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“Hey, Peanut.” Zed scooped the boy up and tickled his belly, making Levi shriek happily. “What’s up, guys?”
Sam watched Aero, who was watching Levi in his father’s arms. The little boy squirmed about, and Zed shifted his hold on his son, not stopping his conversation with the others as if it were the most natural act in the world. Aero was stock still in his metal folding chair, clutching the cash box in one hand.
“Breathe, love,” Sam murmured, taking the box from him and resting a hand on the back of his neck. Aero nodded.
She felt him breathe in and out, in and out, while she stroked the back of his neck. Looking up, Blaze locked eyes with Sam and smiled softly.
“I think we’re gonna take Ollie home,” Sydney said, stepping up beside the group with Ratchet just behind her. “He’s not feeling well.”
“Couldn’t be all that cotton candy he scarfed down,” Ratchet said, ruffling his son’s hair gently.
“It was so good,” Ollie groaned, clasping Ratchet’s hand and leaning against him, prompting Ratchet to chuckle and pick him up, propping the boy on his hip.
“Yeah, it’s close to nap time anyway,” Gemma conceded. “Maybe we should head out.”
“Thanks so much for coming, guys,” Sam said, smiling at her friends while still resting a hand on Aero’s shoulder. “We appreciate it. And thanks again for the donations.”
The group waved off her thanks and said their goodbyes, moving off en masse toward the parking lot.
“You okay?” she asked, crouching beside Aero once their friends were out of view.
He nodded. “I could use some space. Will you be okay if I take a walk?”
“Of course. Take your time. Call if you need me.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek, prompting him to give her a half-smile before standing and walking off toward the school building.
Sam set about cleaning up the area, tossing candy wrappers into the trash, and organizing the bins of plastic rings.
“Mama, let’s play,” a little voice called and Sam turned to see the Weaver children approaching her booth, their mother Kelly on their heels.
“Okay, ask Miss Coleman how much it costs,” Kelly said, pulling out her wallet.
“Hi, guys,” Sam said, feigning enthusiasm and speaking only to the children. “It’s a dollar for three rings. You get a small prize for each ring you toss onto a bottle, or a big prize if you get all three. Wanna play?”
The kids nodded, took two dollars from their mother, and handed it over. Sam gave them their rings and stepped out of the way so they could toss them toward the array of glass bottles set up in an array on the table.
“Sam, this is my mother, Edith,” Kelly said, introducing the silver-haired woman beside her.
“Oh, it’s lovely to meet you,” Sam said, extending a hand. “I hope you’re enjoying the carnival.”
“It’s wonderful. It’s so nice to see the kids having fun and knowing the money goes right to the school.” Edith smiled, then handed two dollar bills to her grandchildren so they could play again.
Sam gave them more rings and stepped aside.
“Mom, can I talk to Sam for just a minute?” Kelly asked, her voice low and gruff. It was only then that Sam saw how drawn her face was, how her usually bright blue eyes were dull and red-rimmed, and how pale she was.
Edith gave Kelly a sympathetic look, patted her arm, and brought the kids over to the prize bucket to select some candy.
“Kelly, what’s going on?” Sam asked, already knowing what was coming and not knowing how she was going to handle it.
“It’s… it’s Mike,” Kelly sniffled, wiping at her eyes.
“Is he okay?”
Kelly let out a humorless laugh. “He’s just great. He’s a no-good-two-faced cheater, but he’s fine.”
Sam inhaled sharply. Kelly knew? Had she always known? Was she bating Sam into admitting something? For a terrifying second, Sam wondered if Kelly thought Mike was cheating with her, considering the questions she’d asked at the PTA meeting, but Kelly wasn’t trying to claw her eyes out, so maybe that wasn’t it.
“I saw him,” Kelly whispered, staring down at the grass.
