“Um, no thanks,” I said, eyeing the beast with a wary eye.
“He doesn’t bite.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t, but why don’t we go get a hamburger before you start stuffing your face with candy?”
“Can we go see Theo?”
I nodded. “After you eat. It’ll be good to get in line now before the crowd really gets big.”
He was reluctant but agreed to the burger. Truthfully, I was starving. I had been dying for a burger since they started cooking them. I had been tempted to beg them for a burger before they were officially open. I resisted the urge, but now, I couldn’t wait anymore.
We ordered burgers and fries and sat down at one of the picnic tables under the large tents. “What do you think so far?” I asked him.
He nodded, his mouth full of burger. “Fun.”
“Have you heard any rumblings?” I asked Kylie.
She shook her head, her lips wrapped around a straw. “Nope. So far, so good. There was one dude that was a little butthurt that he didn’t get a canopy with his space. I told him it was very clear in the paperwork those were an additional charge, and he was welcome to bring his own.”
I groaned. “Great. He’s going to leave a rotten review.”
She waved a hand. “Who cares? Everyone else that signed up knew what the deal was. All he had to do was read.”
“Still, I hate when a vendor isn’t happy.”
“You can’t please everyone. Besides, look at this crowd. No vendor is going to be disappointed. This place is hopping.”
I grinned, having to agree with her. “It’s just begun. The trick or treating part starts in an hour. Have you had a chance to check out the haunted house?”
“Nope. I wasn’t sure you wanted Jace to go through.”
“I’m not scared, Aunt Kylie,” he stated.
I smiled. “Didn’t you know, he’s practically a man?”
“How could I forget?”
“Why don’t we finish our meals, and then we can go through?” I offered.
“I thought you said we could see Theo.”
I nodded. “I did, but he might be busy. He’s got a booth to look after.”
“Can we ask him to go to the haunted house with us?”
“Sure,” I said. “We can ask after you finish eating.” He started stuffing his hamburger into his face. “Slow down.”
“I want to hurry,” he mumbled around a stuffed mouth.
“You’ve got plenty of time.”
The moment he finished his burger, he pushed the basket away. “Done.”
“Can I finish please?”
He sighed. “Okay.”
I finished my burger. Kylie picked up our trash and left us to go check on some other vendors she had personally recruited. We were about twenty feet away from Theo’s candy booth when Jace saw him.
“Theo!” he shouted and took off running.
I watched as my son launched himself at Theo, wrapping his arms around his waist. I approached them, smiling at the warm embrace. It made my heart happy to see Jace so excited to see someone. Theo was good for him. I was pretty sure Jace was good for Theo as well. Jace was grilling him about the candy. Theo only grinned, refusing to give him any details.
Chapter 25
Theo
“You’ve got a little something,” I said, pointing to the corner of my mouth as I looked at Harper.
Her eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned red. “Sorry. We were scarfing down burgers before we came over here.”
“Do you want to go to the haunted house with me?” Jace asked.
I shrugged. “Sure.”
“If you’re busy, we can do it later,” she said.
I grinned. “I’m not doing anything. I’m standing in the back and watching people. Truthfully, I think I’m freaking people out a little.”
She giggled. “All right, then we can go to the haunted house. Instead of scaring people, you can be scared.”
“I doubt it.”
“Harper!” Kylie shouted, running up to where we stood. “We have a problem.”
“What?”
“The hamburger place had a small fire. They got it out, but it’s a huge mess. They are going to shut down!”
Harper’s head dropped forward. “Dammit. Every year.”
“This is a normal occurrence?” I asked.
“Sadly, yes. There’s always a fire. No matter what we do, there’s a fire. Jace, we’re going to have to wait on the haunted house.”
“I’ll take him,” I volunteered.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. It will be fun.”
“Okay. I’ll text you as soon as I’m done and meet up with you.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “We’ll be fine. Go put out the fires.”
She waved and followed Kylie. I looked down at Jace and smiled. He grinned in return, his front teeth too big for his mouth. Eight was such an awkward age. Hell, up until about twenty, everything was awkward.
I thought about trying to hold the kid’s hand but then thought better of it. He was eight, not four. I didn’t want to embarrass him. Instead, I walked so close to him as we moved through the crowd, it looked like we were glued together. I was not about to lose her kid in the festival.
She would kill me. Slowly.
Jace and I got in line. We stood close, neither of us talking as we surveyed the crowd. I saw someone I recognized and offered a small wave. I’d worked with him years ago on a marketing campaign.
“Theo, I’m surprised to see you here,” he said, shaking my hand.
“It’s good to see you, Bryce,” I lied, shaking the man’s hand. I glanced down to make sure Jace was still standing next to me.
“What brings you here?” he asked.
“I’m here with the business,” I answered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two boys coming our way. The line was a good ten feet behind us. I immediately knew something was off. I excused myself from Bryce and watched to see what would happen. I didn’t want to jump the gun, just in case the kids were friends.
“Look who’s here,” one of the boys said.
“It’s Lacey Jacey,” the other one said with a laugh. “Did you wear your pretty hair ribbons today?”
I didn’t know who they were or why in the hell they were so far from home, but I’d be damned if I let Jace get teased in front of me. I stepped forward, my large body blocking their view of Jace. I folded my arms across my chest and glared down at the boys.
The first one chuckled. “He hired a bodyguard.”
I squatted down, getting eye to eye with the little chumps. “Why are you here?” I asked the kids.
They smirked. “Because it’s Halloweenfest, dummy.”
I nodded. “Did you walk here or did your parents throw you out as they drove past?”
“Are you his bodyguard?” the second one asked.
I smiled. “I’m the man that’s going to make your life hell if you mess with him again. You don’t know me, but I have more money and more power than anyone you know. You’re spoiled, entitled kids that are going to get a rude awakening once you hit high school. One day, you’re going to look at Jace Pinkston, and you are going to want to say you were his friend. He’s going to be successful and popular, and you two are going to be walking around looking for your next target. He’s not your target. Got me?”
The boys looked at each other and then back at me. I gave them my most dangerous look. I saw the moment their expressions changed. They walked away without another word. I turned back around and looked at Jace.
“Thanks,” he murmured, looking so much smaller than he actually was.
“Hey, no problem. Guys like us have to stick together, right?”
He nodded. “I guess.”
“Are they kids from your school?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Aren’t they kind of far from home?”
He shrugged. “Their parents know my mom. A bun
ch of them were supposed to be here tonight.”
“They know your mom? Does your mom know she knows the parents?”
He shook his head. “No, and you can’t tell her. She would be really mad.”
“She should be mad. Your mom told me about what happened and why. That’s not okay, Jace. Ever. I’m not going to say too much about it because I was like you and I know the last thing I wanted was my dad butting in, but sometimes, it can help.”
“Did your mom butt in?”
I slowly shook my head. “My mom died when I was very young.”
“Like my dad died?” he asked in a small voice.
“Yes. You see, I get it. I really do. If you ever want me to have a talk with those kids, you say the word. They don’t scare me.”
That made him smile. “Because you’re like three times bigger than they are.”
I winked. “I know.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime. I mean it. I absolutely mean it. I own a plane. If you call me, I’ll be there in like fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.”
“It’s almost our turn. Let’s see what this is all about. If you get scared, say the word, and I will pick you up and carry you out of here.”
He giggled. “You can’t carry me.”
“Wanna bet?”
He laughed again. Together, we entered the haunted house. It was more fun than scary. After we were through, we walked around a bit. I could tell something was still bothering him. It pissed me off that his tormenters had traveled hundreds of miles to bother the kid.
“Hey, can I do something for you?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“Come with me.”
I walked to my booth, grabbed the box that had been wrapped with pretty ribbons, and headed for the main stage where a group of young dancers was just finishing their routine. Harper was standing behind the stage, ordering people around.
“Hi, guys!” she greeted. “Did you do the haunted house?”
“Yep,” Jace said.
“Can I have five minutes on the stage?” I asked her.
She looked confused. “You want to be on stage?”
“Yes, please.”
“Of course. The singer seems to be suffering from some kind of wardrobe malfunction. Take your time.”
“Thank you.”
I walked up the stairs and across the stage. I was definitely nervous, but it wasn’t to the point I felt like I was going to vomit. I stood in front of the microphone and looked out at the crowd. There was only a small group actually standing in front of the stage. The rest of the people were milling about, clearly more interested in what the festival had to offer than the amateurs on stage.
“Hello,” I said, clearing my throat. “Hello. Can I have your attention for just a minute?” The crowd was ignoring me. “My name is Theodore Saunders, CEO of Saunders Sweet Treats.”
That seemed to gain some attention. People stopped to look at me. I looked over to the side of the stage. Harper was standing there with Jace. She gave me a thumbs-up, encouraging me to go on.
“I’d like to thank Harper Pinkston. I don’t know if you all know the name, but you should. She is the woman responsible for all this fun. I only recently met her and her awesome son, Jace. They inspired me to create a new candy. One I’d like to introduce for the first time tonight. You won’t find this in the stores. It’s brand new. I’ve named it Pinkstonberry taffy. I’ve named it after those two special people. If you get the chance, stop her and tell her thank you. Jace is going to be handing out pieces of the new candy. My people manning our booth have samples to hand out as well. You’ll want to make your way over there and give it a try. Supplies are very limited. Everyone have fun and eat lots of candy!”
I stepped away from the microphone, the clapping and cheering following me off the stage. Harper was looking at me with amazement. “Wow,” she whispered.
“Jace, you’re in charge of this box,” I said. “One piece for everyone that asks, okay?”
He nodded, holding the box like it were a million-dollar prize. We were surrounded by people all wanting a piece of the candy. Jace was handing it out and smiling big.
“What was that about?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I told you I was working on a new candy.”
“But Pinkstonberry?”
I nodded my head toward Jace, who was talking with a group of kids. They all wanted to be his best friend. “That’s why.”
I noticed the two kids from earlier sheepishly make their way toward Jace. I watched and waited to see what would happen. Harper was looking at the boys. “I know them.”
“Jace said you did.”
“Did he talk to them?”
“More like they talked to him, but it was less talking and more ridiculing.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Those little shits! I know their parents.”
“He said that too. It’s okay. I think they’ll leave him alone for now.”
She gave me a strange look. “What did you do?”
“Nothing really.”
She grinned. “Well good. I will definitely be keeping an eye on things, and you better believe I will be talking with their parents. If they keep picking on him, I’m going to be their worst nightmare.”
“I think it’s going to be okay. He might not want to ask for help just yet. I hope the kids see he isn’t so different and will accept him.”
“That would be nice,” she said with a smile. “I hope it works. I want nothing more than for my little boy to be happy and feel safe.”
We watched Jace, keeping a close eye on things. When the box was empty, he turned to look at us. The kid was practically glowing. “It’s all gone.”
“Head over to our booth and see what else we’ve brought,” I shouted.
The crowd dispersed, leaving the three of us virtually alone. I reached into my pocket and handed Jace a few of the pieces of taffy I had held back. “For you.”
He grinned, unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth. “This is really good. Blueberry?”
I nodded. “And?”
“Strawberry?”
I nodded. “And?”
He ran it over his tongue. “Raspberry?”
“You got it.”
“You made this in the lab?”
I nodded again. “I did. This week actually. I took all your notes and put them to work. You’re a huge help.”
“I’ll help you make new candy whenever you want.”
“Thank you. I’m definitely going to take you up on that offer. We’ve got Christmas and Valentine’s Day and then Easter.”
He was grinning ear to ear. “Did you hear that, Mom?”
She smiled. “I did. Why don’t we go check out some of the other activities?”
The kid walked with a new bounce in his step. I took Harper’s hand in mine, and together, the three of us meandered around the festival. I was stopped several times by fans of the company and those that wanted to give me their input about current products and suggestions for new flavors. I did my best to pay attention, but there was a lot of information coming in. I focused my attention on Harper, keeping myself calm in the sea of crazy.
Chapter 26
Harper
The festival was officially a success. There were a few stragglers left behind, but the bulk of the crowd had left. The lights were on, illuminating the area bright as a football field on a Friday night and revealing the aftermath of a successful festival.
“Wow,” Kylie said, coming to stand next to me and Jace. “More people means more trash.”
I nodded. “No kidding. No matter how many garbage cans we put out, it always looks like this.”
“I’m tired, Mom,” Jace whined.
“I know, buddy. I just need to take care of a few more things, and then we can go.”
“I want to go to bed,” he complained. The words were something every parent longed to hear—except when they couldn’t make be
d happen.
“Just a little longer,” I said, trying to placate him.
“I can help,” Theo offered, strolling over to where we stood.
“No, no, you don’t need to do that,” I said with a smile. “This isn’t your problem. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“You need your eyes checked,” Kylie said.
I rolled my eyes. “Stop.”
“I don’t mind. You’ve done a lot for me. The least I could do is pick up some trash.”
“You don’t have to,” I assured him. “This is my mess. I should be used to this. We have cleaners coming in the morning, but I hate leaving so much stuff out. It’s only going to attract the animals, and that will only make the situation worse.”
“I’ll help. I’m too wired to go to sleep.”
“I can take Jace back to the hotel,” Kylie offered. “I’ll do just about anything to get out of dealing with this.”
I looked at her and smiled. I could see she was dragging as well. “Fine. Thank you. That’d be great if you could get him to bed.”
“I’ll have him crash on the extra bed in my room,” she said. “Don’t wake us. He can stay the night.”
I laughed, knowing exactly what she was doing. She was giving Theo and me another night alone. “Thank you. Get some rest, guys, and Jace, brush your teeth twice before going to bed.”
“I will, Mom,” he said, giving me a hug before turning to give Theo a hug.
I watched them leave, a little jealous they were getting to go to bed and I had more work to do. I was dead on my feet. I could sleep all day tomorrow. I had rented the room through Sunday, hoping to spend some downtime in LA and maybe check out LEGOLAND. After the exhausting night, I was thinking twice about that energy-sucking endeavor.
I turned back toward Theo. “You look tired too.”
He grinned. “As do you. What do you need me to do?”
I sighed. “I have gloves and garbage bags by the stage. The idea is to pick up the big stuff and collect all the lost stuff for the lost and found. The vendors all have until tomorrow to remove their booths.”
“All right, I’ll go get what we need,” he said. “Someone is coming this way, and they look like they want to talk to you.”
All About The Treats Page 16
