performances; and two aging drag queens, one dressed as Marilyn Monroe and the other dressed as Cher, posed for pictures with visitors in front of town hall. Emma felt the buzz of summertime energy surging through her hometown, and wondered what Chase thought of the commotion swirling around them in the middle of the afternoon.
“Commercial Street gets pretty hectic, especially in August,” Emma said. “At least it’s not Carnival yet. Next week will be insane.”
“Hard to believe it gets worse than this,” Chase mumbled, barely avoiding a collision with a group of shirtless young men bouncing a soccer ball between them. “What’s Carnival?”
“Like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, except geared toward celebrating, uh, alternative lifestyle choices.” She blushed as she explained the town’s annual celebration without mentioning sex. “They have different themes every year and people tailor their costumes and parties to fit with the overall scheme. Like, one year the theme was ‘Comic Book Capers’ and everyone dressed like comic book characters ranging from Batman to Richie Rich. One of the hotels hosted an Aqua Man pool party and I’ve never seen so many colorful speedos in one place!”
Chase raised one eyebrow. “So, not restricted to Mardi Gras purple and gold.”
“Not at all. Some of the themes are more risqué, like when it was ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and nipple tassels were all the rage, but it usually turns out, any theme can be interpreted in either tame or suggestive ways.”
“I guess it’s for adults only?” Chase gestured to a group of adolescents pouring out of one of the candy shops. “What about the families here on vacation?”
“Oh, Carnival has something for everyone,” Emma assured him. “People bring their kids to the daytime, family-friendly events, like the parade near the end of the week, complete with floats and music and fireworks at night.”
Chase nodded, looking like he was having trouble imagining it all. “What’s the theme for this year’s event?”
Emma smiled and pointed to one of the banners strung over Commercial Street, fluttering in the breeze. “Married to the Mob,” she read. “I expect to see a lot of pinstripes and fedoras starting on Saturday, but probably even more boas and flapper dresses than suits. The town swells with increased tourist traffic during the days, the nights jam-packed with parties and drinking. Super busy, but super fun.”
“Sounds interesting. Maybe I’ll have to come back to check it out next year.”
A band tightened around her heart like a vise, but she kept her tone light. “If you won’t even be here Saturday, I take it you’re not planning to stay in town very long.”
He shook his head. “A couple days at most. Just long enough to get the gyre fully mapped for the summit, assuming the anomaly your father reported belongs to the same gyre.”
“Then what?”
He shrugged. Not a good answer. And yet, what more did she want from him? One kiss isn’t a relationship, she reminded herself again. How could a simple kiss leave her in such a state of confusion? Not that there was anything simple about that kiss…
Forget about the darn kiss. This was only lunch. Her favorite sweet shop loomed ahead. And maybe dessert. “Hey, is there any of Tony’s money left for ice cream? This place up on the left makes the most awesome homemade flavor combos. They’re to die for! Guaranteed you won’t find anything like it in the Big Apple, not in a million years. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
“How can I say no to such a build-up?”
She tied the dog’s leash to a shaded bicycle rack at the foot of the stairs. Chase followed her through the double doors into the pink Victorian house where bins of colorful saltwater taffy and a wide variety of penny candies lined the walls. The crowd at the ice cream counter stood eight deep, giving them plenty of time to consider the choices written in colored chalk along the walls.
He
“Commercial Street gets pretty hectic, especially in August,” Emma said. “At least it’s not Carnival yet. Next week will be insane.”
“Hard to believe it gets worse than this,” Chase mumbled, barely avoiding a collision with a group of shirtless young men bouncing a soccer ball between them. “What’s Carnival?”
“Like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, except geared toward celebrating, uh, alternative lifestyle choices.” She blushed as she explained the town’s annual celebration without mentioning sex. “They have different themes every year and people tailor their costumes and parties to fit with the overall scheme. Like, one year the theme was ‘Comic Book Capers’ and everyone dressed like comic book characters ranging from Batman to Richie Rich. One of the hotels hosted an Aqua Man pool party and I’ve never seen so many colorful speedos in one place!”
Chase raised one eyebrow. “So, not restricted to Mardi Gras purple and gold.”
“Not at all. Some of the themes are more risqué, like when it was ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and nipple tassels were all the rage, but it usually turns out, any theme can be interpreted in either tame or suggestive ways.”
“I guess it’s for adults only?” Chase gestured to a group of adolescents pouring out of one of the candy shops. “What about the families here on vacation?”
“Oh, Carnival has something for everyone,” Emma assured him. “People bring their kids to the daytime, family-friendly events, like the parade near the end of the week, complete with floats and music and fireworks at night.”
Chase nodded, looking like he was having trouble imagining it all. “What’s the theme for this year’s event?”
Emma smiled and pointed to one of the banners strung over Commercial Street, fluttering in the breeze. “Married to the Mob,” she read. “I expect to see a lot of pinstripes and fedoras starting on Saturday, but probably even more boas and flapper dresses than suits. The town swells with increased tourist traffic during the days, the nights jam-packed with parties and drinking. Super busy, but super fun.”
“Sounds interesting. Maybe I’ll have to come back to check it out next year.”
A band tightened around her heart like a vise, but she kept her tone light. “If you won’t even be here Saturday, I take it you’re not planning to stay in town very long.”
He shook his head. “A couple days at most. Just long enough to get the gyre fully mapped for the summit, assuming the anomaly your father reported belongs to the same gyre.”
“Then what?”
He shrugged. Not a good answer. And yet, what more did she want from him? One kiss isn’t a relationship, she reminded herself again. How could a simple kiss leave her in such a state of confusion? Not that there was anything simple about that kiss…
Forget about the darn kiss. This was only lunch. Her favorite sweet shop loomed ahead. And maybe dessert. “Hey, is there any of Tony’s money left for ice cream? This place up on the left makes the most awesome homemade flavor combos. They’re to die for! Guaranteed you won’t find anything like it in the Big Apple, not in a million years. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
“How can I say no to such a build-up?”
She tied the dog’s leash to a shaded bicycle rack at the foot of the stairs. Chase followed her through the double doors into the pink Victorian house where bins of colorful saltwater taffy and a wide variety of penny candies lined the walls. The crowd at the ice cream counter stood eight deep, giving them plenty of time to consider the choices written in colored chalk along the walls.
He
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