“I’d like to see it sometime,” he said.
Adelie paused. “You would?”
“Sure. If you care about it that much, then it must be amazing. All right, here we go.” He gestured to the sign at the front of the ride near the railing meant to separate those who were waiting from those taking their turns.
It was a lighthearted version of Alice on her hands and knees, staring into a hole in the side of a bank. “This is the sign we’ll be redoing. I want to hail back to as many of the original images from the book as possible. We’d like to capture you looking stunned and amazed as you’re falling slowly down a well.”
The idea made her muscles twitch.
“I see,” she said. “How exactly are you going to capture me falling?”
Maddox lifted his arms and mimed the movement, astonished facial expression and all. The combined actions were so endearing, she laughed.
“You’re onto something. Why not just don a wig and do the pictures yourself?” she said.
“And miss the chance of seeing you?” He winked, kinking her insides. “Come on. Pool of Tears is next.”
They meandered through, stopping by the water ride she and Suzie had experienced. She was grateful the towering, quick-drop ride was closed. She’d ridden it Friday to obtain the next clue, and once was enough. They stopped next at the Caucus Race ride, made up of animals that spun and moved at slow speeds.
“To dry off,” Maddox added as he pointed them out.
Adelie chuckled to herself, remembering the ride’s slow-spin progression and the young kids and their parents who’d smiled in delight. It was the perfect sort of ride for little kids.
“It’s nice of you to gear some rides to kids,” she said.
“People from every walk of life love the book. And if not the book, then Disney’s rendition of the story. I wanted to make sure the park could be a family place.”
“Is that why you’re not open on Sunday?”
“An old-fashioned notion, I guess,” he said, stopping before the Odds N' Ends store across from the Ever After Sweet Shoppe. “Mind if I make a confession?”
She swallowed. “What do you mean?”
“I saw you in the shop Friday,” he said, gesturing toward Odds N' Ends with its sweeping striped awning. “You stole my breath, right from the start.”
Talk about stealing breath. Her lips parted. She was captivated by his confession, by the sincerity in his eyes. What did that mean? Who talked like this anyway, especially to someone he just met?
“I—I don’t know what to say.”
The corner of his mouth tipped. “I knew from that moment I needed you as my Alice.”
She shook the stardust from her eyes. Right. Alice. He was only talking about his park.
Adelie drew in a long breath and stepped away from him, waiting for her head to clear. Don't get in over your head, she told herself, staring at the brick. She needed a focal point, to get herself back on track away from the cloud he’d momentarily led her on.
Maddox pointed to the store’s windows.
“See? Even here, you’ll be on posters and displays in the store windows. Even the bags in the stores will have some version of you on them.”
Butterflies rolled in her stomach but were soon forgotten as thunder crackled through the sky overhead. March was the season for spring showers. Seconds later, a single drop kissed Adelie’s cheek. She blinked upward, struck by the mass of gray clouds that closed in overhead. They hadn’t been there when she’d first arrived.
“Uh-oh,” Maddox said. “Looks like we might have to cut things short unless you want to get caught in a deluge.”
“Spring rain,” Adelie said with a chuckle. More drops trickled down, wetting her hair and shoulders. Without further warning, the rain increased its tempo, drumming down against the rooftops and tinkling against what sounded like tin. She lifted her messenger bag above her head as puddles at their feet quickly formed.
“Here,” Maddox called in the din. He put a hand on the small of her back, and the two ran toward the carousel about twenty feet away.
Adelie followed Maddox, who wove his way through the iron maze for patrons to line up within. He opened the final gate, allowing her through first to hurry up the step and onto the dormant carousel, taking shelter beneath its circus-tent-like roof.
The air was still brisk, and the rain made a symphony of noise on the roof, but at least she wasn’t getting any more soaked than she already was. Adelie lowered her bag, wiped wet hair and rain from her eyes, and caught her racing breath.
Rain dripped from Maddox’s hair, which had fallen into his eyes. He raked his hands through, whipping it clear of his forehead. In his leather jacket, with his watch peeking through the end of his sleeve, the action made him appear like a supermodel. Tantalizing, but off-limits.
“Here we go,” he said, resting a hand on the back of a seahorse. “We’ll just wait it out.”
“This is actually really great,” Adelie said, reining in her racing heart and glancing at the carousel.
“It is?”
She gestured to the surrounding animals; the mice, cats, flamingoes, and then up at the inner workings of the poles leading to their gears in the roof. This ride hadn’t been part of Friday’s challenge, which was a shame. She would have loved a ride.
“How often does anyone get a carousel all to themselves?”
“You’ve got your pick,” Maddox said, gesturing to the animals.
The prospect was enchanting. Despite the cold, warmth radiated through her at his invitation.
“No horses?” she asked. “All carousels have horses.”
“Not this one.” He gripped the pole holding a fat hedgehog to the upper and lower gears.
“Makes sense,” she said, wandering on the wide, circular platform and inspecting each ornate creature. “Wonderland doesn’t conform to any norms.”
“Exactly,” Maddox said, walking with her as she wove between a pair of elaborate fish. “Which one will it be?”
“This one,” Adelie said, stopped beside a brilliantly colored peacock. Peacocks were the kind of bird that demanded respect and attention, yet they kept to themselves. She liked that.
“Well?” He inclined his head. “Are you going to get on?”
A blush claimed her cheeks. She lowered her head, hoping to hide it. “It’s not moving.”
The corner of his lip quirked. “Isn’t it?”
Adelie fought a smile and lifted a foot, climbing onto the peacock. She gripped the pole with one hand to steady herself until she inserted her feet into the stirrups on either side. Seated as she was, it put her on eye-level with Maddox.
Rain hammered against the carousel roof and created a curtain around them. For only a moment, Adelie didn’t notice the playful landscapes painted on the carousel’s center pivot. Her feet nestled in the stirrups, her hand gripped the peacock’s reins, and her heart tapped out a rapid rhythm in her chest.
Maddox hadn’t found his own creature as she thought he would. He remained close and directed his gaze at her. Lifting a hand, he gently wiped a raindrop from her cheek. His touch sizzled straight into her skin.
He sees me as his Alice, she reminded herself. Nothing more.