Facade of Love

Chapter 306 The Warmth of Ordinary Life

For someone stuck in a hospital room, the idea of getting out for a walk was something to really look forward to.

As for taking Charlie out to eat, I could not think of anywhere special off the top of my head, so I picked a place I liked to go on any given day.

Charlie had insisted on ditching Inch and the bodyguard for the day inside the restaurant, so we snagged a table by the window. The view was killer–Polaris River sliced right through Lake City, with people kayaking and the sidewalks bustling with life under the bright lights.

As we browsed the menu, Charlie finally tore his eyes away from the scene and asked, “Do you like this?”

I nodded, watching the street vendors and the chill crowd wandering by. “It’s so lively,” I said.

He flashed a quick grin and agreed, “Yeah, it’s got that special buzz.”

Mid–conversation, Charlie’s attention drifted to a mom and her kid at the cotton candy stand below. The little guy, who was maybe five or six, was totally spellbound by the rainbow of sugary fluff and glued to the spot.

“That stuff will glue your teeth together. We’ll have something way better at home,” the mom probably said, trying to pry her kid away, thinking about the impending sugar rush.

The kid, however, was having none of it, his eyes glued to the cotton candy. He begged, “It won’t stick. Let’s just get one!”

kid wanted it bad, and mom was not budging. She tried to haul him off, yet the kid must have tapped into

the table

mother–son pair who had been

the little boy plopped down

to soothe him, scrambled to apologize to the

looked pretty ticked off. He said, “Look, I’m not trying to be hard on you. My cotton candy costs two bucks a stick, and I can’t sell the ones you guys knocked to the floor now. Pay me what they cost, and since the syrup is no good either,

food, Charlie and I both looked away from the drama and checked out the dishes on the table. Before we could dig in, this ear–splitting yell came from downstairs, “Fifteen? Are you

boss to respond. She just

was caught off guard, tripping and tumbling

fed up, “Come on, lady, you’re not making any sense. I’m

it down, and I already said sorry. What is this stuff even worth? It’s all junk food. I haven’t even reported you for selling bad food, which is me being nice. Now you want me to pay up? As if!” She went off like a

blocking her path, “Fine; report me. But you’ll wait here while I call the cops, and we’ll sort this out

his phone, ready to dial.

the phone, the woman plopped down on the ground and started wailing like

to stop and gather

delicious dishes, and I slid the window shut to keep the outside