“Thanks, Rider. I appreciate you watching her for me.”
“It’s cool. I babysit for Beth and Lily occasionally. Not often,” he hastened to add, “but enough to take care of them for about an hour. I always shove food in their faces.”
“That always worked on me,” Willa joked.
Rider’s eyes turned frosty. “Why do you always put yourself down?”
Willa shrugged. “Rider, it’s pretty obvious I like food.”
“I like it, too, but I don’t put myself down because I do.”
Willa surveyed his muscular body. “There’s a big difference between your body and mine.” Willa couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. She liked Rider. He was sweet and uncomplicated.
“Yes, there is.” His eyes went to her breasts.
She burst out laughing, unable to help her reaction to his sense of humor.
“If I had a brother, he would be just like you,” Willa complimented, guessing from the thunderstruck expression on his face that it was the first time he had been placed in that category.
Rider stood up, brushing down his jeans before straightening. “I’m going to go mend my broken heart with those two women about to go into the haunted house.”
“You do that. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your help through the maze. Winter told me it goes through eight classrooms.”
“You’re not jealous at all?”
“Nope.” Willa couldn’t miss the amused twinkle in Rider’s own eyes.
“It’s a sad day when a woman refers to me as brotherly.”
“I’m sure you’ll recover,” Willa mocked.
“I might be heartbroken … You just don’t know.” Rider’s mouth twisted mischievously. Before she could react, he brushed his mouth over hers in a brief kiss. Raising his head, he stared down intently at her. “Nothing?”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Woman, you’re heartless,” Rider groaned. “I guess it’s the haunted house after all.”
“Don’t get lost,” Willa teased to his retreating back, not missing the one finger salute he turned and flipped her.
“Ready?” Willa took Chrissy’s hand, helping her down the bleachers before going in search of the other two children.
She found Charlie coming out of the haunted house and Caroline helping Winter at the fish pond.
“Leaving?” Winter asked.
“Yes, I need to go home and get started on tomorrow’s orders.”
“I would tell you to take a vacation, but I think the town would lynch me.”
Willa always felt a spurt of pride about her baking skills. It was the one thing she did well.
“I see you went to the duck pond.”
Willa’s hand went to the blue beaded necklace around her throat. “Yes, and the photo booth.”
“I’m glad you had fun. Where are the pictures?”
“Pictures?” Willa stared at her blankly.
“That is what the photo booth is for. I should check and make sure it’s working if you didn’t get photos.” Winter frowned. “No one has complained…”
“I forgot to look. I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll go check, and if anything’s wrong with the booth, I’ll text you.”
“I would appreciate it. I can’t leave the table right now.”
“I’m happy to help.”
Willa hustled the children away, dismayed she had left the pictures for anyone to see. She would die of embarrassment if anyone saw her and Lucky kissing, and she didn’t imagine he would be any happier.
When Willa found the slot where the pictures came out empty, she even looked around the floor to make sure they hadn’t fallen out.
“Can we take a picture?” Charlie asked.
“All right.” Willa lifted the curtain, hoping against hope that it wouldn’t work.
She smiled as the camera flashed, the children all making silly faces.
When it was over, Charlie jumped up. “Let’s get the pictures.”
Willa lifted Caroline and Chrissy off her lap, praying the slot would be empty. The children eagerly waited for the thin strip of pictures to emerge, and she swallowed hard when it did. Charlie picked them up, showing them to his sister.
“I guess it’s working fine. Let’s go home.”
As they left, Willa felt as if everyone’s eyes were on them yet knew it was a figment of her imagination. Her last hope was that someone had seen the pictures were left behind and thrown them away. She was tempted to search the trash can closest to the photo booth, but she knew it would look ridiculous.
“God, could you please, please destroy those pictures? Maybe make sure that one strip didn’t develop? Or a tiny, little fire?” she mumbled.
“What did you say, Willa?”
“Nothing, Charlie. I was praying to find something I lost.” That tiny strip of photos in someone’s hand would be humiliating if they surfaced.
“I’ll pray, too.” Charlie climbed into the backseat when Willa opened the car door.
“Me, too,” both girls chimed in as she buckled them into their car seats.
Willa shut the sliding van door before getting in behind the steering wheel.