Karen from the bank showed up early, niece Betha in tow. The seven-year-old appeared to be dressed like the tooth fairy, complete with tooth wand and a grubby dollar bill crushed in a palm. Kiko spotted them the moment he’d composed himself and stepped back out into the store. One glance told him Katie and Chad were handling the deviled egg disaster, Chad rushing the bad ones behind the counter, Katie replacing them with standard deviled eggs from the refrigerated case. Kiko pulled up a smile and moved to greet Karen, who was heading in his direction.
“Kiko,” said Karen, looking pleased to see him. “This is my niece, Betha. She just loves the tooth fairy. What do you think?”
“The tooth fairy was always one of my heroes,” said Kiko brightly. “She believed I could earn money even when no o
