“Felt like forever,” Justin said. “I’m just glad it’s over, and we can do our best to forget all that mess ever happened.”
They found Liam and his mate Russ standing at the back of the crowd, listening to the newest band to come on the stage, a local group that played covers of favorite top 40 tunes.
“Isn’t this just the best?” Liam pulled a piece of cotton candy off the large cloud-on-a-stick that he held. “It’s so great to see everyone out having a good time on a beautiful day.”
There is a meat smell. Can we get meat to eat?his coyote whined.
Later,Scott admonished.
I’ll be dead by then. Starved. You’ll be sorry,his other half retorted.
You’re such a drama dog,Scott replied, but his tone was fond even if in his mind his coyote swished his tail impatiently.
“I can’t believe how much the event has grown over the years,” Liam went on. “It was just a little afternoon outing when it started and now look! I heard that all the motels are booked up with out-of-towners who come for the weekend because of the festival. That’s a great boost right before things slow down.”
Justin glanced at his watch. “I played hooky this morning to come with Scott, but I’m booked solid for tours all afternoon and most of tomorrow. And I give all my customers coupons for Bear Necessities Coffee and Café and the Lone Coyote so they can fill up on coffee afterward and then shop.”
“It takes a village…and Fox Hollow definitely delivers,” Liam replied. “I feel so proud of this town. We really have something rare and wonderful, and that’s even without some of the ‘special abilities’ our folks share.” He gave a knowing nod.
“Enjoy all the rest,” Scott said. “We have a date with the dart game before Justin has to go fly.”
“Good luck!” Liam laughed. “Knock ’em dead.”
“Have fun,” Russ added.
We were promised food,his coyote reminded Scott.
And we’ll get some.They stopped for sausage on a stick. Scott’s coyote loved the taste, and Justin’s flirtatious comments and knowing winks made it worth the grease.
Scott pulled Justin toward the row of brightly colored games of chance along one side of the park. Darts, basketball, ring toss, and Skee Ball were just a few of the events, with all funds going to charity.
“They’ve even got a duck pond for the kids.” Scott pointed to the shallow pool with plastic ducks with hidden prize numbers taped underneath.
“Gotta start those kids early on gambling,” Justin teased, and Scott elbowed him in the ribs.
It would be more fun with real ducks,his coyote suggested.
“Didn’t you ever play games like this when you were a kid?” Scott asked.
“I was more into the video games they had at the pizza place,” Justin confessed.
“Mom didn’t like those games. She thought they were a waste of money and promoted betting,” Scott said with an expression that clearly showed his disapproval. “I wasn’t usually allowed. But one time, I went to the fair with an older cousin, and he had his own money. He took pity on me, and we blew it all on games and junk food. Absolutely glorious. If you’re not secretly an ace at these, we should be evenly matched.” Scott purchased tickets. “I don’t care about winning, but it’s fun to see how well we do. Or how bad we are!”
Justin came out ahead on the basketball toss, while Scott won at Skee Ball. Neither of them scored at ring toss, and Scott groaned when one of his darts not only missed the target but the entire backing board.
“Hey, it’s the thought that counts,” Justin joked. His darts stayed on the board but didn’t score.
After the games, they stopped at the Fox Institute tent to say hi to Becca and made sure to spend some time at the table Amy and Becca shared, offering good luck spells and psychic readings.
“Nice to see you boys under happier circumstances,” Amy said. “We did a cleansing ritual before the festival started to get rid of any leftover bad energy. It’s amazing what hangs around after everything that happened.”
Becca gave them both an assessing look. “You both have good vibes today. I’m glad. You deserve some downtime.”
“Have you been busy?” Scott asked.
“Definitely,” Becca said. “Fox Hollow folks have always been open to the supernatural, so they don’t get weirded out by a little woo-woo. This is the first chance we’ve had time to breathe all morning.”
“Then we won’t get in your way,” Justin said. “We just wanted to stop by to say ‘Hi.’”
