“She will.” He smiled. “She’s as tough as nails.”
She could see his admiration for Trish, and her heart warmed that she had been surrounded by so many great people. It only made her hope even more for her recovery.
“Okay,” Reed said, rubbing his hands together. “I think it’s time for a little fun.”
It was early afternoon, and the patrons kept pouring in. A slight wind countered the sun's heat, and Nikki was grateful for it. She passed by the bingo table to see that Ava was having fun. She ruffled her hair and kept going.
She climbed the steps to the large, portable pool and picked up the megaphone. She had never done that sort of thing before, but she was feeling excited. Maybe it was contagious because the air was buzzing with it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!” she called over the loudspeaker. “Are you ready to have some fun?!”
“Woo-hoo! Yay!” they screamed.
“All right then.” Nikki laughed. “How about we start by getting these officers wet!”
“Oh yeah!” a woman close by screamed.
“That’s your cue, boys,” she told the group of men who’d already stripped down to their swimming trunks. “You know the drill. Who’s first to take the hot seat?”
Everyone hollered and hooted as one of the officers stepped forward. “Okay, let’s get this over with. It’s a hot day anyway.”
“That’s the spirit,” Nikki said as she held up the officer’s hand. “Now, let’s see who’s got an arm strong enough to take this man down!”
One by one, the men standing around the pool took their shot at the lever. Some of the balls barely tipped the seat, and the officer gripped the sides to keep from falling. When a large, heavyweight man stepped forward, he knew he was done for. The crowd cheered hard and loudly as the first officer hit the water with a great splash.
It continued in the same way until it was the police chief’s turn. “Do I really have to?” he asked as he stood next to the hot seat.
“Do you even have to ask?” Nikki goaded him.
“Get on the seat!” someone shouted.
“I hate to agree, Chief,” Nikki told him. “You have to take the seat, or I’m going to have to make you.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” the chief asked as he stood with his hands on his hips.
“Should I show him?” Nikki asked the jeering crowd.
“Yeah!” they hollered back.
“Alright,” she said as the chief looked at her suspiciously. She inched a little closer.
“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked and stepped back.
“Nothing,” she said as she lunged forward and tapped him on the chest. He tipped backward, and his arms flailed as he tried to grab something to hold. The crowd celebrated as they watched his inevitable fall, and Nikki unwittingly got too close.
She shrieked when he caught her arm, and she managed at the last minute to ditch the megaphone as both she and the police chief hit the water, much to the amusement of everyone.
Nikki bobbed to the top and wiped her hand down her face as the chief joined her, laughing uproariously. “You didn’t think I was going to take the fall alone, did you?”
Nikki laughed as some of the other men helped her out of the tank, but it was a rousing way to start the games and shenanigans.
The food was great, and she visited a couple of the tables for games before the evening rolled around and it was time for the raffle. The prize was one thousand dollars and some small appliances for runners-up.
Nikki called the winning numbers to an attentive group of people, and cheers erupted when the winners came to collect their prizes. It was an eventful day, and by the end of it, Nikki was exhausted.
She was making her way to one of the kiosks to get a drink when she ran into Paul and a beautiful young woman. “Nikki,” he exclaimed. “You did such a great job out there.”
“Tell that to my wet clothes.” She laughed. “Ava had to get me a change of outfit.”
