Becoming Calder (A Sign of Love Novel)(56)

Hector looked at Eden and then up at me, and his eyes took me in coldly. "Which one would you like, love?" Hector asked loudly. Eden startled and looked up at the booth, hesitating and then pointing to a wreath of pink and yellow wildflowers, long pink ribbons hanging from the back of it.
"Then that's the one that will be yours," he said.
He took the beanbag from the little girl working there and threw it at the first platform, easily knocking all three smaller bags off. The crowd cheered like he had just knocked a ten-ton boulder over with his bare hands. He turned toward Eden and took her hand and kissed it, brushing his lips across her knuckle. My gut clenched and I felt a clawing need to rip her away from him.
He turned back around and Eden looked toward me, biting her lip and then giving me a very small smile.
He threw the beanbag at the second platform and cleared those, too, the crowd going wild.
Suddenly, Xander was beside me. He leaned in. "Relax. It's all a show. She wants to be next to you as much as you want to be next to her."
I breathed out and relaxed my hands, which had balled into fists.
Hector took the beanbag in his hand again and hesitated as he aimed for the farthest platform. He made his throw and two of the three smaller beanbags slid easily off, but the third remained. Hector smiled, letting out an exaggerated breath, and raising both hands in an "oh well" gesture.
"I'll win one for the princess," I blurted out, loudly.
I felt all eyes turn toward me, but my focus remained on Hector.
"You idiot," I heard Xander mutter, but my pride ruled the day and I stepped forward.
"Here, Calder," the little girl at the booth said, grinning at me and showing a big gap where both her front teeth were missing. I took the beanbag from her and watched as she set up the three platforms again.
"All set," she said. I threw the first one and cleared the platform easily. The crowd clapped, although not as exuberantly as they had for Hector. I threw the second one and cleared that one easily as well, and the crowd cheered a little bit louder.
I moved over to the third one and glanced back at Eden. Hector had moved behind her and had both hands on her shoulders and was squeezing her lightly. My blood heated and my jaw ticked. Eden widened her eyes and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but didn't.
I turned back around and aimed at the third platform, all the anger in my body seeming to collect in my hand as I threw that beanbag as hard as I could. Silence surrounded me as the bag made contact with the three smaller bags and they all flew off in different directions, the larger beanbag plowing through them and hitting the back wall. There was a second of silence before a loud groan came from the wood of the booth wall and it wobbled as my eyes widened, right before it crashed backward, landing on the ground with a loud thud.
I stood frozen for several seconds, and then the little girl in front of me whose mouth was hanging open, moved slowly to the wreath Eden had requested and silently took it down and held it out to me.
I took it from her and turned around. Eden was standing there with her hand over her mouth and her eyes shining with laughter and delight. And Hector stood behind her, his face a red mask of anger.
I handed the wreath to Eden slowly, and she took it from my hand, her skin brushing mine as her eyes widened and she blinked up at me. I tore my eyes away from her and looked up at Hector. "Father," I said, bowing my head and turning away. I moved past the booth, where two men were already putting the back wall up, and through the crowd. Xander jogged to my side and walked with me silently until we got to my cabin where I put my hands on my lower hips and paced in front of it.
"You impulsive fool," Xander said, glaring at me. "Calling attention to yourself and Eden when we're planning to leave? Are you stupid? Now you probably just made it that much harder. Did you see the look on his face? You threatened him."
"He had his hands on her," I gritted out.
Xander moved closer, his face right in front of mine. "Yeah, he did. He plans to marry her. He plans to have his hands all over her . . . forever. And you have to stop acting like a prideful idiot and ruining any chance we might have to get out of here with any ease."
I let out my breath and scrubbed my hand down my face. "You're right. I know you're right. I'm a fool." I sat down on my front step, bowed my head, and laced my fingers behind my neck. A couple seconds later I felt Xander sit down next to me.
We were both quiet for a few minutes before Xander spoke again. "I talked to Kristi. She says we need money, enough to last us three months or so, just long enough to get a job. She estimated three thousand."
I raised my head and looked at him incredulously. "Three thousand dollars?" I laughed. "Where are we supposed to get three thousand dollars?"