Page 16 of Beckon

A delicate hand landed a soft touch to his bicep. “Look, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the night I took you home, well, you said things. In your sleep. I can’t change what’s in your head or how you feel about it, but maybe for a few minutes, I can distract you. Singing worked then, but I’m not about to do that here. Besides, I promised you snacks, and we can’t have snacks until we win stuff for the kids, so come on,mysterious stranger, we have a quest.”

With that, she practically bounced toward the flashing lights and all the sounds.

Chandler hadn’t imagined the singing that night. It had been real. It had been her. She’d faced down his demons and won him a small reprieve.

The realization that he owed her so much more hit him like a Mack truck. He’d never be able to repay her for the kindnesses she’d heaped on him, and still was, but he would spend the rest of his precious time trying.

It didn’t escape him that for the first time in a long time, he considered his time precious. It had felt like borrowed time for so long, but now it meant something.

In the back of his mind, in a small corner, he knew tonight would have a ripple effect on his life.

Chandler found Tami playing Skee-Ball in the back, so he took the lane next to her. “So, this epic quest we’re on? A regular thing for you when you’re not driving drunk people home?”

Chandler watched her face; it betrayed her thoughts. She smiled shyly until he mentioned driving. It was then a dark cloud moved into her sunshiny personality.

He was on the verge of apologizing when she opened her mouth. But before she did so, he could practically see her talking to herself. Even her eyes shifted like following a conversation. If he wasn’t mistaken, her lips twitched a little too.

“Guilty. I come in as much as I can. I’ve been doing it since I worked here in high school, which was a long, long time ago.”

Her voice changed. “I’d stopped for a while.” but just as quickly as it quieted, it rose again. “First job. Mr. B hired me way back.”

Tami rolled a wooden ball up the ramp and clapped when she hit the middle ring. “So, technically, I think that makes me carnival folk.”

Her laughter caressed some long dead part of his soul and he joined in her merriment at the corny reference. It was the lightest he’d felt in a long time. She really was what was good in the world.

After their tokens were spent, they took their tickets to the office and headed to the food lane. It was set up like a carnival too. Cotton candy, corn dogs, fried turkey legs. They took their food on a stroll through the place as if they were outside.

Between bites of grilled corn on the cob, Chandler spoke. Knowing he might break the mood with his words, but they needed to be said. “I wanted to thank you for the other night. I was rude to you, and I had no right, so I sincerely apologize for that. What you did for me, even after that, well, not many people would’ve been so kind. I guess I just really wanted you to know that and promise me you won’t ever change. The world needs more people like you.”

Tami was silent. Rapid fire eating a dill pickle. Apparently, she didn’t take compliments well. But Chandler wouldn’t fail this mission.

“I mean it. My life is rather dark,”and cold,“and your kindness was a light that I hadn’t felt in a really,reallylong time.” The more he talked, the more her discomfort increased. He was supposed to be making things better, not worse. He was at a loss, and that’s when he made shit weird.

“I haven’t been tucked into bed and sang to since I was single digits and probably still wet it.”

Smooth. Way to go, asshole.

But his awkwardness relaxed her, so he was momentarily grateful for tripping on his own tongue.

“Well, you’re welcome, and you’ll be happy to know, you didn’t wet the bed. I’d have felt it.”

“Who knows what happened after you left.” It was a tongue-in-cheek joke about a grown man wetting his bed, but they laughed so hard, they both had tears by the time they sat at a small bench with a table to set their uneaten carnival snacks on.

“Why is your life dark?” And boom, just like that, the laughter died. Chandler hadn’t thought about heavy shit, other than thanking her, all night. What rankled him now wasn’t her asking, but that he almost wanted to tell her everything… almost.

“I’ve done things that have put black marks on my soul.” What he said next was a knee-jerk reaction. He was taught to read people and use any information possible to achieve the mission. But in that moment, his initial mission went out the window. Deflection was key. “Why did your light dim when I mentioned driving drunk people?”

His hand flew to his chest, he could feel another black mark being carved onto his soul. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but according to Tate, it was what he’d done best over the last month so why ruin a perfectly good track record.

The woman in front of him swallowed visibly. He watched the emotions dance across her angelic, freckled face in painful slow motion. He’d done that. To her. To the one person who’d shown him kindness for the sake of being kind. The apology was poised on his tongue when she stood.

“Because drunk drivers are thieves and if I’m just a call away, maybe they won’t steal something they have no right to take.”

Tami cleared their napkins and plastered on a smile, but the smile didn’t seem fake. “Ready?” Granted, she wasn’t the same bubbly person she’d been moments ago, but she wasn’t a wreck. Not like he usually was when someone mentioned anything that made him think of Wilson and their fool’s mission.

Instead, she smiled and chattered to herself as she walked back toward the front.

“Excuse me, what was that?” Chandler asked as he held the door open for her. Something about a receipt, but she was genuinely smiling where moments before it had been faked.

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