Cade snorted. “And you were worried aboutusmaking his head big?”
Linc released a long-suffering sigh. “You do realize I’m not a Disney character.”
“Um, you do realize Hercules was a mythological Greek hero before Disney made him a cartoon,” Zoey shot back.
Elisa scrunched her brow. “Youbothrealize he’s not actually real, right?”
Down the row of nearby game booths, someone threw a dart at a wall of balloons.Pop. The huddle of kids jumped. The smell of slightly burnt popcorn wafted on the evening breeze. Cade looked at his watch again. “Eight minutes, everyone!”
“Come on, hit it, already!” Zoey started clapping her hands and chanting Linc’s name. She was quickly joined by Mama D, Noah, Elisa, Miley, Sadie, and a dozen others waiting to go inside the circus tent. “Linc…Linc…Linc…”
“Aye!” With a scowl, Linc steadied the mallet, aimed once, and then hefted it onto the buzzer. The puck flew up the runner and slammed into the top with a loud clang.
Cade’s eyes widened. Noah’s hand went still on his cotton candy. Zoey’s mouth gaped. The standing crowd hushed in awe.
“There.” Linc tossed the mallet onto the hard-packed dirt. It reverberated with a thud Cade felt up into his shins. “Happy?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Noah surrendered the rest of his cotton candy to Elisa. “Surprised, maybe. Jealous, for sure.”
Cade clapped Linc on the shoulder as they turned away from the high striker. Now he was really glad Rosalyn had missed that. “Are youtryingto make the rest of us look bad, or does it come naturally?”
Linc narrowed his eyes. “I believe you promised me a free corndog in exchange for flaunting me around.”
“Right.” Cade pulled a wad of red carnival tickets from the pocket of his slacks. “Bon appetite.”
“Wait up.” Zoey, still nibbling a handful of cotton candy, called after Linc. “I like corn dogs too.” She ran behind him and jumped on him piggyback style. “You sure you won’t flex?”
Without looking back, Linc shook her off like a gnat and kept walking. She landed lightly on her feet, trotting after him and chantingHerculesover and over as he stoically made his way toward the food truck.
Noah caught Cade’s gaze and knowingly lifted his chin. “We just gonna let that ride?”
“Did you like us bugging you about her?” Cade nodded toward Elisa.
“He’s got a point, Noah.” Elisa snorted as she pulled off the last piece of spun candy from the cone. “Besides, Zoey swears they’re just friends. It goes both ways.”
“Whatever.” Noah crossed his arms over his plaid shirt. “Cade and I are friends, and I never jump on his back.”
“I know, sugar.” Elisa patted his arm and winked. “But that’s only because he’d be mad that you wrinkled his shirt.”
“Hey now—” The alarm on Cade’s watch dinged. He sucked in his breath. “It’s time.”
Nerves flooded his stomach. This was it. His to-do list flashed and he could only hope everything had been checked off. So many thoughts running rampant, yet somehow, under all the pressure and expectation, one rose above them all.
He was going to get to see Rosalyn perform again.
And maybe convince her to stick around afterward.
Cade inhaled and turned to make the announcement as the tent flaps burst open.
Owen stepped out in a black top hat and red tailcoat, brandishing a riding crop. Gold brocade danced down the legs of his pants. “Ladies and gentlemen!”
Everyone fell into anticipation. Children stared with wide eyes, until the only sound was the crunching of caramel corn and the whir of the Ferris wheel.
Cade held his breath. After all Owen’s begging to perform on stilts and tightrope walking, Cade had caved and given him the role of ringmaster. Would everyone buy it?
Fully in character, Owen adjusted his gold cravat and lifted his chin with an expression Cade would bet he’d practiced in front of the mirror. He expertly spun his crop and paced in front of the velvet ropes, a mischievous smile filling his face. Between his impish grin and black eyeliner, he looked like a cross between Edward Scissorhands and Willy Wonka.
Cade risked a glance at the crowd, who stared at Owen, mesmerized. Cade’s shoulders eased a notch. They loved it.
