Page 53 of Giovanni
“You look good enough to eat.”
I would kiss her that delicious-looking mouth right now, but I learned long ago that women don’t like guys messing up with their makeup and being forced to reapply it.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She chuckles, getting into the truck and adjusting the vents while I round the back to drop in beside her. It’s a quick ten-minute drive. When I park next to the column painted with waves blue and green waves of the ocean, she gives me a knowing look.
“Isn’t this place for kids?”
The leather seat creaks when she shifts around to look out the back window. The blue and green neon lights of the ferris wheel glow on her face.
“Nope. Let’s go.”
I’m out of the truck and opening her door before she can protest. Not that I expect her to be game for everything I’ve asked her to do. Expecting this to be no different, I practically drag her to the carnival games on the lower level of the property.
“Our reservation isn’t until 8 pm, so that gives us an hour to play games, go through the shark exhibit and the ferris wheel, and get our picture taken at the photo booth.”
The exuberance in my voice is unmistakable, and I lead us over to the ticket booth.
“You have it all planned out.”
She chuckles, but the way her eyes roam around the Aquarium, a popular downtown tourist attraction, lets me know she’s never been here before. I couldn’t be happier about this idea and her other surprise later tonight.
“I do.”
Determined to make the most of our evening, I buy a hefty stack of tickets. Kacie raises an eyebrow at the number of them in my hand, a playful smirk forming on her lips.
“Planning to own a piece of the carnival with all those tickets?”
I flash her a confident grin and twist the end of my mustache like a spy.
“I’ve got a mission tonight. I’m winning you a giant stuffed shark, no matter what it takes.”
“What am I going to do with that?” she asks, the music from the speakers mounted all over the park, almost drowning out her light voice.
“Take it to dinner, of course.”
I interweave our fingers before dragging her away from the dancing water fountains with kids screaming and running through them on this cold winter night.
“Now let’s go.”
Our first stop is at the ring toss game. The challenge seems straightforward enough. I pick up a ring, feeling the cool metal against my skin. My first few attempts at tossing the rings over the bottles miss entirely and prove trickier than expected.
“You sure about that shark?”
“Just getting started.”
I focus on my next throw. The ring flies through the air in a perfect arc and lands snugly over a bottle—success at last. Kacie’s applause adds to the festiveness. The air is crisp with the scent of popcorn and cotton candy, which I offer to buy her, butshe doesn’t want to spoil her diet, something I neglected to think about, getting caught up in the moment.
Next, we try our hand at the balloon dart game. I hand Kacie a dart, and she aims, her tongue peeking out in concentration. With a precise throw, she pops a balloon, and we both cheer. I follow suit, hitting a balloon on my second try.
“This is more like it,” I say, fist bumping her.
We move from game to game, laughing and joking with each other. At the basketball shooting game, Kacie surprises us with her unexpected skill, sinking several shots in a row. I can’t help but admire her form and the easy way she handles the ball.
“Looks like I’m not the only one on a mission.”
“Don’t you know I played center in college?” she says as the ball rolls off her fingertips, sails through the air, and falls with a swoosh.
