“Good,” Alex nods as E hands me a mug of tea.
“Thanks, E. What can I help with?”
“Nothing, there’s an egg bake in the oven cooking,” he replies, taking a seat beside me.
E has a glimmer in his eyes as he watches me. When I raise my eyebrows, he smiles and looks away. “So, did we miss anything last night?” I ask.
“Not much. A few girls got completely naked and went swimming,”E shrugs.
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” I reply. “When do you guys want to head to the carnival?”
“After lunch,” Alex replies. “It does not start until noon.”
“Okay. I’m going to call Zander.” Getting up, I walk to the couch and take a seat in the corner to make my phone call.
As we’re eating lunch, Seb asks for our attention. “Okay, everyone, even with all the stuff going on, we need to make plans for my favorite holiday. We need to go to the pumpkin patch, buy costumes, and make plans for Halloween. Let’s get our schedules set.”
“When did you want to go to the pumpkin patch?” Alex asks.
We discuss availability between ourselves and pick a day for costumes and pumpkins. I also tell the guys about my plans to visit Virginia. October is going to be a busy month between Halloween, plantation work, my upcoming trip to Virginia, and tests at school. “Olivia would love to go with us,” Bay adds.
Seb texts Gabby and Troy while I text Zander to see if they’re interested.
When everyone has finished eating, we hop in the SUV and Jeep to drive to the carnival. It's being held on the school’s baseball field. When we arrive, we find a large circular area of booths. Seb pulls me along beside him, stopping at the first game he finds. “I’m gonna win you a prize, Sunshine,” he smiles, paying for us both to play ring toss. I go first, missing 2 out of three, but Seb misses all three. “Well, damn,” he says. “There’s a lot more to try. I promise I’ll win you something.”
Smiling up at him, I squeeze his hand. “You don’t need to win me anything, Hurry.”
“I know that, but I want to. Come on.” He pulls me along and stops at balloon darts. “E, your reach is longer. Try it and win Sunshine something.” E does, but only gets one balloon to burst.Nick shoves his way forward, pays, and throws, bursting all three balloons. When the attendant asks what he wants, Nick looks at me, raising an eyebrow, so I choose a grey stuffed cat. Nick hands it to me as I give him a big smile.
“Thank you, Grumpy.”
“Welcome, Shortie,” he says, squeezing my hand quickly before stepping back.
Turning, I see Seb pouting. “What Hurry?”
“Challenge accepted. I declare I will also win you a prize before leaving this carnival,” he says, fisting his hand in the air.
“Uh, Seb. I appreciate the sentiment, really, but let’s just have fun today and not worry about prizes.”
“I’ll think about it, Sunshine. I need sustenance now. E lead the way.”
I shake my head at him, stepping between Alex and Nick as we follow Hurricane Seb. E offers me a cotton candy stick from a vendor cart. Sharing with the guys, we walk through the carnival together. It’s weird not having Bay with us, but I hope he’s having fun with Penny. We’ll probably run into them sometime this afternoon.
Seb stops at a water gun game after we’ve stuffed our faces with junk food. There’s enough room for all of us to play, so we pay and take seats in a row. I win the first game, and the attendant tells me I can have a small prize or keep playing for a bigger one. “Oh, this is it. Let’s keep going, guys. Attendant dude, we’re all playing together. If one of us wins, add it to the lady’s win,” Seb tells him.
He shrugs and agrees as a few more people join us for the next round. It’s close, but Alex beats the newcomers. Seb is absolutely terrible at this game, coming in last again. “Yes,” Seb yells. “How many do we need to win to get the biggest prize?” He asks.
“Six rounds,” the attendant says.
“Okay, four more to go, guys. Let’s concentrate.”
Alex pays for four more rounds for us as we wait to begin. Nick wins the next two rounds, then I win round number five. Some newcomers join us for round six. As we start, a new guy jumps into the lead. Seb abandons his gun and turns to the new guy. “You gotta let us win, man. We’re one away from my girl getting a big prize. Help a guy out. I’ll buy you another round. Please,” he begs. The guy’s horse stops moving as Nick wins. “Yes!” Seb shouts, punching his fist in the air. He hands the guy some money before turning to me. “Pick your poison, Sunshine.”
I look around and spot a big purple and green dragon hanging near the back. “The dragon, please,” I say, pointing to him. The attendant pulls him down and hands him to me. He’s pretty big, like 3 feet tall and really soft. I hug him tight to my chest, all giddy inside. “Thanks, guys, I love him.”
“Goal accomplished,” Seb announces with a big smile. He lost all his games, but who am I to point that out when he’s so happy. He never fails to keep me entertained.
After too much food and lots of rides, we decide to leave. I spot Beth in the parking lot as soon as we pass the ticket booth. Squeezing Seb’s hand, I point to her. “Your mom, Hurry.”
