped into this?”
“It’s the girls’ school. You volunteer as needed.”
“You’ve never volunteered us before,” Graham points out.
A few kids come up and say hi to the girls, distracting me from Graham’s question. “Dad, can we go play with them?”
I nod. “Sure. Just make sure you don’t go wandering off, okay?”
With so many adults and teachers here, not to mention school security walking the perimeter, I’m not worried about them. Especially with their friends’ moms trailing after them.
“Okay!”
“Do you know where we need to check in to volunteer?” I ask the woman sitting at the desk.
If she answers, I don’t hear her, because everything else disappears when I see the woman who signed me up walking toward me. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Harper’s voice is sweet. She’s wearing a Nashville Prep hoodie with a black vest over it. Jeans cling to her legs, and a black knit cap sits on her head.
She is the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met.
“Hi,” I repeat, not quite knowing what to say.
“Are you two just going to stand here, or are you going to introduce us?” Bode asks, interrupting us.
The fucker.
“Guys, this is Harper. Harper, meet your volunteers.”
She looks around at all of them, giving them a bright smile. “Thanks so much for signing up.”
“I—”
I elbow Bode in the side before he can say anything. “Where do you need us, Harper?”
“Follow me.”
