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Kyleigh pauses, her eyes flicking to Spencer, who mumbles, “Glitter is the herpes of the craft world.”
It seems like it’s an ongoing joke between them because they both quirk their lips at that. Kyleigh continues the read-through of her list. “Musicians – at local hotels, all confirmed and prepped. They’ll be arriving in the morning for sound check before the park opens. Food and drinks – kiosks placed and stocked. Vendors – stocked with glow and blacklight merch, commemorative T-shirts, and special edition Freddy Freebird stuffies. Did I miss anything?”
She looks at Spencer, who smiles back proudly, and then to Carson and me.
“I think you two make an amazing team,” Carson praises.
Kyleigh beams, but Spencer narrows her eyes. “Carson, more than just us two have worked on this.”
“Oh, I know this has been a huge undertaking, involving every department. And tomorrow is going to be a busy day of craziness, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you.” Carson looks from Spencer to Kyleigh. “It wouldn’t have happened without you two at the helm of this ship.”
“I appreciate that,” Spencer says, still not assuaged, “but what I meant was you’re the captain of this ship. You’ve done a lot too, and when tomorrow goes off without a hitch and makes Americana Land the talk of the internet, you get the credit for that.” She pauses and then adds, “And you too, Jayme.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need credit. It’s all this guy,” I correct, gesturing to Carson. This is his doing, the grand resurrection of his reputation. He’ll be the one standing on the stage tomorrow, and I’ll be behind the curtains where I belong.
“Thank you,” Carson says quietly, obviously unaccustomed to praise and taking the compliments to heart. “That means a lot, Spencer.”
She leans in closer, her voice hard, to add, “Don’t let the old man take credit either. You tell him, loud and proud, what you did.”
Hmm. It seems the tension between father and son has caught the attention of more of the home office staff than I realized. I’ll need to help address that before this assignment is over because that can fester and grow, strangling the good progress we’ve made here.
Spencer looks pointedly over Carson’s shoulder, and we instinctively turn to look. Ben Steen is walking across the Great Garden area straight toward us, with Izzy and Toni Steen flanking him.
Carson turns fully, a bland smile on his face. “Dad. Coming to check up on me?”
Ben’s face is equally impassive, no doubt hiding the concerns he has on the eve of an undertaking of this scope. They really are the spitting image of each other. “Just seeing how things are going. Felt like I should show my face, considering this is such a big deal and I am the CEO.”
Carson stiffens, but I don’t think Ben notices as he scans the area, taking in the completed setup and workers moving about. Meanwhile, Izzy smiles politely. “It looks lovely, Carson. I’m sure it’ll be a great event.”
I gotta give her props, she is doing everything she’s supposed to do—the warm smile, the supportive hand casually woven through her husband’s, the kind compliment. But it feels forced, the awkwardness between her and Carson obvious.
“Are you kidding, Mom? It’s gonna be dope, bigger and better than Electric Forest. I can’t wait, already got my costume ready,” Toni gushes. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve got pasties to cover my nips . . . this time.” She smirks, barely shaking her head and making a flashing headlight motion with her hands in front of her chest.
But that gets Ben and Carson’s attention. Simultaneously, they snap, “Toni.”
Toni rolls her eyes. “So easy, these two. One little mention of potential nudity, and boom, they’re united in battle.” She laughs easily, and both men relax . . . a little. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll be wearing so much blacklight body paint that no one will see an inch of bare skin. Think it’s okay if I paint Smack Here on the ass of my bootie shorts, though?”
She tilts her head, tapping her chin as though considering it.
“No.” I’m not sure if it was Carson or Ben who spoke because at this point, they sound remarkably alike.
“Are you really wearing a costume?” a small voice whispers.
Toni looks at Kyleigh and asks, “Who’re you? And yes.”
Kyleigh looks horrified that she actually spoke, but after making a visual check-in with Spencer, she quickly says, “I’m Kyleigh, an intern working on the festival.”
Despite Kyleigh’s nerves, Toni seems delighted at the conversation with a potential new friend. “You and me, girl. We’re gonna be like this tomorrow.” She crosses her fingers, pointing them back and forth between the two of them.
“Uh, sure. I’m escorting Jazmyn Starr around mostly, but . . .”
“The hell you are, we are doing that now,” Toni corrects. Quieter, she whispers, “Did I hear that she’s got the kids from King’s Krossing dancing with her?”
