Page 75 of Love and History
He squeezed my finger. “You’re welcome. Go on, Shakespeare. Your audience awaits.”
Renaissance in the Park day one was a resounding success. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies as far as the eye could see with temps hovering in the mid-eighties. Not too terrible at all. The crowd was enthusiastic about…everything. They clapped for the musicians and strolling minstrels, laughed at the jesters and impromptu sword fights, and cheered the performances on our makeshift stage.
The vendors seemed to do well too. The craft tables were full of kids making pet dragons and painting fairies and goblins. And the food, as usual, was fabulous. It made my heart happy to see regular folks in costume walking around with flagons of lemonade and giant mutton legs. Yes, some people dressed up for the occasion. There were quite a few lords, ladies, pirates, and even a couple of wizards parading about the park. The vendor selling crowns, plastic chain mail, and floral wreaths with ribbons were especially popular.
Honestly, it was all…fantastic. And it only got better when the headline historical celebrities made their appearances. Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth, and the court jesters were greeted with the anticipated fanfare. We posed for countless photos after wowing them with witty repartee and a soliloquy or two.
But nothing and no one compared to Ezra. He was brilliant…larger-than-life, bombastic, and charming as heck. Crowds parted when he flipped his robe over his shoulders and sauntered by with his head held high, alternately spouting nonsensical proclamations and quoting random verses he’d memorized.
“Hail, my fine citizens! You may kiss the ring…after you givest me all thy gold!”
Henry VIII was by far the star attraction. His over-the-top conceit mixed well with the soulful Shakespearean lines. But they especially loved his self-deprecating humor and effortless charm. He stepped out of character to get a replacement ice cream for a hysterical toddler who’d dropped his on the grass, pet dogs, and chat with a posse of octogenarians.
And when he stripped out of costume to take a pie or ten to the face, it was a mini melee. A tattooed, ripped hunk with a cocky attitude who was willing to be the butt of a joke was comedy gold.
Ezra was just…wonderful. He was everything I knew he’d be and more.
My heart burst with pride for him and my fellow HRS members. We’d hosted a memorable festival and raised more money on day one than we had over a two-year span. Val was over the moon.
“I can’t believe it. We absolutely killed it!” Val grinned, shaking her head in happy wonder. “Whatever you did today, do it again tomorrow, gang!”
I didn’t have an opportunity to talk to Ezra on my own again that day. We were surrounded by people all afternoon and came home separately to a full house that night.
Asher and Blake, George and Aiden, and Topher and Simon had helped Noah move some of his furniture and clothing into the house. We had an impromptu Script Club pizza dinner to congratulate Noah on his new home purchase and spent the evening reminiscing about our grad school days. Ezra seemed a bit distant as the night wore on, which he claimed was exhaustion.
I snuck into his room that night when everyone left and the house went quiet. I burrowed close, resting my head on his chest as I listened to him breathing. I studied our shadows against the wall and lay there for a while, contemplating what came next.
My work calendar was set. After I registered for my PhD courses, I’d visit my family. I hadn’t booked my flight yet, but that wasn’t an issue now that I didn’t have to hurry to find a place to live. Everything was okay.
No reason to worry. No reason to panic. Everything is okay, I chanted…over and over. And when the chorus in my head reminded me that sneaking around and lying were the opposite of okay, I squeezed my eyes shut and chanted faster.Don’t worry, don’t panic. It’s okay.
One day at a time. I needed to get through day two of Renaissance in the Park and hope it was as fabulous as today.
* * *
Day two sucked.
It started out fine. The skies were still blue, the performers were still enthusiastic, and we had more volunteers on hand than yesterday to help manage the larger-than-yesterday crowd. But the temperature skyrocketed around one p.m., which was roughly when the ice cream truck’s freezer conked out and the lemonade stand ran out of ice.
We sent volunteers to the store for ice, wiped the sweat from our brows, and got on with the show. But I had to admit, the air was a tad ripe with body odor and spirits flagged in the scorching sun. I did what I could to keep our troops peppy—not an easy feat with my heavy cloak pasted to my skin and my hair matted under my itchy wig.
Of course this was the day my friends and some coworkers came to show support.
I waved at Blake and Asher, and did a double take when I spotted Tommy and Noah chatting with Marlon. I surreptitiously watched them from behind my fan, and told myself that Marlon was just being supportive. And that was nice. Sort of.
I wished they’d all come yesterday when everything seemed fresh and not so…hot. I sighed, stepping behind the curtain delineating the staff area from the festivities.
“Good afternoon, Professor Galymer. I’m reporting for duty.”
“Mallory. Hello. Um…thanks. You can check in with Presley or Val. I’m sure they’ll have something for you to do.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come yesterday and I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay long today, but I’m willing to help while I can,” she declared, twisting the ribbon in her ponytail as she surveyed the festival in progress. “My parents decided to come with me and insisted on driving together.”
“That’s okay. Any little bit helps,” I assured her, eyeing the shirt in her hand. “You’re probably rather warm in your cardigan. You might want to change into your volunteer shirt.”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.” She unfurled the fabric and shook it loose. “This is Ezra’s lacrosse jersey. Do you happen to know where I might find him?”
“Ezra’s jersey?”