by Alanna Lucas
“Hold on,” he said as Tessa reached for the handle. He got out and strode round to her side and opened the door.
Tessa slid out and just stared at him. She fought the overwhelming need to touch him, to be close to him.
“I need to go inside.” Tessa brushed past him, and rushed up the front steps, past a curious Bernie.
“What’s wrong?” Bernie’s concerned question followed Tessa up the stairs, lingering in her mind.
She closed the door to her room and rushed to her bed, collapsing into its softness.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered into the dark room. “I’m so confused.” She curled into a ball, tightening her hold on her knees. If only I had a sign.
Chapter 9
Two days had passed since Tessa ran away from Rex like a coward. Somehow, she had managed to avoid Bernie’s questions, and although she saw Rex each morning at the bookstore, he remained polite and kept his distance. But the night of the Halloween party had arrived, and Tessa knew she would have to see him, talk to him, be near him. Just the thought made her insides flutter with impatience and need. She couldn’t ever remember feeling like this, and that only added to her uncertainty.
Tessa had never been one to dress up for Halloween. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the idea, she just never felt comfortable with it, plus her late husband did not think it appropriate for a grown woman to dress up in costumes. But here she was, standing in front of her mirror wondering what the hell she was thinking?
How did she go from never dressing up to wearing a costume that consisted of a purple and gold crop top with a lace up front that made her modest B cup appear more like an overflowing C, and sheer purple harem pants? What would the bookstore customers think? She needed a second opinion. One look at this outfit, and Bernie would tell her what to do. She should never have listened to Phoebe.
Tessa slipped on the gold strappy heels that showed off her gold toe polish. “Definitely completes the look,” she told her reflection with a nervous giggle.
The moment she opened her bedroom door, the spicy scent of gingerbread wafted in, enveloping her in childhood memories. Bernie had been busy all day in the kitchen, preparing all sorts of ghoulish treats for tonight’s party. The second the baking was done, Bernie had scurried upstairs and put on her dark purple witch’s costume, complete with pointy witch’s hat. Tessa had never met anyone as excited about Halloween as Bernie, not even a child.
Sounds of young children yelling “Trick or Treat,” echoed through the front hall.
Tessa hesitated for a moment, desperately wanting, but not wanting to see the children in their costumes. She counted to ten before descending the stairs. She had just reached the second to last step when Bernie closed the front door to the sound of a cackling witch—one of three that stood sentinel on the property.
“Good evening, Tessa.” Bernie eyed her up and down. She waited for the older woman to tell her to put more clothes on, lecture her about being half-dressed, or even scold her, but instead Bernie exclaimed, “You look wonderful! That’s the perfect costume for you.”
Tessa’s mouth dropped open, she was so stunned. Praise and approval were the last thing she expected to hear. Before she could ask Bernie what she truly thought of the costume, another knock sounded.
Bernie opened the door wide, plastic cauldron full of candy already in hand. “Happy Halloween,” she said in a spooky voice. At the sight of her grandson, Bernie’s normal sweet voice returned. “Rex, I was wondering if you were ever going to get here tonight.”
Rex’s gaze traveled past his grandmother and straight to Tessa. She felt naked and exposed in her costume, but not necessarily in a bad way. All her worries and agonizing over the past couple of days faded beneath the heated, devilish look that sent a long-forgotten ripple down her spine.
Tessa tried to remind herself why she had been resisting what her body clearly wanted, but couldn’t focus through the haze of desire clouding her thoughts. Despite her lack of clothing, her body was overheating as Rex continued to stare.
“What are you supposed to be?” Bernie asked with a hearty laugh. Rex blinked several times as if breaking some sort of spell he was under.
He turned to Bernie, removed his pirate hat with great fanfare, and bowed. “A zombie pirate, at your service.”
Tessa grabbed for the handrail as her world began to spin. Her breath came in short spurts.
What had she promised Jillian?
Oh dear, recollections of a distant phone conversation rushed to the forefront of her mind. I’ll consider dating if a zombie pirate knocks on my door. Was this a sign? It couldn’t be, could it?
A ding from the kitchen broke through her panic attack.
“The cookies must be done,” Bernie announced with excitement as she scurried to the kitchen leaving Tessa and Rex alone in the entry hall.
“You look…”
Tessa cut off his words with her confession. “I…I was thinking I should change.”
“No, you should definitely not change.” His heated gaze travelled from her eyes down the length of her barely clad body to her toes. For the first time in her life Tessa was glad she had a pedicure. “How many wishes are you granting?”
“Excuse me? Oh, the costume. I hadn’t thought… I was just…” Why must she always get tongue-tied when Rex was near?
Rex strolled closer with all the confidence of a pirate who’d been plundering and pillaging the high seas for years. “Would you grant me one wish tonight, Tessa?” His voice was low and seductive and far too enticing.
The wall she had built around her heart was crumbling faster than a sandcastle on a blustery day.
Don’t be too stubborn. Jillian’s words echoed in her head.
“Yes, one wish.”
“Rex,” Bernie called from the kitchen, “could you help me with this?”
He raised a seductive brow, the corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. “I will claim my wish later.”
Oh dear. What had she just agreed to? Breathe, just breathe. Several seconds later, Tessa’s breath evened out. She could drive herself crazy all night thinking about what Rex might claim. Focus on the party, then deal with his unknown request.
A firm knock sounded on the front door before it opened wide. The witches cackle greeted Nina before Tessa could open her mouth.
“You make a wonderful Popeye!” Tessa exclaimed.
Nina had dressed the part from head to toe, complete with corncob pipe and white sailor hat. She had even cleverly disguised her sling within the large foam forearm marked with an anchor tattoo.
“Thank you. Bernie was concerned I wouldn’t be able to pull it off.” Nina twirled around, showing off her costume. Slung over her shoulder, attached to a strip of black fabric was a cloth can of spinach.
“I love the can of spinach.”
“It’s actually a purse.” Nina offered a sly half smile. “I have to have someplace to hold my pipe tobacco.”
“You are too much, Nina. Please don’t tell me you put all this together on your own. You know you’re supposed to be taking it easy.” Tessa didn’t mean to sound like a nagging mother, but Nina was not one for following doctor’s orders.
Nina began with sarcasm. “I wouldn’t dream of tackling a sewing project on my own.” She paused for a moment and then lowered her voice. “Actually, Zane is responsible for most of it.”
Laughter bubbled up as images of Nina’s tall, robust, and handsome thirty-something-year-old grandson sitting behind a sewing machine teased Tessa’s mind. “Zane sews?”
Nina winked. “He does now.”
“Nina!” Bernie exclaimed as she scurried over. “I love the costume.” The women chattered on for several minutes about their costumes before Bernie regained her composure. “The guests should be arriving any minute. Nina and I will greet the guests. Rex is putting the last of the food trays on the buffet table.” Bernie turned to Tessa. “Could you do one last check to make sure everything else i
s in order?”
“No problem.” Tessa had the easiest job. Bernie had checked, double-checked, and probably already triple-checked every room downstairs to make sure not a twirling ghost, flying bat, or ghoulish skeleton was out of place. “I just have to run upstairs really quick.”
“Don’t be long.” Bernie’s words faded as Tessa rushed up the stairs to her bedroom and closed the door.
She grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and called Jillian.
“Happy Hallo—”
“A zombie pirate knocked on my door,” she said in a rush.
“What? You’re kidding?” The four syllables squeaked through her cell phone.
“No, I’m not. What do I do?”
“Is the zombie pirate Rex?”
“Yes.”
“Take it as a sign.”
“You are no help, Jillian.”
“You have been stifled for far too long. You just need to enjoy the moment.”
Tessa let out a long sigh. “I suppose since Jim passed—”
“Even before that.” There was a slight pause before Jillian continued. “If I could change that horrible night, I would. But…” Tessa could hear the hesitation in her dearest friend’s voice. “You gave so much of yourself to Jim, but now… well, you’re you again.” Jillian’s words struck at her core. “Just enjoy the moment, you deserve it.”
It was as if someone turned on the light and she was now seeing herself for the first time. Tessa had not been enjoying life. Hell, she’d only recently rejoined the world of the living. “Thanks Jillian. I love you.”
“Love you too. Have fun tonight.”
With a new sense of purpose, she headed downstairs, but no sooner had Tessa left her bedroom than the guests started to arrive. Door chimes and witches cackling was the standard noise for the next twenty minutes as the Queen Anne style home filled with costumed guests. Everywhere Tessa turned, people were greeting her, yet she had little to no idea who all these people were in their festive Halloween attire, but that didn’t matter. She was having the time of her life.
Tessa was the belle of the ball in her genie costume and Rex was fuming. Jealousy consumed his every breath. He wanted her all to himself. He still had not had the opportunity to claim his one wish. He knew what he wanted, what he’d been dreaming about since he first met Tessa, but she was still so reluctant to be near him.
He watched her move among the guests, greeting this one, shaking hands with that one. Every once in a while, she would glance his way, their eyes drawn to each other by some unseen force. She would probably be expecting him to request a kiss. It was what he wanted, but he didn’t want to be obvious. What would she not expect?
Glancing over her shoulder, Tessa strolled away from Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, heading toward the refreshment table and an array of witches and one ghost covered in a sheet.
Now was his opportunity.
Rex brushed past a trio of ghouls, turned to avoid Frankenstein, and collided with the one woman he didn’t want to see.
“You look incredible, Rex.” He supposed Stephaney’s breathy laugh was meant to entice, but it had the opposite affect on him.
“Thanks.” He looked over her head for an escape route.
“Aren’t you going to comment on my costume? I thought you might like it.” She thrust her chest forward, revealing large breasts and deep cleavage.
Rex supposed most men would be attracted by the sexy nurse costume, but he only had eyes for a genie in sheer purple.
Hardly taking a glance, he mumbled, “It’s nice.” Across the room he spotted Tessa, still lingering at the refreshment table. Perfect. “I’ll see you later,” the words left his mouth as he moved away from Stephaney.
It took forever to maneuver his way through the crowd of princesses, witches, cowboys, and vampires, but he was rewarded when he edged up behind Tessa, her sweet lavender scent invading his senses.
Before Rex could put two coherent sentences together, Tessa turned and bumped right into him. Rex whipped his hand around to the small of her bare back and pulled her in close, keeping her from falling onto the refreshment table.
He had dreamed of holding her like this for weeks. His heartbeat throbbed in his ears, his hand on her bare back ached to touch more. He cleared his throat, pretending not to be affected.
“I thought I would claim my wish,” he said as he released her.
“Oh, and what that might be?” Tessa’s flirty tone sent a bolt of desire straight to Rex’s groin, but rather than give in to temptation, he was going to shock the hell out of her, hopefully in a good way.
“A picnic.”
“A picnic?” Her question caught the attention of a Martian standing nearby.
“My wish is for you to accompany me on a picnic.”
Panic streaked across Tessa’s face before she took a step back. “Like a date?”
“Like two friends hanging out for an afternoon.” What was her aversion to dating? When would Tessa feel comfortable around him?
“Are we friends now?” She raised a delicate brow in question.
“Well, at least we aren’t arguing.” It was a start. He would have to move slowly or risk her running away. “Tomorrow at noon?”
Tessa stared at him for what felt like an hour. Rex thought she was about to refuse, but much to his surprise and delight, she accepted. “Okay, a picnic tomorrow.” She worried her bottom lip for a moment before adding, “But only an hour. The new girl is starting just after lunch.”
“You have my promise, only an hour.”
She raised a delicate brow. “Hmm? I don’t know how trustworthy a pirate is.”
Rex leaned in close to her ear. Heat radiated from her smooth creamy neck. He felt more like a vampire in search of his next meal than a zombie. “Then it’s a good thing I’m a zombie pirate. We are very trustworthy,” he whispered.
A slight gasp escaped her delicate pink lips as her chest rose and fell rapidly. A glint of wonder and curiosity filled her pear-green eyes. Rex would keep her in suspense.
He bowed in a grand gesture. “Until tomorrow.”
Picking up a rag, Tessa started cleaning another of the newly installed bookcases in the used book section. Despite the constant distraction battling in her head, the room was almost complete.
The more she tried to get Rex out of her thoughts, the more he tempted her. She’d stayed up late making a pros and cons list. There were so many pros that she should have been able to make a clear decision, but the two cons she could not get past kept her buried in fear and uncertainty.
Tessa had only ever been with her late husband. They had been friends since elementary school, high school sweethearts, then husband and wife. Things weren’t perfect between them, but he was all she knew. How could she ever give herself to another man?
You’re being silly, Tessa chided herself. Rex just wants to have lunch with you. If he were interested, he would have requested a kiss. Lunch, that’s all he’s interested in, nothing more. And what about the flirting and teasing? Rex is a scoundrel, he’s probably like that with all women. But what about when his hand cradled your lower back? It felt wonderful, she inwardly sighed. What was wrong with her?
She could argue with herself all day and not get any closer to making a decision about what she should do. If she called Jillian, she would tell Tessa to date him, kiss him, and probably more. Her face warmed with the thought of what more would be.
Tessa was losing it. There was no question about it; she was absolutely, positively losing it. She wouldn’t have to worry about her stupid list because she would be admitted to the loony bin first.
“I think that shelf is clean,” there was a trace of laughter in Rex’s voice as he strolled up behind her.
Tessa whisked around, dropping the rag. “Oh, I lost track of time.” She couldn’t exactly tell him that she was thinking about him. Of course, if the warmth in her cheeks were any indication that she was blushing, he would know instantly what she’d been thi
nking.
His brows rose in question, while the smile in his eyes contained a sensuous flame. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what? Tessa swallowed hard. “Yes, I just need to grab a jacket.” She brushed past him, inhaling his spicy fresh scent that got her blood racing, before heading to the kitchen. “Bernie, I’ll have my cell phone if you need me.”
Bernie looked up from the inventory list she was studying and smiled brightly, clearly pleased with Tessa’s choice of lunch partner. Her jovial tone confirmed it. “Take your time, Tessa dear. Nina and I can manage things here.”
Rex came up behind her, his deep warm voice sending a delicious shiver down her spine. “Everything’s ready.” He strolled to the back door and opened it, waiting for Tessa to follow.
The moment she stepped into the bright sunlight, her pro and con list faded into the recesses of her mind. She inhaled the wonderful scents of fall and hopped down the steps, excited to be outside on such a lovely day, and headed toward Rex’s truck.
“Nope, this way,” he directed her up the path leading to the house.
“I thought we were going on a picnic?”
“We are, it’s this way.” When they reached the house, he guided her toward a path that veered off around to the other side. “Have you spent any time in the garden?”
“Not since I first arrived.” Wisely, Bernie had hired someone to tend to the vast garden. If Tessa helped, there would not be a living plant in sight. Her thumb was the furthest thing from green.
They walked up the narrow cobblestone path and passed under the sweet smelling rose trellis. A variety of rose bushes lined the interior of the short white picket fence that enclosed the flower garden. Several large laurel trees on the outer edge of the fence blocked all sounds from the outside world. Only birds chirping and the soft rustling sound of leaves wafted through the garden. Lush lavender bushes added a sweet, relaxing scent.
Rex and Tessa went to a blue and white plaid blanket with a large picnic basket placed in the center. Small garden ornaments kept the corners of the blanket securely in place.