Page 122 of Give Me a Shot

“Billing it as a winter solstice event would probably sell better than Christmas,” Theo said. “Pagan is big right now.”

Mo wasn’t sure what Theo was talking about but couldn’t ask. A jittery charge had been building since Wendy announced the percentage. The idea of doing a Faire multiple times made blistersof heat bloom on his skin. Right then, he was wiped out after just one. He knew that he would be struggling at least for the coming week.

“Oh!” Lana said. “I would love for this to be a recurring event.”

“And we can make it bigger!” Doug said. “We could add things like a joust with horses and fire dancers and aerial acrobats and—”

“Those things cost money, Doug,” Jess said, cutting him off. “Both in paying performers and liability insurance, I’d imagine. We probably shouldn’t try to do too much too soon if there’s only ten percent wiggle room in the budget. Right?” She looked at Wendy.

Wendy was smiling broadly again. Mo began to worry if being out in the heat of the past two days had gotten to her.

“Well,” Wendy said, “that’s where the even better news comes in. We may have a new benefactor. Her name is Lindy Libet. She comes from a family well known for supporting the arts throughout the state. She and her friends visited the Faire both days; you might have seen her.” Wendy picked her phone up off the table, unlocked it, and scrolled a little bit. She held it up so that the others could see. Mo immediately recognized the masked noblewoman who had initiated thePrincess Bridequotes with him after pegging him as Fezzik.

“Wait a minute,” Jess said. “I think Ned taught that woman to shoot at our stand.”

“She’s familiar,” Doug said, squinting at Wendy’s phone. He turned his laptop back, facing him, and started moving his finger around on the pad.

“I think…” said Lana, also squinting at Wendy’s phone. “Yes. I think that woman came to my stand. She asked questions about the School. Other people did, too, but she stood out because her dress was so well made. I saw her again the following day, and she was wearing a different dress. That one was even better. I didn’t recognize her until she stopped by to say hello. Even her masks were exquisite.”

Mo was surprised that someone would have visited more than once. The Faire had been small enough to see everything in oneafternoon. But the more he thought about it, had he seen her more than once as well? He took a deep drink of his coffee as he flipped through his memories.

“Lindy approached me at the end of the day yesterday, as we were wrapping up,” Wendy said. “She wanted to know if we needed any financial help. She loves what the School is doing and what it’s bringing to the community. She wants to make sure that we can keep doing it.”

Mo wasn’t really sure how he would pinpoint the feeling that was growing in his chest. He would have attributed the racing of his heart to anxiety, or maybe the strength of the coffee, but he also felt calmed. Safe. He looked at Jess. She looked equally as surprised. And relaxed.

Well, glad I played along with Lindy’s joke rather than snapping at her.

“While I’m happy about the possibility of a new benefactor,” Wendy said, “I don’t want us to find ourselves in a difficult position again. So if you all agree, I’ll go to the board with a suggestion of two Faires a year plus Lindy’s help.”

Mo rolled his lips.

At least not a year-round stress.

“You all know I’m in,” Theo said, leaning back in his seat, arms crossed, looking satisfied with himself.

“Of course, I agree,” Doug said, attention back on his laptop screen.

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Lana said. She looked expectantly at Mo and Jess. “Come now,” she said. “I know you two had fun.”

Mo wouldn’t have called it fun, precisely, but it had been satisfying. And beyond what he’d felt, the people who had visited had enjoyed themselves, too. The joy that had lit up the boy’s face when Mo said he could learn blacksmithing was exactly how he’d felt about rowing as a teenager. Then about blacksmithing later on. But it wasn’t just about Mo’s feelings. He glanced at Jess, sliding her thumb up and down the handle of her mug on the table. What if she didn’t want to go through that again? What if she couldn’t?

“I think it’s a great idea,” Jess said to Wendy, surprising him.

While the others expressed their excitement, and Doug began to talk about having a more significant role, Mo shifted down a little to whisper in Jess’s ear.

“Are you sure?”

She looked up at him, squeezing his thigh under the table again.

“For Cassie,” she whispered, winking at him.

—

Walking back to the truck, hand in hand again, Mo felt lighter but tethered in the very best of ways. The School would be okay. And in spite of the stress, he was okay. Better than okay. He was with Jess.

“Even though neither of us wanted to do it, I’m glad it worked out,” he said to her as they reached the passenger side of his truck. He opened the door for her.

“Yeah, me too,” she said, getting in.

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