The Shadow by Amanda McKinney

Author:Amanda McKinney [McKinney, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HH Tisevich, LLC
Published: 2019-05-21T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Payton nudged the tiny pink umbrella to the side of her cup and sipped her radioactive-looking drink. Sugar and… pure grain alcohol.

Nice.

But what did she expect at a festival?

She watched a tattooed, glittery woman belly-dance in the middle of a sea of people, most of whom didn’t even notice her—surprising considering the woman was wearing only a bralette as a top, and had balloons for boobs. Then again, the dancer was dressed not unlike half the women and teenagers, meandering through the closed-off streets, listening to the bands, browsing the art tents, tasting the exotic food from the street vendors. The woman, Payton guessed was mid-fifties, swayed effortlessly to the jazz music blaring from the street brand, the streetlights sparkling off the beads and charms that decorated her generous hips. So confident, so carefree. She moved effortlessly to the music, as if she were a part of it. As if the music was moving her. The Summit Mountain Arts Festival always drew in some very interesting crowds. It was one of the few times you’d see less cowboy hats than baseball caps. The opening-night of the festival was the biggest event, and tonight was no different, even with storms lurking in the area. Thick cloud cover greedily absorbed the waning light of dusk, and the scent of impending rain perfumed the summer breeze. The electricity was thick in the air. Energy, moving all around her, just like the carefree belly dancer.

Payton’s gaze shifted to a small group coming down a narrow staircase, each had extravagant masks over their eyes. Sparkling glitter, feathers, beads, very Mardi Gras. She’d never seen so many masks at the festival before, then again, she hadn’t been in over a decade.

“Helllllo? Payton?”

Payton tore her gaze away from bustling crowd and turned to Jax. “I’m sorry… what?”

Sitting across the table from her, Gia released an annoyed exhale.

They’d snagged the last table at a small, charming Mexican restaurant downtown. Colorful tiles accented the large rock building, with flickering lampposts lighting the sidewalk. The restaurant had two patios, one in front along the street, and a bar with every brand of tequila imaginable lined the back patio which was much more secluded and private than the front. They’d chosen the front to watch the parade. The building backed up to a rock cliff on the mountain that flanked downtown. Very unique, very popular. Only open during the summer months, the restaurant was a favorite spot for both locals and tourists. Tourists loved the view and proximity to shopping, and locals loved it not only because of the romantic atmosphere but because it was one of the only restaurants in the area that didn’t have pool tables, dart boards, jukeboxes, or spit cups. It was where everyone in Berry Springs took their dates… just like tonight.

“I said, are you gonna eat that?” Jax nodded to the table.

“Oh.” She looked at the soggy nachos on her plate. “No, you go ahead. Knock yourself out.”

“Payton,” Gia’s voice sounded eerily like Payton’s stepmother’s, and also not unlike her stepmother, Gia was sporting a very decent buzz.

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