Carnival Ride: A Sweet Romance (Red Canyon Series Book 2) Read online

  Sophie cocked her arm back and shot forward, but the ball hit the platform the pins were resting on and bounced off. The second ball missed entirely and the third only knocked off the one pin at the top.

  “I guess I’m not as good at this as you are,” Sophie said. “I won’t make the pro level.”

  “It’s okay,” Chelsea said. “There’s only room for one champion.”

  Sophie laughed. “I’ll do another round.”

  Nate fetched three balls. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, let’s do it.” She handed over three more tickets.

  This time, Sophie managed to remove all the pins except for the final three. She made a sound from deep in her throat and folded her arms. “It would help if I could hit the damn thing. I missed more times than I hit it.”

  “That’s all right,” Chelsea said. “You did fine. I’ll even share my hippo with you. Every other weekend except on holidays.”

  Sophie pulled out her tickets and started counting.

  “Maybe you should try your skill at another booth,” Nate said. “There are others you can try—some tossing or games of chance. I wouldn’t feel right if you spent all your tickets.”

  “I guess so,” Sophie said. “I can’t say there won’t be a rematch at some point, though.”

  “And who says you’re not competitive?” Chelsea asked.

  “Very funny. It’s okay, I still had fun. Good job on yours.”

  “Thanks for playing,” Nate said. “I hope to see you again. We’ll be here in town for the next few weeks.”

  That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Chelsea thought as she walked away.

  * * *

  “I hate pickles,” Chelsea said.

  “Give them all to me,” Sophie said. “It’s crazy you don’t like them. They’re the best part of any burger. You’re lucky you’re my friend, otherwise I’d turn you in.”

  Chelsea pulled back. “To who? The pickle police? Do they have jurisdiction here?”

  “Sure they do. It’s very wide. They might even be a branch of NATO.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Sophie licked ketchup off her finger. “You’re just one of those non-believers.”

  “So what did you think of the carnival?”

  “It was fun. Nice after not having gone to one for so long. I’m not sure it’s an all-day thing, but there was enough to see while we were there.”

  Chelsea turned her head. The burger stand was filling up and becoming a little crowded. The place was always popular, especially after events. It was one of her favorite places to eat. It wouldn’t be confused with anything fancy, but she liked it.

  “I might go back.”

  “Really? To do what? I thought we pretty much did everything.”

  Chelsea shifted in her seat. “We didn’t do everything, just the stuff we talked about doing at the time. There’s a lot to see there, and I don’t want to miss any of it.”

  “I mean, there were more food carts and a few more rides, so I suppose you’re right. But I have to work tomorrow, and my schedule is filling up pretty quickly. I’m not sure if I can go anytime soon.”

  A group sat down on the bench behind them. They all looked to be about their age. One of them had a tall milkshake that made Chelsea a little jealous. It was one of those novelty size cups that looked better suited for a gas station soda or something like that. The straw was practically a hose.

  “That’s all right. I can always go by myself.”

  Sophie made a face. “It’s no fun by yourself. Why would you want to go alone?”

  “It would still be fun either way.”

  Sophie smiled. “Does it have anything to do with that guy?”

  Chelsea stuffed her hands in her lap. “What guy?”

  “I knew it! I knew you were flirting with him. This is juicy stuff.”

  Some of the people from the table behind them turned around and stared. A car from the parking lot flipped on its lights and brightened the entire sitting area.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chelsea said. “If you mean the guy at the booth where I won that hippo, you’re exaggerating.”

  “You were flirting so hard.”

  “I barely said anything.”

  “You’re terrible at flirting, so about anything is hard-core for you.”

  Chelsea pushed Sophie’s shoulder and laughed. “I’m not that bad.”

  “At least he could tell you were flirting, so that’s progress for you.”

  Chelsea wanted to ask how she knew, but instead she went with, “What are you trying to say?”

  “I’m saying you’re so subtle when you flirt that most guys can’t even tell.”

  Chelsea took another bite. She had to cup the wrapper under her chin to catch any falling bits of tomato or onion. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe that’s why I’ve been single for so long.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. One day, you’re going to find your one and only, and it’ll be just as special as you imagine.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “If you want to go back and flirt with carnival man-cake, go for it. I guarantee it’ll be more fun than I’ll have at work.”

  Chelsea crumpled up her empty wrapper. “We’ll see. I’m not saying I’m going back to see him. I just think the carnival is fun. Maybe I’ll get one of those souvenir magnets for my fridge.”

  “Uh huh. Say hi to him for me.”

  Chelsea almost threw the wrapper at her, but Sophie didn’t deserve the chance that the ketchup dotting the outside would touch her clothing.

  “I wonder how long he’s been working that booth,” Sophie said. “And how exactly do you put that on a resume? Would ‘ball handler’ be appropriate?”

  “Oh stop. He’s good at what he does. He made you want to buy more tickets, didn’t he?”

  Sophie exhaled out her nose. “That was more frustration than anything. You didn’t have to make me look so bad, you know.”

  “I wasn’t trying to.”

  Sophie ran her fingers through her hair. “And did you see how he tried to talk me out of buying more? Isn’t he supposed to want me to spend as much money as possible?”

  “Maybe he was being considerate.”

  A figure stood up from the next table and walked over. “Chelsea? Is that you? I hardly recognized you with your long hair.”

  “Hi, Lynn,” Chelsea said. “How are you? It’s been a while.” Almost since high school days, actually.

  “No kidding,” Lynn said. “Which is impressive when you think about how small this town is.”

  “It’s getting bigger. That’s what Sophie and I have been talking about recently.”

  “I heard you were back in town,” Lynn said, “but I haven’t had the pleasure. I really must’ve been holed up to not see either of you recently.”

  “What have you been up to?” Sophie asked.

  Lynn eased herself down onto the edge of the table as if standing took too much effort. “Too much. I’ve been helping my dad renovate a rental unit in his side yard. We just completed it a few days ago. It used to be his sculpting studio, but I’m sure you can guess how well that went. I think he’s only started three statues since he moved into that house, and none of them made it past the lump-of-clay status.”

  “That sounds like quite a project,” Chelsea said. “What did he renovate it into?”

  “A little rental house. It sounds bigger than it really is. Basically, it’s an apartment in the form of a tiny house. He had plumbing installed, and it has a kitchen and everything. It’s actually pretty cool. If I didn’t have my own apartment, I’d live in it myself. But that’s really close to my parents. It would be like I never moved out.”

  “I hear you there,” Sophie said. “I moved back in with my dad to help him, and I’m just now thinking about getting my own place again.”

  Lynn moved her hand up and down. “At least I’ve learned a lot about painting. It’s basically been a crash
course.”

  “Where are you working these days?” Sophie asked.

  “Don’t laugh,” Lynn said.

  With a line like that, Chelsea already cracked a smile. She resisted the urge to cover her mouth with her hand. “Okay.”

  “I’m working at a theme park.”

  Chelsea tilted her head. “A theme park? We don’t have any of those around here. Your commute must be terrible.”

  Lynn shook her head. “It’s not that bad. Only a half hour. It’s that cowboy-themed place. You know, like the O.K. Corral.”

  “Really? A place like that around here?” Sophie asked. “That’s random.”

  Lynn shrugged. “It is Arizona, after all. Tombstone is only a few hours away, so it makes more sense when you think about it. A girl has to make a living somehow.”

  “I suppose, yeah. A Tombstone without the drive kind of thing. What’s it like working there?” Chelsea asked.

  “It’s like being around people who play dress-up all day. I work in the set design department, but I don’t really interact with the costume characters much.”

  “That would be fun, I think,” Sophie said. “To look so elegant with all those layers.”

  “It’s too bad they didn’t have air-conditioning back then, especially with the extra clothes,” Chelsea said.

  “You got that right. You should stop by there sometime and see me. They have shows and events and all that.”

  “Maybe I will. Thanks for letting me know,” Chelsea said.

  Lynn stood up. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. I just wanted to come over and say hi. It’s nice seeing you again.”

  “Nice to see you too,” Chelsea said. “We’ll see you around.”

  “Bye, Lynn,” Sophie said.

  “Are you almost done?” Chelsea asked, turning back to Sophie.

  Sophie folded her wrapper into a square. “Yeah, I am.”

  “How’s your milkshake?” Chelsea asked.

  “Pretty good. You want some?”

  “No.” Yes. “I’m back on the wagon now.”

  “After that cotton candy?”

  Chelsea pursed her lips. “Every woman has her weakness. I just need to focus on one at a time.”

  Chapter Four

  Speaking of weakness…

  Chelsea resisted the urge to walk right up to his booth. Instead, she took the long way now that she knew where it was. The one area she and Sophie hadn’t explored was to the east, butted up against an empty field, reserved for parking with cones and traffic signs. At least parking was free, but everything else cost something.

  Out of sheer desperation, she looked for something else to do first. She turned off into a small shop, a carnival’s version of a convenience store, with shelves stocked full of convenient items. At least four of them were dedicated to caramel and candied popcorn, which was nearly as tempting as the cotton candy. Really, it was the same thing—cotton candy essentially melted onto popcorn. Best of both worlds.

  “Can I help you with anything?” the attendant asked.

  “No, I’m doing fine. Thanks.” Really, I’m just killing time in order not to admit to myself what I came here for. But she didn’t say that part. Instead, she left it at that.

  “Oh, look at your dress.”

  Chelsea looked down, and for the first time, she realized the hem was covered in small burrs. She brushed off as many as she could find, although she was sure she’d discover more later.

  “How did they all get there?” the attendant asked.

  “I came in from the field entrance. I took the shortest distance, and that landed me in that stuff. There were bugs, too. I was lucky to get out alive.”

  “In that case, I’m glad you’re still with us. If you need anything, let me know. We do have some ointment on that far wall, by the way.”

  Someone is quite the salesman. That was probably more what Sophie had expected from Nate. Maybe she’d mention his room for improvement when she saw him—in a playful manner, of course. If she went over there. Am I still pretending I’m not here to see him? It was hard to tell anymore.

  She shrugged off the bug bites—they’d go away eventually. Although most of her friends found it odd, she tried to be a naturalist, in spurts. If she could go without chemicals or something manufactured, she would. Comfort often overruled that line of thought, but she liked the idea.

  A gust of wind picked up and blew some blades of grass onto the path, just where it happened to merge into a concrete sidewalk. Apparently, not all the carnival was booths and tents in the middle of a field. Part of it spilled onto a nearby parking lot, one she wished she’d parked in so she could’ve avoided the brush-up with nature.

  A woman shouted to her—another booth operator. She pointed to Chelsea, then to her game of cups, having something to do with tossing rings. Chelsea shook her head no and kept walking, hoping it would be enough. Some of them were much more persistent than others. She was called to by a few more on the way over, some men, some women.

  A pod flew above her head, carrying people yelling at the top of their lungs. It was odd to consider people screaming to be a pleasant sound, but it was simply part of the whole atmosphere. The pod came from one of those octopus-shaped rides, the ones that tried as hard as possible to make people lose their lunch. The last time she’d been on one of those, it felt like her body was being sucked against the wall behind her. They could’ve tested astronauts in those things.

  The top of the house of mirrors building came into view, and she knew she was close. Just a little around the corner would be Nate’s booth, where he’d likely be leaning against the side with his impressive arms crossed. He’d have an expression that begged women to come talk to him. There better not be a gaggle of women there. Not that it was any of her business, of course. But, just as before, no customers stood at his booth. Two people exited the house of mirrors as she walked up, but they passed right by. Their loss.

  Nate pushed off his leaning position—just as she’d predicted—and smiled at her. “Hey there, Chelsea. I’m glad you came back to visit.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Hi, Nate. You remembered my name.”

  “I’m not the only one.”

  Of course I remembered yours. Who wouldn’t? “I see you’re working today.” If not, it would’ve been an awkward visit.

  “Everyday this week. We don’t really have days off like most people do. We kind of help each other out at the different stations. This isn’t even normally mine.”

  Chelsea eyed a few balls, sitting unusually on the knee-high shelf in front. She picked one up and tossed it from one hand to the other. He didn’t make any move to stop her.

  “It isn’t? What do you normally do, then?”

  He shrugged. “I do a little bit of everything around here. I know the owner—that’s how I got started here—so I do what’s needed. Some days it’s changing a flat tire and others it’s crunching numbers. This week, as you can see, I’m running this station.”

  “Why this one?”

  “The guy had a mild heart attack in the last town. We fill in where needed.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Is he stuck there?”

  He shook his head. “No. We’ll pick him back up when we’re next through that area. By then, he’ll have rested up. I’ve already told him I’ll set up and tear down his booth for him so he doesn’t overdo it. All he’ll have to do is collect tickets and hand out balls. No stress. No exertion.”

  “That’s nice of you.”

  “That’s who the guy is. He’d hand you the shirt off his back if you needed it. It’d be four sizes too big, but he would. You could use it as a raincoat.”

  She rolled the ball in her hand. It still felt like a baseball, even without the stitches. “Too much fried food?” The moment it left her mouth, she wished for it back. She didn’t want to offend him by insulting his friend.

  But he chuckled instead. “It’s pretty much all there is here. You’re right. Most days I pack a
lunch with something a little healthier, a sandwich or something like that. There’s only so many fried candy bars a person can eat.”

  “Although I have to admit, that sounds pretty awesome.”

  He rested a foot on the bench and leaned on his knee. “In theory, yes. Trust me, it gets old after a while.”

  “Don’t tell me living on food on a stick isn’t doable. You’re destroying my entire childhood.”

  “Oh, you’ll be all right. Did your friend get stuck again?” He gestured behind her.

  “Sophie? No, she didn’t come this time. She had to work. Although, if she did, she’d probably try it again, just to be stubborn. I have a feeling it’d take her just as long to get through even if she tried it a dozen times. It’s pretty hard.”

  He scratched an itch along his back, which only stretched his shirt—a black one this time—across his chest again. She was finding it hard to concentrate whenever he did that.

  “The secret is to bring a sheet or a towel. When you put it behind you, it interrupts the reflection pattern and you can instantly tell where you are and where to head to.”

  She tapped her chin. “That’s pretty smart.”

  He gave a half-bow with a flourish. “Not bad for a carny, huh?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Oh, I know. Just poking fun at myself. I haven’t always been one.”

  “Why did you start?”

  He glanced down. “I…had to get away for a while. A fresh start.” He sounded like he was talking more to himself than her. Then he glanced back up as if remembering she still stood there. “Not that you want to walk around with a sheet.”

  “That would be a pain, yeah.”

  He grinned. “I didn’t say it would be functional. Just that you could. You could also follow the bottom rim of the mirrors with your eyes, and that helps.”

  “Good to know in case I ever go back in there.” …however unlikely. “So, how about round two? There’s still that panda I want.”

  “Came back for more, huh? Couldn’t help yourself.”

  “How can I resist the allure of the panda?”