Chapter Twelve

 

Colton

 

 

 

I don’t know what came over me yesterday, but Elle and I shared the most amazing kiss ever. It took everything I had to stop it. I didn’t want to, but I felt I needed to. After what happened a few years back, I owe that to Maggie. I can’t risk her friendship with Elle. Losing one friend thanks to me was one too many.

Elle and I decided to stay friends for now and go on a few dates to see where this will lead. But man, do I want to be with her… It’s almost unbearable. I don’t even know how I was able to utter that word. Friends. It’s not enough.

“Don’t you agree?”

“Huh?” My fantasies about Elle are cut short and I’m catapulted back into reality. It’s only now that I remember I’m at work—not an ideal place to be daydreaming about the girl I like.

Sarah levels me with a look and laughs. “Dreaming about a girl, Prince Charming?”

I shake my head. I’m not ready to tell her. If one person around here knows, everyone else will as well. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Don’t go changing the subject, mister. Please tell me all the goss. And then I’ll share a little secret with you too.”

I get up and we start our daily walk to the park’s castle. “I was just thinking about fitness equipment,” I lie.

“Really?” The way she furrows her brow tells me she doesn’t believe one word of it.

“Yeah, you know what they say about guys and their toys,” I answer with a grin. “I’m having new equipment delivered later today.” I’m not. In fact, the only workout equipment I own is my punch bag and a bench to do weights, but Sarah doesn’t need to know that.

She laughs. “Oh, Colton, this is too relatable. My husband keeps hauling in these outdoor cooking supplies. They’re taking over the house! Everywhere I look I find a new pair of skewers or bags of charcoal. You’d think outdoor cooking supplies should be outside but he says they need to be kept in the best possible condition, which, apparently, means being indoors.”

I’m glad she believes me, even though it doesn’t feel good to lie to her. I don’t have a choice, though. Elle and I agreed to keep everything between us a secret, and I’m not going to break her trust.

“What about you?” I ask. “What secret are you hiding?”

She smiles, her eyes sparkling. “I’m hiding it under my shirt. Well, my dress.”

I look at her dress, but don’t see anything out of the ordinary. She looks at me as if I’m supposed to know what she means.

“You’ve got food under there or something? Did you bring me a candy bar or are you keeping everything to yourself?”

She slaps me on the arm while we walk into the castle garden. “No, I didn’t bring you a candy bar. I’m hiding something under my dress. It’s something small. Something fairly new.”

I run a hand through my hair. This is starting to sound like an episode of that old TV show Pyramid.

“Things that give you stomachache?” I try.

Sarah laughs out loud while shaking her head in disbelief. I clearly didn’t give her the correct answer. “Why are men so dense sometimes?”

I shrug. “Why do women talk in riddles all the time?”

“Riddles? You really don’t have a clue, do you?”

We take our positions to start our first meet and greet session of the day. We’ve only got a couple of minutes before guests will start queuing.

“Level with me, Sarah. What’s going on?”

She beams again, unable to contain her excitement about whatever she’s going to tell me. “Okay, so you know how I’m tired all the time? And last week when I felt a bit under the weather, I thought it was because of that burrito I had for lunch, but it wasn’t.”

“That’s good, right?”

She nods. “Absolutely.”

“Then what’s causing these things?”

She leans in closer, darts her gaze across the garden for a moment, then whispers, “I’m pregnant! I have a real baby growing inside of me.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re hiding under your shirt. I mean, who.” I give her a hug. “Congratulations! There was no way I would’ve guessed with all your subtle hints.”

“Thanks,” she says. “We’re elated.”

I suddenly feel kind of protective of her. I don’t know why this instinct kicks in, but now I worry this job is a bit much for her. She’s got to wear a tight dress every day, walk a lot, interact with people… I’m sure it’s taxing on her and her baby.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, studying her expression. She might be smiling, but maybe she’s secretly longing for a break already. “Can I do anything for you? Should we ask Frank if you can sit down during meet and greets?”

She waves my worries away with a laugh. “I’m pregnant, Colton, not injured. I feel fine. Exhausted and nauseous, but fine. Frank might have to look for another Head Princess soon, though. I don’t think a pregnant princess fits the park’s image.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Why? Did he say anything to you? Because he can’t discriminate against you, especially not based on your pregnancy. I’ll go up there and talk to him right away if you need me to.”

She puts a hand on my arm. “Relax, Colton. No one is discriminating against me. I haven’t even told him yet. I will after our shift, and I’m positive he’ll be happy for me.”

“If he isn’t, I’ll teach him a lesson,” I say, only half joking. I’m sure Sarah’s right about Frank being supportive because that’s the kind of guy he is. He values all employees and I’ve never known him to treat someone in a bad way. But what if he reacts differently this time? I need to know she’s going to be okay.

We can’t talk anymore, as the meet and greet is about to start, so I jump straight into my role as Prince Charming. I do my utmost to focus on the guests and not steal glances at Elle over at the hot dog stand.

One time, she catches my eye, and sends me a big, goofy smile that instantly catapults me to cloud nine. Her red hat has slipped to the side a bit, and she looks kind of uncomfortable in that beige hot dog costume, but to me, she looks nothing short of amazing. So pure and joyful. There’s nothing fake about Elle, and I love that.

After our shift, Sarah rushes off to find Frank and tell him about her pregnancy. I take advantage of the lull in my work schedule to go over to Elle’s part of the park. I hope I come across as casual and grounded even though I’m a ball of nerves. We haven’t talked much since our kiss yet. Sure, we rode into work together, but there’s not a lot of conversation going on when you’re cruising on a loud motorcycle.

“Hey,” I say. “Can I get a hot dog?”

Elle smiles at me, and her face gets all red. “Sure, that’ll be two bucks, please.”

“Hi, Colton,” Layla says. Then she turns to Elle. “If a Magic Wonderland employee orders a hot dog, we don’t have to charge them.”

“Oh, that’s good to know,” Elle replies while she squirts ketchup on my hot dog. She doesn’t catch my eye. Maybe she’s as nervous as I am?

“Do you guys mind if I take my break now?” Layla asks.

“Of course, go ahead. I’ll manage,” Elle says.

Layla offers her a quick thank you, then dashes off toward The Village. I take a bite of my hot dog to avoid having to talk. It’s kind of ridiculous, though. We live together, we ride into work together, and we kissed already. But Elle has a magic quality that makes being around her extra special and I don’t want to mess things up between us.

“Did you have a nice morning?” she asks.

I nod. “Yeah, lots of smiling and posing for pictures.”

“Ah, the life of a famous Prince Charming.”

I let out a laugh. “I wouldn’t use the word famous. This is just a small amusement park. I doubt anyone who doesn’t live within a twenty-mile radius has ever heard about me.”

“Really?” she asks with a frown. “Then why is there an article about you in the New York Times?”

I almost choke on my hot dog. “There is?”

“Here, I’ll show you.” She gets her phone out from under the counter and swipes it open. Then she turns the screen toward me, showing me a picture of a donkey with the word gotcha written over it.

I roll my eyes at her, even though I can hardly suppress a laugh. “Aren’t you funny.”

“Either you’re into lame jokes, or you’re not.”

My phone buzzes with a text and I check the device to see who it’s from. Frank and my sister have both texted me, their messages only seconds apart. “Maggie wants to go out tonight. Just us three and a few others. What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

I fire off a quick okay before sliding my phone back into my pocket. I finish my hot dog and throw the napkin in one of the park’s bins. “I’ve gotta run. Frank wants to see me. I’ll meet you at the parking lot after your shift.”

She nods enthusiastically. “See you then.”

I give her what I hope is a heart-stopping smile and saunter off toward Frank’s office. I wonder what he needs from me. It’s probably nothing serious, but being called into his office always leaves me a bit nervous. I bump into Layla on my way there.

“Oh, hi, Colton. I was just returning from my break. How’s Elle?”

“She’s doing good. She’s got amazing hot dog-making skills.” I raise one of my eyebrows at her and cross my arms over my chest while giving her a friendly smile. “I can’t say the same about your matchmaking skills, though.”

Layla bites her lip. Guilt is written all over her face. “Oh, did she tell you what happened with Zeke?”

“The questionnaire? Or the food cutting? Or do you mean the stories about his dental health?” I say with a laugh.

She leans in closer and speaks in hushed tones, as if even one of the guests passing by cares about a blind date she set her colleague up with. “I didn’t know he was going to do this. Ever since he got dumped by that girl who cheated on him last year, he’s gone a bit off the rails. Nothing serious, but… He told me he needs the questionnaires to make sure the girl he’s dating is The One.”

I suck in a breath of air. “Wow. That’s not going to get him far. If anything, he’s scaring girls away left and right.”

“I know,” she says with a shrug of the shoulder. “But there’s no reasoning with him. Anyway, I’ve got to run. Why don’t you take Elle out on a date once? Make her forget all about what happened with Zeke.”

She grins at me, then rushes off toward her section of the park before I can think of a witty reply.

A couple of minutes later, I knock on Frank’s office door and let myself in.

“Hey, Colton, take a seat,” he says as he shoves his glasses further up his nose. “I’ll be right with you.”

He’s typing on his computer, using only two fingers, and his brow is creased. Every now and then, he needs to push his glasses back up as they keep sliding down. When he’s finished, I can hear the familiar sound of an email being sent.

He shoves a stack of papers out of his way and puts his folded hands on the desk. “Do you know how many people it takes to run an amusement park, son?”

I frown. “Uhm, quite a few. I can’t give you an exact number, though.”

He nods slowly. “Quite a few, that’s for sure. A lot would be even more accurate. So much so, in fact, that’s it’s getting harder for me to keep on top of managing this place. I’m not getting any younger either. Then there’s my sweet Irene, who is begging me to retire. She wants to go on a cruise with me, but I can’t leave the park for weeks, so a trip like that is out of the question for us.”

“Okay,” I say, wondering where he’s going with this.

“I need someone to help me manage The Magic Wonderland. Someone who’s mature enough to handle that job and who knows the ins and outs of this place. Someone like you.”

My eyes grow wide with surprise. “You want me to manage this park for you?”

“Well, co-manage, yes, for now. Then one day, you could manage everything while Irene and I sail to the Bahamas.”

“But I’m perfectly happy being Prince Charming.”

He sighs. “I feel like your talents are wasted in Costume Crew.”

“Why? Am I not performing well?”

He shakes his head. “You’re the best Prince Charming this park has ever had, Colton. But you’ve got so much more to offer. Plus, this job comes with a higher paycheck. You know that I’m retiring soon and—”

“Let me stop you right there, Frank. You know I’m leaving.”

He sighs. “So you say. But there’s nothing out there that will change things for you. Even if you moved to some secluded place far away, you’d still be you. No offence, but you can’t run from your problems because you’ll always take yourself with you.”

I lean back in my chair and grit my teeth. I don’t want to listen to his analysis of my inner workings.

He levels me with a deep look. “You know I’m right. Just think about it, okay? You don’t have to decide right away.”

“I’ll think about thinking about it.”

He laughs. “Sounds fair enough.”

I get up, but I know I can’t leave like this. “I appreciate your offer, Frank. I don’t want to come across as ungrateful by not agreeing to it right away.”

“Don’t worry about it, son. This is a big decision. I wouldn’t want you to take it lightly.”

“Thanks,” I say, then head out of his office.

It’s as if something is trying to keep me here in Summerville Creek. First, there’s Elle. And now this offer from Frank.

I decide to catch some fresh air and take my bike for a ride before picking up Elle. Her shift isn’t over for another hour anyway.

Things just got a lot more complicated, and I need time to think.