Page 35 of Fairground

“I see…”

And I do. Loyalty is everything to me, and the way she says it, I believe her. Once you’re in with the Marshalls, they don’t let you go. They protect you, look out for you, and somehow, it feels like Cash is already doing that for me now without telling me. Easing me into the small town life. Introducing me to people who might help me get ahead. Like he's treating me cautiously because of the obvious walls I have built up. Yet despite us being rivals, he’s got this way of making me feel… supported.

“Alright, well, I’ll leave you two to your date night,” Regan says with a playful smirk, glancing between Laken and me. “I just wanted to introduce myself and say hi. By the way, Lydia and I volunteer with Molly at the Girls’ and Boys’ Club on Thursday afternoons if you’d ever like to join us. We’re always looking for new Bigs to help out.”

“Sure… who’s Molly?”

“Colt’s fiancée.”

“Oh…”The woman he is trying to impregnate.“Maybe,” I say, trying to keep my expression neutral.

She smiles warmly. “See you around, Rae.”

As soon as she walks away, Laken pounces on me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “You so want to fuck Cash Marshall.”

I sip my beer slowly, pretending I didn’t hear her. “Absolutely not.”

“It’d be a disaster,” she adds.

“The worst idea.”

"Probably the hottest fuck of your life."

"Easily."

She taps a finger against her lips, looking entirely too thoughtful and playful. “But… you might be able to use this to your advantage.”

I arch a brow. “How?”

“Sleep with him. Distract him from the campaign.”

I grab a napkin, wad it up, and chuck it at her head. “No! I’m not doing that. You just got done hearing how nice of a guy he is. That would make me the villain.”

She laughs, unfazed. “You’re right. He’s definitely a love ‘em and leave ‘em type anyway. Even your unused pussy wouldn’t distract him from his mission.”

I gasp, choking on my beer. “Unused?”

She grins wickedly. “When was the last time you had sex with something other than one of your toys, Rae?”

“That would be with my ex… Brian,” I mumble. Back in Charlotte, way too long ago.

“Mhm. And you two broke up when exactly…?”

“A year ago.”

Her grin widens. “Well, Cash is seriously missing out, then.”

Chapter 14: Cash

“Good afternoon,” I call out to Rae as she steps into one of the large, white tents for our Wednesday meeting dedicated to State Fair entertainment planning.

Of all the chaotic, color-coded sessions we’ve held over the past few weeks, this one is my favorite by far. Entertainment is where the real magic happens. It’s the heartbeat of the fair—the part that turns dusty fairgrounds into lifelong family memories.

We get to spotlight local bands that have been grinding it out in garages and dive bars all year. We book baby animals that make even the most cynical adults melt like butter. We double-check that the rides won’t kill anyone, coordinate with inspectors, and layer in all the little details that take a regular old week in North Carolina and spin it into something kids will still be talking about twenty years from now.

Sure, the fair is about more than just the fun and excitement. It’s about community, celebrating small-town pride, and everything that makes North Carolina the best damn state in the country. But let’s be real: the joy? The laughter? The connection? That’s the part people remember when they talk about the fair yearslater, recounting their childhoods or that one magical night under the lights when they saw an up and coming star perform before they were famous.

Rae glances up at me from behind a curtain of soft, chestnut curls. The coffee cup that she’s clutching in her hands presses to her lips as her gaze rakes over my body openly. She’s wearing a pair of black joggers and a tiny black tank top that clings to her like it was a second skin along with combat boots. If she was aiming for laid-back, casual comfort, she nailed it. And if she was trying to short-circuit my brain and make me instantly hard tonight, well, she nailed that too.

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