Free Aimee (A Time for Love Book 3) by Brandi Phelps Page A

soda in traditional waffles, and they’re thicker, with deeper indentions. Great for holding yummy toppings! Sorry, that’s the spiel I plan to give the kids.”
    Frank sniffed the air. “It smells delicious!”
    When the waffle was ready, Aimee slid it onto a plate and pointed him to the end of the table. “Help yourself to your favorite toppings.”
    “Thanks.” Frank looked over the selection of plastic bowls and bottles. “What do you recommend?”
    “You can’t go wrong with strawberries and cream.”
    He spooned toppings onto the waffle and took a bite. “Wow, it’s delicious!” He closed his eyes to savor the taste.
    “You’re supposed to tell me it’s the best one you’ve ever had,” Aimee teased.
    “It’s the only one I’ve ever had,” Frank answered. “But not for long, I hope! I’ll be back for seconds later,” he added hastily as Edwina bore down on them to steal him away.
    The time with Frank had helped Aimee’s nervousness, and when someone opened the double doors at one end of the community center and called out that the carnival was officially underway, she braced herself for the first customer. But no crowd of eager kids burst inside. Instead, the first arrivals stopped at the games stations, and she could hear laughter as they tried their luck.
    A tall teenager, his reddish brown hair flopping over his thin face, wandered into the center and glanced at all the food booths. He headed for the popcorn stand and was munching when he stopped beside Aimee.
    “What’s that?” He gestured to the table.
    “A waffle maker. Would you like to make a Belgian waffle?”
    “Sure.”
    Aimee coached him through the steps and then stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say, as they waited for the waffle to cook. Whitney filled in the silence by asking the boy about foods he liked to eat and telling him about the other booths.
    He slathered butter on the waffle, drenched it in maple syrup, and consumed it in about three bites. “Cool,” he said before he moved on.
    “Cool?” Aimee echoed, and Whitney shrugged.
    After their first client, a group of teens wandered in together. “Is all this free?” one of them asked, and Aimee nodded. They scattered to the various stations, and Aimee stayed busy with a steady stream of hungry kids that grew to a mob as lunchtime approached. Whitney fetched them both bottled water, and they kept the line going as fast as they could. One boy went through the line three times, and everyone seemed to enjoy the waffles.
    When the crowd finally thinned, Edwina appeared. “Go, take a break,” she urged Aimee. “Get some refreshments. See the rest of the carnival. I’ll fill in for you.”
    Aimee thanked her and made her way outside. The day was warm, but the fresh air felt good. She wandered past a wood-carving station and a clown who was making balloon animals. The carnival games were crowded, and she spotted Frank encouraging a little boy who was trying to toss a ring over the neck of a bottle. The little boy was thrilled to land one ring, and Frank handed him a coloring book and Crayons as his prize.
    “Your turn,” Frank told Aimee.
    “Me? I’m hopeless at games like this.”
    He held the rings out to her. She shrugged and took them. After she missed on all three tries, Frank retrieved the rings, came around the booth, and stood beside her to help her with her throws.
    “I think this is cheating,” she said when he gripped her arm to guide it.
    “It’s strictly exhibition play.”
    “Okay.”
    Together they landed all the rings on bottles. Then Frank signalled to the man running the game beside him and offered Aimee his arm.
    “Would you like to tour the carnival?”
    “Is it okay for you to leave?”
    “Edwina lined up someone to cover for me. She told me to take a break when you came, so I’m just following orders.”
    Aimee smiled. “In that case, I’d love to see the carnival. Where do we start?”
    “The food booths?” Frank asked