Page 25 of Bad Boy Crush
eight
Despite heavy clouds early Friday morning, the sky had cleared by eleven a.m. The sun shone brightly in a cloudless blue sky. The weather was perfect for the outdoor games.
The quartz stones on Pate Mansion glimmered in the sunlight as Lou passed by the house en route to where the games were set up at the rear of the property. She’d bumped into Faith earlier, who had been buzzing around making sure everything was in place. Watching her frantically check and triple-check in with multiple people, Lou felt a distinct wave of relief that she only reported on the happenings in Evergreen Cove. Overseeing the wheres, whens, and whats seemed way too stressful.
“Lou!” Sofie, her arms in the air, cell phone in one hand, jogged over. She was wearing red shorts and a white T-shirt paired with a light red vest over her top. She looked professional and adorable at once. “Come with me, I’ll show you where to be.”
“Oh, I’m not officially with the press,” Lou told her. “I’ll just clamber around with the rest of the crowd.” A crowd that had become thicker as they made their way to the cordoned area behind the mansion.
“I don’t want you in the press box, silly.” Sofie’s dark brown hair slipped over her shoulder when she cocked her head. “You’re the master of ceremonies.”
“The…what, now?”
Sofie consulted her cell phone. “Lisa Labreck emailed me this morning and said you would ‘love to be the master of ceremonies for day one.’ Did she not tell you?”
Lisa had not told her. But there was no sense in sending Sofie scurrying for another candidate. “Right. She didn’t go over what I would be doing as master of ceremonies.”
Sofie’s shoulders dropped in a show of relief. “It’s simple. You sit in a special chair, and each of the contestants brings you a gift before the start of the first event. Usually, it’s small and handmade or a bouquet of flowers. It’s tradition!”
“For like, good luck or something?”
“Sort of! It represents their gratitude for Babe.”
“Babe?”
“Paul Bunyan’s blue ox.” Sofie wrinkled her cute nose. “You only have to wear the headpiece while the gifts are offered.”
“Headpiece?”
Sofie dragged Lou by the arm. A tall, roughly hewn wooden throne had been placed in a prominent spot next to a podium and a megaphone. On the middle of the seat was the headpiece.
“It has horns,” Lou said as Sofie set the headpiece on Lou’s head.
“And they’re blue because so was Babe. Don’t be nervous. There are only twelve competitors, and everyone will be respectful. Accept the gifts graciously. It’ll be over before you know it.”
Using a built-in step, Lou climbed onto the wide seat, silently swearing to strangle Lisa with her bare hands the next time she saw her. She tugged at the cuff of her frayed denim shorts, regretting not wearing a dress. Not that she was trying to impress anyone, but if she had known she’d be accepting gifts on behalf of Babe the Blue Ox, she would have dressed more formally.
While she waited, she searched the crowd. She met eyes with Lisa, who waved animatedly but didn’t make her way over to say hello. Hmph. Lou would pick that particular bone with her later. May was suspiciously MIA, and Lou hadn’t seen Ant among the competitors yet. She hoped he wasn’t late.
The games were set up in three different areas. She wasn’t totally unfamiliar, as Sofie and Faith had explained everything to her when she’d interviewed them. Wooden targets with painted bullseyes for the axe-throwing competition stood along the edge of the treeline to the far left. To the right was a long, narrow sand pit with markers measuring feet. Massive tree trunks rested on the sides of the pit, ready to be tossed. Directly in front of her was the log-splitting area. Three pedestals with huge chunks of wood waited to be halved, more wood stacked and ready. She’d been told there were four heats between the twelve competitors, with axe-throwing starting them off. Lou had a perfect front-row seat for each of the events.
The announcer, who introduced himself as “Paul Bunyan,” could have passed for his diminutive twin brother. The older man wore a red and black buffalo plaid shirt and jeans. His beard looked real, and he’d committed to a knit cap, which was a feat on such a warm day.
“Paul” addressed the crowd as a gaggle of men lumbered over to form a line in front of her. Some of the guys had dressed like the announcer, in plaid shirts and boots. Others had dressed down, opting for T-shirts and shorts. She spotted Ant bringing up the end of the line wearing his signature style: a straw fedora, a button-down short-sleeved shirt, and baggy cargo shorts.
She smiled to herself. He was made for this stuff. Even in a group of strong, capable men—some of whom had bigger arms than Ant’s—he stood out. His relaxed posture communicated how calm and collected he was—at least on the outside. He met her gaze and offered a hat tip. She tapped the pointy end of one of her horns in response and was rewarded with his toothy smile.
“As tradition has it, Babe the Blue Ox, represented by Evergreen Cove local, Lourdes Daniels,” the announcer continued, “is due her offering. Each of you has brought a gift. You may present it at this time.”
The announcer pressed a button, and an instrumental ballad played over the loudspeakers. To her side on the oversize chair was a basket, where Sofie had instructed Lou to place her “offerings.” She had no idea what to do with them afterward. Was she supposed to keep them, or regift them, or leave them on the “altar” along with her horny headgear?
How the hell had she gotten into this mess, again? Oh right. Lisa.
As Sofie had predicted, most of the gifts were flowers, bound with twine or wrapped in paper. Lou also received two whittled figurines of oxen—Babe, she guessed—and a buffalo plaid handkerchief. Hunter, second to last and right in front of Ant, stepped forward with his offering: a small pine sapling wrapped in burlap.
“Hi, Lou. I must admit, you’re the most gorgeous master of ceremonies I’ve ever presented a gift to.” Sunglasses blocked his eyes above a cheesy smile and the golden medal around his neck.
“Thank you, State Champion.”