In 1934, life in Brookburn, Indiana, is quiet, simple, and peaceful, but young dreamer Levi Beckerman yearns for more. When the carnival shows up for the Fourth of July, he’s entranced by its many temptations. None is more seductive than the charismatic barker, Sebastian Gustineau.<br><br>Seb’s been a part of the carnival for almost a decade. Once, it provided him the escape he needed from a life he thought he didn’t want, but now, he craves things it can never offer. Flitting from dusty town to dusty town, he loses himself in pretty dalliances. Levi seems like the perfect distraction, until a single conversation convinces him that preserving Levi’s innocence and way of life is more important than his momentary satisfaction.<br><br>However, his plan to discourage Levi goes horribly wrong. When Levi’s family is threatened, Levi fights to protect them, doing what he can to hide the secrets he’s sheltered his entire life. The only person he trusts is Seb. He just isn’t sure if the growing bond between them is enough to save them all.

A Simple Charm

He didn’t get a break until well after noon, when Mr. Trumbull left him to mind the till so he could sort through the new shipment of paper goods that had come in from Chicago. Perched on his stool behind the counter, he fingered the note in his pocket, the edges already getting soft from the constant contact, and waited for Mr. Nickles to finish his Monday perusal of the magazine stack. Every permutation of what it could possibly contain filled his head, from a love letter extolling the wonder of the night before to an invitation to join him again that evening.


Would he go? Yes, he would. Without blinking. He was starting to believe he’d do just about anything Seb asked of him, walls or not.


Chapter 32