“Time to do your fair jobs?” Celia asked, her eyebrow raised.
“What?”
Drew elbowed me.
Oh crap.Now I remembered. “Yup. I bet the mayor’s wondering where we are.”
“Mm-hm,” Drew agreed, took my hand in his and we fled the scene. Skirting around various tents and tables, Drew waved to everyone.
“Do we hide out for a while, Mr. Popular?” I glanced around to make sure Celia hadn’t followed us and then grinned.
He shook his head. “Nope. It’s a small town. It would be weirder if I didn’t know so many people. Let’s go say hi to Marc and Wyatt. We can hide at their booths if we need to.”
I squeezed his hand. “So your family really is like royalty here. Isn’t it?”
He blushed. “People know us, yes. You’ve seen how they treat my grandmother like a queen.”
“Deservedly. I think it’s nice that they all like your family so much. And I know it’s not just because your family founded the town. You give back. They appreciate it.” I’d done some research after Kingsley Jewelry took on the animal shelter as a charity. They had dozens of other places they’d “adopted” and helped out in the community as a business and as a family.
We visited Marc first, at his “Ask the Vet” booth. I browsed the information on his table as he talked to Nora and her teenage daughter. They had a guinea pig in a carrier. I tried not to eavesdrop but it was hard not to.
“Nora, I can do a basic exam, but we should make you an appointment to run some tests.”
Nora turned toward her daughter. “Hey, Rose. Why don’t you check out the booth next door? I saw a bunch of crystals and I’m sure Delaney can tell you all about them.”
I didn’t miss the eye roll from Marc at the mention of the table next to him.
“Sure, Mom. Should I take Jet with me?”
“No, it’s okay. I have him.” The second her daughter was out of earshot, her plea broke my heart. “Please, Marc. I don’t … I can’t afford a visit right now, but this guinea pig helps calm Rose’s anxiety. If he’s sick or we lose him, I don’t know what I’ll do. It’s bad enough I can barely afford the hay and veggies. Can we do a payment plan?”
Marc looked at the cage then back at Nora’s flushed face. “Okay,” he said softly. “Bring him to the office tomorrow morning. No charge.”
“But you’re not open then, and I can’t let you do that.” Nora glanced at the tent just a few feet away. I knew she was trying to be discreet, but even I could tell her daughter could hear what was going on. And so could the curvy shop owner as she tried to distract Rose with various crystals and their meanings.
The tables were too close for absolute privacy.
Marc’s eyes met hers. “You take care of all of us, I can do this for you. Please, let me do this.”
“I just fill your coffee. That’s not equal to?—”
“I insist,” He tore a piece of paper from a notepad and wrote on it. “And call this number. It’s a small farm outside of town. Let them know I sent you, and I bet they’ll have some hay and veggies you can take off their hands for Jet.”
Nora’s breath hitched, and she swiped at the tears escaping down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned and gave us the faintest of smiles as she hurried to join her daughter.
I blinked at Marc, throat tight. “That was really kind of you.”
He shrugged, fiddling with pamphlets like it was nothing. His shoulders were tense, his mouth tight—like the attention made him itch.
“Don’t make a big deal,” Drew murmured at my side, doughboy in hand.
Right.Don’t make a big deal about the Kingsley men being sweet.
“How’s your day going?” Drew asked his brother.
Marc side-eyed the table next to him, where a curvy woman with sleek black hair streaked with purple was arranging crystals. The air around her smelled like sage and lavender, and her music, a lilting instrumental, drifted over to Marc’s table.
“If she turns up that damn flute music one more notch or lights another incense stick, I swear, I’ll—” Marc muttered.
