Mac pointed with her radio in one hand. “She and Danny are down by the gazebo. They were bringing some tables over.”
“Thank you,” Candace replied. “We’ll go find her and see you in a little bit.”
“Good luck with the stragglers,” I told Mac.
She grinned, her red lips taking on a maniacal glee. “Oh, they’ll need the luck. I can’t wait to boot them out.”
Candace and I laughed as Mac took off in the opposite direction, her long dark ponytail swinging happily as she went to ruin someone’s day.
“Does she know Brady’s coming?” I murmured quietly, in case she could hear me.
“I warned her,” Candace replied just as softly. “Maybe that’s why she’s wearing red. So the blood won’t show.”
Chuckling, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and directed us down the path to the gazebo and the pond.
Without the apple cannon going this late in the year, the Clarks had installed a fountain in the center of the water. It had a light feature shining on the spray thatwas just visible in the waning afternoon light. The alternating red and green would be fun when the sun finally set in the next half hour or so.
A raised voice drew our attention away from the pond, and our steps slowed at the same time. I followed the sound of two figures squaring off in the middle of the gazebo. Bonnie and her husband, Danny, were too far away for us to hear the details of the argument, but it looked pretty heated.
Candace and I came to a complete stop, and I could see the worry on Candace’s face for her friend.
A moment later, Danny uttered something low and harsh and then stalked off through the trees.
Bonnie finally turned to face us as we approached.
“Are you okay?” Candace asked.
Bonnie forced an exaggerated smile and said, “Of course! Thanks for coming to help set up.”
A beat of silence passed where I realized Bonnie was content to ignore what we’d witnessed. She wasn’t going to get into it. Maybe because I was here.
But one thing was for sure, I’d be keeping my eye on Danny Jensen for the rest of the night.
“Sure,” Candace replied brightly, her smile straining at the edges. “Put us to work.”
“Mom and Aunt Maggie outdid themselves on the treats. There are, like, twelve different kinds of cookies.” Bonnie grinned and it was more genuine this time. “They already decorated the food tables. Maybe you can help me unwrap all the dishes and fill some drinks? Becca and Larry are already up there. They’ll help too.”
Candace nodded and, seemingly unable to help herself, reached forward and squeezed Bonnie’s arm. “Yeah. I can do that.”
Bonnie squinted in the distance, and I turned too, worried that Danny was coming back. But it was just Brady, walking down the path to join us.
“Mercer,” Bonnie said, “maybe you and Brady could bring up one of these roundtables. Just in case we need more seating than the picnic tables that are already in front of the Bake Shop.”
There were a few white tables and chairs set up around the large gazebo. I nodded. “Happy to.”
We greeted Brady when he arrived, and he agreed to stay and help me cart the table up the hill. Bonnie and Candace took off a moment later to prep the food.
“Mercer, we haven’t really gotten a chance to talk about you dating my sister.”
I eyed Brady skeptically. While he’d been surprised at dinner last week, he hadn’t indicated he was upset. I didn’t think he had a problem with my relationship with Candace, but the guy was a wild card. You could never tell what he was going to do.
“Okay. Let’s hear it.”
With a commiserating look, he went on, “I know she can be a real pill. She is annoyingly extroverted. And don’t tell her I said this, but she’s good at nearly everything. It’s disgusting. Oh, and she talks in her sleep.”
“I know.”
Brady made a face. “Gross, man. Keep that shit to yourself. She’s my sister.”
