“Oh my lord! Hell yes, I will help that poor guy. He looks like he could use some of my assistance. I’ve got all kinds of ways I’d like to help him.” Courtney stared over at Bobby with wide eyes and a smile. “Jeez, are all the guys in this club so good looking?”
“Yeah, the ones I’ve met so far have been pretty hot. None of them are as good looking as Bishop, but then again, I’m biased,” she grinned. “They’re nice, too. Bobby’s the guy who put in the security system at the house. He’s really sweet. Get him to tell ya about his nickname.”
“Sure thing. I’ll take good care of him,” Courtney said and began walking over to Bobby’s booth.
Tessa made her way to the concession stand to see Bishop. He was adding charcoal to the grill when she walked up. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. None of the guys wore their DC’s cut to the festival. Most of the people seemed to know who they were, but everyone was friendly and didn’t seem to mind that they were there. Tessa liked watching Bishop greet everyone. He had such a welcoming smile, and the kids really seemed to like him.
“Hey good looking! Whatcha got cooking?” Tessa asked as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you again for helping today. It means a lot to me.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. Ya know, I make a mean burger. Want me to fix you one?” Bishop said giving her wink.
“Sure. I’d love one. Looks like y’all have been really busy. Things should be slowing down in an hour or so. Everything is over at 3:00.”
“Yeah, we’ve had a steady flow of folks. Looks like they all came hungry.”
“That’s great. Maybe we’ll actually make some money this year.”
“Are the kids still going back with your folks this afternoon?”
“Yes. They should be here any minute. I’d like to introduce you to my parents, if that’s okay?” Tessa asked.
“Sure. I’d love to meet them. Bring them over when they get here,” Bishop said handing her a burger.
“OK,” Tessa grinned. “I’ll be back in a bit to check on things. Let me know if you need anything.”
Bishop raised his eyebrow and said, “I’ll be getting what I need later tonight.”
Tessa spotted Myles over at the dunk tank. There was a long line of kids eagerly waiting to take their chance at dunking Principal Morrison. They all cheered wildly when he hit the cold water. Tessa couldn’t hold back her smile as she imagined how miserable he must be. Myles smiled as she made her way over to him.
“Looks like you’re having a good time. How many times have you actually tried to dunk Mr. Morrison today?” Tessa asked him.
“This is my seventh try so far. I got him down five times. He looked pretty pissed off the last time I made him fall. I can’t wait to see how mad he gets when I get up there again,” Myles said laughing loudly.
Tessa smiled over at Mr. Morrison, and he didn’t look happy at all. She decided it would be best for her to just walk away. “Maybe you should try one of the other games for a while, Myles. You might want to give him a break?”
“No way! This is way too much fun.”
“Alright, suit yourself. Try to get him once for me. I’m going to check on the other games and see if anyone needs anything.”
Tessa’s parents made it for the last hour of the festival. They took the kids around to all the booths and bought them cotton candy. They went to every booth, and the kids won tons of prizes. Tessa’s parents already looked exhausted. Just before they were getting ready to leave, Tessa brought them over to meet Bishop.
“Mom, Dad, this is Cole Bishop. He’s the man I’ve been telling you about. His son helped me get things ready for the fair, and he volunteered to help out today by grilling all the food.”
Tessa’s dad reached out to shake Bishop’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Thanks for helping Tessa out with her car. I’ve been telling her it’s time to trade that thing in. She has a stubborn streak a mile wide. It’s nice to meet ya, son.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Tessa has told me a lot about you both. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know your daughter and her kids. The kids are looking forward to spending their fall break with you,” Bishop said with a smile.
Tessa’s mother said, “We love spending time with them. I just hate that they’re so far away now. I don’t see why Tessa had to move them all the way out here, but I’ll take whatever time I can get with them.”
Tessa shrugged her shoulders and smiled at Bishop. “You gotta love parents. They’ll always tell you what they think, whether you want to hear it or not.”