Page 41 of Finally Moore

He looks around the room. Then he leans in and whispers, “This will be our little secret.”

“Here you go, hun.” The attendant grabs an obscenely large stuffed moose and hands it to my niece.

“Look, Auntie Rea-Rea. It’s so big and fluffy!” she squeals.

“It sure is,” I say with a chuckle. Good thing I know my mom travels on a private jet, otherwise I’m not sure how they’d fit the stuffed toy in their luggage. “Okay, what’s next?” I ask, my eyes scanning the various booths for options. I feel like we’ve done almost everything Eli has to offer. We met Santa, took a sleigh ride, ate too many donuts, watched apple carving, and played several carnival games.

“Hmm…” Brittany taps her chin. “Oh, I know.” She grabs Scott’s hand and tugs him away. “Come on, Auntie Rea-Rea.”

I jog after them. “Where are we going?”

Scott shrugs. “I don’t have a clue,” he says with a big grin on his face.

“Come on,” Brittany continues to urge—it’s clear she’s growing impatient with our adult legs; they can’t keep up with the whims of an overeager seven-year-old. She doesn’t stop until we all arrive at a little photo booth. “I want to do pictures.”

“Right on. Do you want me to hold your moose while you go in?” Scott offers.

“No, silly, all of us.” She shoves Scott into the tiny compartment, then grabs for my hand. “Come on!”

“Coming!” I huff out a breath as I attempt to squeeze into the booth alongside them. The seat is barely big enough for Scott and me to share, so I snuggle in close to him. Brittany hops up on our laps, a leg thrown over my left thigh and Scott’s right, and holds her new stuffed animal.

“All right, Brittany, important question for you,” Scott says in a serious tone. “Do we start with happy faces or silly ones?”

“Oh, happy for sure.”

“You got it, kid. Here.” He hands her a ten-dollar bill to insert into the machine.

I mentally add it to the growing total I owe him. He didn’t let us pay for lunch yesterday. I get that he owns the place, but still, I don’t do handouts. We all have businesses to run and can’t go around giving freebies to everyone we know. Especially in a small town.

Then he bought my mom a tin of chocolates from Patty’s when we were out shopping, followed by a new pair of gloves for me because I lost mine—not to mention, he wouldn’t let me pay anything for bowling. Which brings us to now. So far tonight, he’s paid for our dinner at the diner, for us to get into the Christmas Village, and pretty much everything else since we stepped foot on the orchard. I’ve tried to pay, believe me, but Scott Moore is sneaky.

Brittany calls out the expression at the start of each countdown, while Scott and I have no choice but to appease the giggling tyrant. “Happy face… sad face… oh, now goofy ones… kissy faces!”

I freeze on that last one, no better than a deer in headlights, as Scott grips my chin and pulls my mouth to his. Our lips lock and the camera flashes. Like twice before, my mouth tingles and every inch of my skin is desperate to find out if the sensation will be as effective on other parts of my body.

“Are you okay?” Scott asks, and I realize the photos are done and my niece is already out of the booth waiting for the prints.

“Um… yeah… just tired,” I reply, trying to play off the fact that I lose all my senses the second he touches me.

“It’s all that sugar. I warned you you’d crash.”

“But those donuts were so yummy.” I wipe my mouth, paranoid that I’m drooling at the mere thought. Scott leans forward and kisses the top of my head.

Yup, there’s that tingle.

“Come on,” he says, reaching down to grab my hand. “I think we’re all about ready to call it a night. I bet you five bucks she passes out on the drive back.”

I glance in Brittany’s direction, watching as her mouth opens into a big yawn. “Heck, she’ll probably conk out before we reach the gates and you’ll have to carry her to the car.”

As nice as it’s been, being stuck in this little booth with Scott’s thighs pressed up against mine, I force my legs to move. Scott follows behind me.

“What do you think?” Brittany shoves the pictures into Scott’s hand before the largest smile I’ve ever seen spreads across his face.

“These are amazing. What do you think?”

It takes me a moment to find the words because… “They’re perfect,” I whisper.

“Right?” He’s quick to agree.Clearly, I didn’t say it quietly enough. “Can I print extras?” Scott inspects the machine until he finds the correct option and pays for two more sets. “All right, ladies, are you ready to go home?”

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