“Mama,” Cam whined. “Can I get a hotdog? And a Sno-Cone?”
“Me too?” Lily asked. They both hung off her like little wolf pups. Darcy was in the middle of trying to sell a woman an encyclopedia collection that was missing the lettersXandZ.
“I’ll take the kids for a bit,” I volunteered.
Darcy sent me a grateful look and then fished around in her pocket. I waved at her to put her money away, grasped Cam and Lily’s hands, and walked toward the hotdog stand.
“We have to make one stop before we get food, okay?” I asked. “First one to find Laura gets their own cotton candy.”
Cam found Laura, who was sitting at a folding table at the entrance of the park, holding the cash box. Lily nearly pitched a fit until I told her I’d buy her a cotton candy too. Her pout turned into an adorable smile.
I reached into my back pocket and pulled out an envelope to give to Laura. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“My donation. For the clothes you brought me.”
She adamantly shook her head. “Put that away. You don’t need to donate. The clothes were a gift.”
“Please take the money and save us a lot of time,” I said.
“But Colt—”
“But Colt what?” he asked from behind me.
I turned to him. “I shouldn’t be surprised to find you standing right there, and yet, I kind of am.”
Colt grinned, leaned down, and kissed me quickly. Cam made a gagging noise while Lily giggled and hugged his leg.
He reached down and hoisted Lily up and settled her onto his shoulders before returning his attention to me. “What are y’all talking about?”
This man, speaking in a drawl with a cute little girl on his shoulders, had me sighing like an idiot.
“She’s trying to give me a donation,” Laura said, looking at me with a knowing smile.
“You gave me clothes when I had none,” I protested.
“I was happy to do it.”
“They’ve been arguing for a billion minutes,” Cam informed Colt. “And I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” Lily added.
I folded the envelope and shoved it into the pocket of Laura’s denim skirt.
Laura didn’t look at me but at Colt. Colt nodded and then Laura accepted it.
“Come on,” Colt said. “I’m hungry.”
“How hungry?” I asked in a playful voice.
“So hungry that I don’t think a few hotdogs will do it.”
“No?” I asked.
“No.” Colt pretended to look thoughtful. “I think I want…a Lily burger!”
“What? No!” Lily laughed as Colt lifted her off his shoulders and slung her over his back and began to nibble on her arm.