Page 30 of Minor Trouble
“Sure. What’s the deal?”
“It’s at the park where we played football with Maddox. There’s going to be a fair, and Pepper wants to go too.”
Still curious about his friendship with Pepper, I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to meet and find out more about her. “Sounds like fun. Were you meant to sell anything? Raffle tickets, that sort of thing?” I forked the last of my pasta into my mouth. Maddox’s Aunt Penny had sent over one of her famous lasagnas, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
Noah smiled proudly. “Me and Pepper already sold all of ours.”
“Oh.” Disappointment crept through me. I thought he might have at least asked if I wanted one.
“Don’t worry, we saved some for you and her mom and dad. I guessed you’d be able to find forty bucks from somewhere.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pushed the tickets across the table. “I need the money before we get there tomorrow.”
I shook my head, the disappointment replaced with delight at Noah’s thoughtfulness. “You got it. Maybe I’ll even throw in some extra for cotton candy.”
He screwed up his face. “I’d rather have money for hot dogs.”
“Pepper doesn’t like the sweet stuff?”
The tips of his ears reddened, his tell that Pepper might have been more than just a friend. “She prefers tacos,” he said, at last.
“Then maybe we can invite her over the next time we have tacos.”
A non-committal noise slipped from his lips, and he bowed his head so I couldn’t see his face. He was thirteen for Christ’s sake—I didn’t want him making the same mistakes I did.
“But we can go tomorrow?” He blinked at me.
“I’m assuming it’s supervised by school staff?”
“Yeah, everyone will be there, even Ms. Coren.”
Damn, he was perceptive.
The next day, without realizing it, I ended up taking extra care in getting ready for the fundraiser. I found my newest jeans, put a clean, black T-shirt on and threw a checked shirt over the top. Casual, but enough to show I’d made an effort. This was my first outing as a parent, and I didn’t want to screw it up. I knew my reputation wasn’t the best in Cali Cross, and I wanted to put two fingers up to anyone who doubted my ability. There was still a way to go, but there had been progress, certainly since Noah had first arrived.
We walked down to the park, taking the chance to enjoy the sunshine. It was a pleasant afternoon, warm, but not overly so. The park was already busy, transformed from its usual open space to a bustling fair, with other stalls dotted around the edge. There was a happy buzz about the place: groups of parents chatting, crowds of students running from ride to ride, laughing with their friends, staff hovering trying not to be seen, but attempting to keep an eye on things.
“Where are you meeting Pepper?” I asked Noah, glancing around to see if I could spot Ainsley.
“She was going to text me when she got here.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and, as if on cue, a notification pinged. “She’s over at the Ferris Wheel. I’ll go and meet her, then see you later?” Noah’s expectant expression was hard to resist. Clearly, this girl was good for him.
“Sure. Don’t go shooting ducks without me.”
He ran off, leaving me alone. Now what the hell was I meant to do until he came back? My stomach rumbled. Somewhere around this fundraiser, there had to be a bake sale. Because without one, was it even a fundraiser? I ambled around, nodding politely as stallholders tried to persuade me to buy scented candles, animals made out of pinecones, and other things that I wasn’t interested in. Eventually, I found the table I wanted. And who happened to be manning the stall?
Ainsley was talking to another set of parents, wearing a flowered maxi dress, which clung to her curves, her blonde hair pulled back in a half-up-half-down style, making her look innocent and every inch the school guidance counselor she was. It took all of my willpower not to march over there, thread my hands through her hair, and kiss her until neither of us could breathe. But etiquette held me back, and I ended up standing there, like a total spare part, until she caught my eye.
Over the shoulder of the parents, she saw me, her eyes lit up, and the briefest of smiles caught her lips. “Mr. Hudson, hello. I hadn’t expected to see you here today,” she called.
The two parents she had been speaking with both turned to look at me, their gazes sweeping over me from head to toe.
“Kind of a last-minute decision.” I shrugged and moved towards them, my eyes inspecting the spread of cupcakes, sponges, and every other variety of sweet treat you could imagine. “Noah’s here. He’s with Pepper,” I added, unnecessarily.
“Anything else apart from the chocolate cake?” Ainsley asked the couple. “That’s ten dollars please.” She handed over the slightly saggy looking sponge, that I guessed had been made by one of the students. “Thanks for contributing today, we really appreciate it.”
Once the couple were out of earshot, I turned to Ainsley. “Really? Ten dollars for a cake looking like that?”
She pouted. “Why not? I know it’s not my best effort, but I didn’t have much time to make it.”
I chuckled. “Youmade it? I thought one of the kids had.”
