Page 39 of A Secret Chance
“How would you know that?” Baxter asked.
Barry turned to him. “I have kids,” he said.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think you were, I don’t know, that kind of involved with them.”
The smile disappeared from Barry’s face and Baxter was instantly filled with regret. “I mean, shit, I didn’t mean...” he trailed off.
“It’s okay.” Barry took another bite of his pastry and huffed out more hot air. “I can see how you would think that. I’m dedicated to my job, but I’m a family man too.”
Baxter raised his eyebrows, “So, you weren’t acting just then, with that woman Megan?”
“No,” Barry chuckled. “That was a cute baby.”
“What?” Baxter said. The chainsaws had drowned out every sound around them.
“Let’s check it out,” Baxter yelled and took a sip from his coffee cup.
***
THEIR EARS WERE RINGINGas they walked away from the chainsaw carving competition. “My wife’s gonna kill me,” Barry said. He had just purchased a thousand-dollar chainsaw carving of a bear.
“What are you talking about?” Baxter laughed. “That will fit right in beside the gates at the end of your driveway.” Baxter had not been looking forward to the Winter Carnival, he had actually been dreading it all week, but was pleasantly surprised to discover he was having a good time. Despite everyone in town knowing that they were the evil developers, people had been kind to them.
“What’s next on the menu, boss?” Barry asked eyeing up the line of food trucks.
The two of them had demolished those cinnamon pastry things and had also polished off two elk burgers. “I’m stuffed.” Baxter looked up at the bulletin board ahead of them, “How about we enter one of the contests?”
“Ax-throwing?” Barry raised his eyebrow. “Against this crowd? No thanks.”
Baxter took the pencil on the string and printed his name on the sign-up sheet. “Suit yourself,” he said. His outdoorsman days were long behind him, but he assumed ax-throwing was like riding a bike. No sooner had he written his name, a carnival volunteer came and took the sheet from the clipboard. “Looks like I’m up,” he grinned at Barry. The two of them followed the volunteer through the crowd to an opening where a massive tree round was mounted to a fence, shiny axes lined up ready for chucking.
The volunteer spoke into a bullhorn, “First up, the ladies!”
Barry and Baxter clapped along with the crowd around them. Baxter started to get nervous when every single Rapidian woman who entered the contest easily hit the wooden round.
“Looks easy.” Barry leaned in and shouted as the crowd went crazy.
A pretty blond woman who looked slightly familiar to Baxter stepped up for her turn. The woman looked like a model and had the biggest cheering section.
“Holy shit,” Barry whispered. “That’s Logan Brush,” he said pointing to the blonde’s fans. “I forgot that he moved here.”
Baxter scanned the crowd and sure enough, the famous ex-pro hockey player was standing on the opposite side of the crowd. He looked back to the contest in time to see the ax fall to the ground with a thud. The blond woman was the first to completely miss the target.
“Her laughing probably doesn’t help her aim.” Barry elbowed Baxter. The woman missed every single time but left the throwing area with a huge smile on her face.
“Isn’t that the kid we saw?” Barry hadn’t taken his eyes off Logan Brush’s crew. Baxter scanned the crowd and sure enough the little girl, Tabitha—that was her name, not Garfield,—he shook his head and laughed at himself. He choked on the next sip of his coffee when he saw who was standing behind Tabitha. There was her mother, the real estate agent, and... Lauren.
“Next up, the men’s competition.” The volunteer’s voice boomed through the loudspeaker.
“You’re up, boss,” Barry said.
Baxter had already been nervous, now his hands were full-on trembling. “Let’s go,” he whispered to Barry.
“What?” Barry asked. He clapped as all of the contestant’s names were read.
“Come on,” Baxter grabbed Barry’s elbow just as his name was shouted through the loudspeaker. Everyone in the crowd turned to face him.
“Looks like you’re not getting out of this one.” Barry stepped out of his way.
