“Of course.”
Candace pursed her lips, still looking over the menu, while the bartender made Brent’s drink.
“These look so good. I want them all.”
The bartender chuckled. “We have fun with the menu.”
“I can see that. How about a Clausmopolitan for me?”
“You’ve got it.”
He had the drinks whipped up in no time and passed them over. Brent pulled out his wallet and paid, generously tipping him, as well.
“Hey,” Candace protested. “You don’t need to buy mine.”
“You can get the next round if it would make you feel better.”
She laughed. “Deal.”
They both took sips of their drinks and nodded.
“Delicious,” Brent said. He took Candace’s drink and held it so she could crutch to the next tent.
A sign in front read, Dress Me Up. An array of scarves and winter-wear was on display. Candace tipped her head toward the tent.
“Do you mind if I go in?”
“Not at all. I’ll wait out here with the drinks.”
Candace took another sip of her drink before crutching into the booth and looking around at the items. She held up a pink scarf to herself as a woman inside the booth made suggestions. They laughed together, and Candace purchased the scarf, opting to wear it out rather than having it bagged. She thanked the woman and came back out to where Brent watched with a smile on his face.
“That looks nice on you.”
“Thanks,” Candace said. She downed the rest of her drink and handed it back to Brent, so they could move on. He discarded their empty cups into a nearby trashcan just as they approached the next tent.
Wintervale’s Country Store had various tourist items on display. Candace immediately went to the bags that had Wintervale, Montana, embroidered on the front, while Brent looked at the hats with the same logo. Each of them purchased souvenirs and thanked the man in the tent. Then Brent carried their bags.
Next, they approached a tent for a bakery called Petit Squared. Brent chuckled at the name, and they stepped forward, immediately drawn in by the smell of freshly baked cookies. They purchased cookies to go, and Brent added them to the bag of souvenirs.
They moved along a few more tents before stopping at one for the coffee shop, Brewbirds Coffeehouse.
“A hot drink sounds so good right now,” Candace said.
“Let’s get one.”
She looked over at where he was carrying their souvenirs. “I can’t carry my coffee, and you’re running low on hands.”
He glanced down and frowned. She had a point. The golf cart wasn’t too far of a walk. The Market was pretty small.
“I’ll run this back to the golf cart. Why don’t you just place us an order and I’ll be right back?”
“What would you like?” she asked.
“Maybe just a vanilla latte?”
“Got it.” He made sure she made it up to the counter at the tent before he hurried back toward the golf cart. Glancing inside the tent where Jackson had disappeared, he spotted him still chatting with the blonde woman. When Jackson saw him, he moved to stand up, but Brent shook his head no and mimed that he was just putting the bags inside.
The relief on Jackson’s face was obvious. There was clearly something going on there, and he wasn’t quite ready to walk away from her yet. Brent smiled as he deposited the bags inside the cart before making his way back toward Candace. By the time he got back, his drink was waiting for him on the edge of the counter. He thanked the baristas and took a sip of the hot drink, feeling it glide down his throat and warm his stomach. Candace took another sip of her drink before he took it from her and they moved back out onto the path.
