The little boy threw his third ring, and it hit the back of the stall, landing nowhere near the wooden blocks. Ember gave him a smile, then offered him a plastic toy from the basket. “You did great,” she told him. “Those rings are tough, you definitely deserve a toy for trying.”
When he left and Ember had taken the next customer’s money, she turned back to Ally. “How do you know what kind of guy he’s like?” she asked.
“Well I guess I don’t.” Ally tipped her head to the side. “Because you’ve been keeping him a secret. How long have you known him anyway?”
“Since he came to the school, he’s the firefighter I told you about.” No need to mention th
e embarrassing incident at Megassey’s. Or the even more embarrassing non-date. A woman needed some secrets.
Ally’s eyes widened. “He’s the firefighter? The one who carried you down the ladder?”
“He didn’t carry me down, I got down myself.” Okay, so that wasn’t strictly true, but Ember really didn’t want to add any more fuel to Ally’s fire. “Anyway, do you really think this is a date?”
“You have no idea about guys, do you? Which is crazy considering you lived with one for so long.” Ally shook her head. “Although maybe that explains a lot. Will wasn’t exactly a man, not when compared to Lucas.” She rolled her lip between her teeth, staring at Ember. “Anyway, from what I can tell, Lucas doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be afraid of asking a girl out. He’s strong, he’s masculine, he’s not the sort who would write a note and pass it to Mikey Daniels, you know? He asked you out directly, which means it’s a date. So stop worrying and start enjoying yourself.”
If you asked Ember, that was easier said than done. Because she could never remember her heart racing after reading a note the way it raced when Lucas asked to meet her after her shift was up. She couldn’t remember Will setting her whole body on fire with one look the way that Lucas managed to do every time their eyes met. It was hard to remember anything at all except the fact that in a couple of hours she’d be spending the evening with Lucas Russell.
And that thought excited and unnerved her all at the same time.
* * *
The sun had just begun its descent into the horizon when the evening shift arrived, and Ember handed the ring toss stall over to Ron Shorto, a teacher from the high school. The few clouds in the sky were tipped with orange and pink, a contrast to the dark blue of the air around them.
To her left the fairground rides rose majestically from the field, the tall Ferris wheel silhouetted against the sunset. Frank must have ordered for the lights to be turned on – the strings of bulbs festooned across the rooflines of the booths were sparkling and bright, making the games inside them look enticing.
Lifting her cross-body purse over her head, Ember leaned against the outside of the stall while she waited for Lucas to meet her. It was still warm – enough for her to have her sweater knotted around her waist and her bare arms exposed to the evening air. It wasn’t just her skin that felt warm, though. Standing here, looking out at the fair she loved, in the town she adored, she couldn’t help but feel as though everything was going to be okay.
Maybe more than okay.
Hope was a strange emotion. When you had it, it painted the world in a myriad of colors, making everything look enticing and beautiful. And when it was gone? It was as though the world had been bleached – no, not bleached, bled dry. Because everything turned grey, not white. Hopelessness drained the bloom from everything, leaving you with only a darkness that made you want to curl up inside.
But right now, as she stared out at the Angel Day Fair, her heart felt full. A little fluttery, too, at the thought of seeing Lucas again. It had only been a few hours since she saw him last – before Frank reassigned him to the other side of the fair – and yet it felt so much longer.
A movement in the far corner of her eye caught her attention. Strange how she could recognize him with her peripheral vision, even when he was surrounded by a crowd of people he stood out to her. She slowly turned her head, staring at him full on, and that fluttering in her chest turned into a thousand butterflies. How had she ever thought he was sullen? Now that she knew him better she understood that you had to earn a Lucas Russell smile. But when you did? It was as though a floodlight had turned on and it shone directly on you.
He reached the ring toss and she stood back, watching as he talked with Ron, his brows knit together as if he was a little confused. But then he turned, his eyes searching until they alighted on hers, and those butterflies in her chest swooped and dived all over again.
Had he changed clothes, or hadn’t she noticed what he was wearing earlier under that bright yellow jacket? Either way, he looked amazing in a pair of dark wash jeans and a light grey Henley sweater. He smiled, and she felt her skin flush with warmth all over again.
“Hey.” He walked over to her, stopping just short of where she was standing. “So you’re free?”
“As a bird.” She grinned back. “Though I plan to avoid Frank all evening, just in case he tries to pull us back in.”
Lucas nodded slowly. “Good idea. Maybe we should buy some wigs, get a disguise.”
She laughed, trying to imagine him in a wig; it was almost impossible. “As long as we’re out of here before the fair closes down I think we’ll be okay.”
Lucas glanced at his watch. “Well we have a few hours until that happens. How about we go and enjoy ourselves?” He held a hand out to her. She slid her palm against his, feeling the roughness of his skin, the heat of it. Then he folded his fingers around hers, and she had to work hard to push the air out of her lungs. It felt good, so good, to be holding hands with Lucas Russell.
“Where do you want to go first?” he asked her, as they meandered up past the booths, toward the midway where the rides were.
“I don’t mind. As long as you don’t make me play the ring toss I’m game for anything.” She looked around. “What’s your favorite ride?”
He looked bemused. “I don’t have one.”
“What did you love when you were a kid?” she asked him. “Were you an adrenaline junkie?”
He slowly shook his head. “No, I didn’t come to the fair when I was a kid.”