“Where is your apartment?”
“If you really want to know, you’ll have to come see for yourself.”
Isabel threw her head back in a quick laugh. “What happened to not being forward?”
“Out the window since you brought up my apartment.”
Her mouth fell open. “You brought up your apartment!”
“Could I start you off with drinks?”
Scott held up one hand at the waiter while the other tugged at his collar. “Well, I don’t know...it sounds like we’re about to skip to dessert.”
Isabel threw her hand over her mouth laughing then looked up at the waiter. “No no, we’re going to go straight for the entrees please. In case my date takes off again mid cocktails.”
Scott blew out a breath and picked up the menu, suppressing a smile. “Do you like oysters? We’ll start with the oyster platter, and we’re fine with water for now, thank you.”
With one nod, the waiter turned away.
“Thank you for the coffee tumbler,” Isabel blushed a little, rubbing her napkin. “That was a very...unique gesture.”
Scott licked his lips. “It was a bit of a long shot you’d be there that day. But I somehow got the feeling you were in the area quite often so my odds were good.”
“Did I say something to make you think that?”
“Well you mentioned that you just found your favorite new coffee place, which would be an odd choice to make if you were never around. But also, when you emailed your assistant back, you mouthed ‘five minutes’ as you typed. Now this may be a dead giveaway that I was indeed staring at your lips but I’m hoping you take that as my avid attention to detail when it comes to women.”
Isabel narrowed her eyes at him. “But in the note you said ‘meet me tomorrow’. What if I came on Monday?”
He grinned. “Regardless of when you got my note, I’d be meeting you the next day.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened a little before she spoke. “That’s an awful lot to go through for someone who offended you.”
“I completely agree,” he glanced at her, before picking up his glass of water. “Smart move skipping to the entrees.”
Isabel laughed and did the same.
“Feel free to order a cocktail, I just can’t because of an afternoon engagement that I need to be sober for.”
“Business?”
“Not on a Saturday. There’s a Halloween fundraiser I attend every year. This year, it’s at the Center Theatre uptown. It’s staged like a carnival with various activities, games, prizes and mini staged skits. People come and participate in random auctions, buy boxes of candy or soup cans to be delivered to the organizations, who then distribute it as needed.” He set down his glass. “Or they just come to watch the joy it brings and donate from the goodness of their heart.”
Isabel’s lips parted and her eyes were wide. “That sounds amazing,” she murmured then bit her lip. “Can I join you?”
He gave a wide smile. “I was hoping you might.”
Chapter 20
Elle
The hall at the Center Theater looked as though Charlie Brown’s great pumpkin had thrown up all over the room and its seeds grew into mini pumpkin babies as they hung from the rafters. Paper bats about as scary as any origami hung in any empty space left by the pumpkins. The black and orange combination was fitting for the obvious theme of the day. An enormous paper mâché witch riding a broom took up an entire corner of the large room, aimed as though she were about to launch head first into the crowd.
It was perfect.
Elle’s heart skipped as a new parade of excited costumed children poured into the hall, most holding square orange and green felt bags. Scattering in all different directions, they were welcomed by random carnival vendors, which were appropriately set up in a U-shape facing the entrance.
“Oh, Mr. Weston,” a well-dressed elderly dark haired woman dashed over to the front door where Elle and Scott stood, waiting in a short line at the collection table. “Please, please come in,” she insisted, shooting a warm smile at Elle before taking both their hands and guiding them away from the line and into the heart of the festival.
Scott slowed the eager woman, “It’s good to see you again too Patricia, but we haven’t yet purchased our tickets.” Scott motioned back to the front table.
“Oh don’t be silly. We wouldn’t be here this year if it weren’t for you, Mr. Weston.”
“Patricia, this is my friend Isabel, she seemed very interested in coming to the festival today. Please show her around, I’m going to go back to the table and rejoin you two in a moment.” When the woman opened her mouth to object, he held up his hands, walking backwards. “If it makes you feel any better, I promise to cut my way to the front of the line.”
The woman shook her head then turned back to Elle, her eyes beaming with pride. “Patricia Rodriguez. I’m the host and lead coordinator of Harry’s Hallowfun Run.”
Elle took her hand, but was nearly speechless and her eyes still struck with the scene, given its authenticity and location. “Ms. Rodriguez, this is spectacular. I’ve been to a good number of charity events and fundraisers and never seen anything quite like this, especially for an entrance fee of five dollars. How did you get the space?”
Center Theatre wasn’t typically open for public events like this one. The elaborate building that took up nearly the entire block was made up of theatres and banquet halls and reserved for upscale events, such as operas or galas. The Hallowfun Run seemed more of a neighborhood affair.
“Mr. Weston didn’t tell you? We’re typically a lot further uptown and the community spaces are only large enough to hold the volunteer carnival vendors, but not spacious enough for the neighborhood children to be able to participate and enjoy the entire day. We would have to limit the entrance to two hours and then switch out the crowd to people waiting to get in. The event has become so popular over the years that it has been getting a little hectic at the door. Of course we couldn’t raise our ticket rates; it would defeat the purpose that all are welcome. A few months ago, Mr. Weston spoke to Harry, the founder, and said if we’d be willing to move our fundraiser this year, he’d offer to arrange and rent out one of the larger halls of the Center Theatre so that there’s no time limit for any child to enjoy the carnival.”
Elle looked over at Scott who was writing out another check beneficial to the organization. Her heart swelled and then dropped to the pit of her stomach at the thought of walking away.
“Here, let me show you around.” She tossed her head back at Scott. “He’s probably going to be tied up for a bit, anyway.”
Elle turned back and saw Scott talking with an older gentleman in a mediocre suit. “Yes, I’d love that.” She followed Trish to the first tent which was completely covered with dark purple velvet curtains. Next to the tent, was a folding table with three children and a volunteer event worker, who were all wearing disposable plastic aprons. The children were decorating medium sized pumpkins and the volunteer was helping with the carving.
“How sweet…and sticky,” Elle commented with a smile to the volunteer.
“This is Becky, she always does the jack-o-lanterns table,” Trish said then moved to pull open one of the blackout curtains and held it open for her to peek in. “There’s no one in there, but once the pumpkins are carved, they are displayed in this tent with an electric candle. Each jack-o-lantern has a name etched on it. There is the box to vote for your favorite. Two dollars per vote for all the contests we have here today.
“That’s brilliant,” Elle observed. “I can’t wait to see more. But you don’t have to walk me around. I’m sure you are very busy.” And she certainly hoped that part of Trish’s job wasn’t to entertain the high dollar donors and their guests.
Trish nodded distractedly and waved at someone in the distance. “I’m going to head back to the front to greet some guests. I’ll let Mr. Weston know where to find you. I personally need to pull Harry away for other matt
ers. That man could talk for hours.”
Elle laughed. “Thank you so much, Trish. I hope to see you again soon.”
The woman touched Elle’s arm endearingly before rushing away. Elle turned back, smiling to herself, completely understanding the woman’s sense of urgency.
She wandered toward the back to explore more of the magnificent event. She walked past a few booths lined up of Halloween themed games and snacks, admiring the creativity of each one.
She finally reached the far end of the hall; a built-in stage that joined the U-shaped array of tents and booths. And it looked like the show was about to start.
Costumed children and what looked like very few parents surrounding them, were becoming increasingly excited and impatient for the show. A young woman pranced around franticly, and seemed to be moments away from pushing the eager children away from the stage. As if on instinct, Elle rushed over to her.
“Hi. Can I help you with anything?”
The girl, who seemed close to college-age, looked up at Elle. “The magician is refusing to put on his act until the children calm down and move back at least two feet from the stage and there is no way I can make that happen. Look at them.”
Elle turned back to the crowd. She wasn’t wrong. Even a speaker asking them to move back wouldn’t overpower them. She looked around for Trish but the woman was nowhere in sight.
A burning flame rose up from the pit of her stomach. She figured this had something to do with a performer who was too hot-headed to work for their attention. Looking around, Elle spotted the magician behind the curtain adjacent to the stage, with a demeanor that screamed, “Only approach me if you think you’re worth my time.” The man wore an orange felt top hat, a black and orange polka dot vest, and metallic green pants. His wheeled suitcase was open and he was absently sorting props.
Before she even realized it, Elle was taping the man from behind.
“Hi there. Elle Rybeck, event planner. Listen, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve seen performers like you before. You’re lazy and only interested in doing the easy, rehearsed part of your job. Well guess what comes with the territory of working children’s parties; taming the crowd. You were hired to do a job and if you’re not out there in thirty seconds, you’re going to lose it.”
“Look I don’t know who you are, but I was hired by Trish. I’m here every year, and I’ve never seen it get this crazy.”
Elle looked the man in the eyes and pulled out her threatening voice when it came to stuck up vendors. “I’m actually here with my partner, scouting vendors for children’s parties. And you just fell off our list.” Elle could hear the crowd of children behind her starting to sound disappointed. She turned, focusing on the man’s open suitcase and went digging as he looked on in horror. She pulled a piece of flash paper and lighter before running off to the stage.
Elle stepped on to the stage, ignoring the intimidating howling and cheering of the children, who were indeed way too close to the stage. Elle marched three steps back, feeling a tingling of sweat beads forming. She blew out a breath and brought the two props together, holding them as far away from her chest as her arms could stretch. A flame blazed into the air for a fleeting second. Enough to get an array of gasps and a step back from the line up in front of her. Before the cheers or demands for more magic could start, she marched dramatically to the edge of the stage.
“Hi everyone,” Elle addressed the group of children. “You want to see more magic?”
“Yeeesss,” the children cheered.
“I don’t know. Could be a little dangerous. Are you sure you’re ready?
She received another positive response from the crowd.
“Tell you what, let’s all take three jumbo steps back and see if we can get your real magician up here for more tricks?”
The kids looked around and were clearly lost on how to do that.
“Let’s all do it together. Count with me,” Elle exaggerated one step after the other backwards, watching the crowd follow her steps. “One, two, three.” Once they’d moved a good distance away, she peeked to examine the open space between the front row and the stage. After a single nod of approval from the college-aged assistant, she glanced over at the stubborn magician, who had come out from behind the curtain and had been joined by an astonished Trish.
Jumping off the stage, she winked at the frantic assistant whose name she never caught, and sauntered past the stunned magician, flicking his lighter back to him. “Crowd’s all yours.”
He caught it and looked back at Trish before heading for the stage.
“What was that?” Trish asked as she was joined by her boss, the man Elle noticed speaking to Scott earlier.
“That was a child entertainer who got a little claustrophobic.”
Trish blinked. “I guess I should have warned him about the bigger crowd this year.” She turned back to Elle. “That was...incredible, thank you. Holly told me he was on the verge of leaving if those kids didn’t calm down.”
“Leaving?” Her boss looked up at her. “That doesn’t sound like Jim.”
Chapter 21
Scott
Scott watched Isabel as she passed the magician he’d seen many times before at this fundraiser. Her eyes, though still showing a hint of anger at the man, flashed with self-assurance as she murmured something to the wide-eyed entertainer and flicked him the lighter she so skillfully used on the stage moments ago.
Truthfully, he never liked the guy. His tricks were vastly the same every year and he seemed to be easily annoyed by children. Scott kept meaning to mention it to Trish but decided against it.
Elle appeared completely flustered suddenly, as Trish and Harry approached her. He didn’t miss the familiar shift in her shoulders when she was regaining composure as if the last few moments were out of character for her.
He overheard a bit of their chatter and approached. “I leave you for a minute and you’re starting fires?” he winked at her and wrapped a protective arm around her waist.
Isabel raised her chin and smirked. “Putting out a fire was more like it.”
He smiled. He had to agree.
Harry on the other hand didn’t look too impressed. The man usually wasn’t. His demeanor set a protective alertness in Scott as he looked at his date with a questionable eye. “You don’t think that was at all dangerous?” Harry asked.
Isabel turned to the man with a respectful yet challenging glare. She heard his undertone; there was no doubt in that. “Not at all. Flash paper is completely safe, and I know how to use it.”
“It’s fire.”
“That goes out in a millisecond…or two.”
Scott wanted to interfere but he was so curious about this woman and what other surprises and tells she may have given away during this brilliant hour. Harry still seemed dissatisfied with her actions and glanced at Scott, who gave him the same challenge with his glare.
Harry swallowed any further argument and turned to Trish. But it appeared that Isabel wasn’t done. It was as though she was turned on; whatever that term meant for her.
“I’m also very familiar with the Center and their protocols on special effects. Flash paper doesn’t and never has fallen under their policy of prohibited entertainment equipment or gimmicks.”
Okay, now that was impressive—even if completely made up.
“Isabel, thank you so much. We wouldn’t have had a show today if Magic Jim left because he couldn’t control the crowd.” Trish said loudly, nudging her boss who looked over to the stage.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Maybe you two will consider hiring outside your comfort zone next year. I’m sure you’d find plenty of magicians who would jump at the chance to work for such a cause,” Scott advised.
“I have to agree,” Elle chimed in. “This is a terrific festival and I’ll tell ya, I’m having a flaming good time,” she laughed, and the others joined in the humor.
Scott was still laughing when Elle pulled him away from
the crowd, waving back at Trish and Harry.
Elle swiveled in his arms and pulled away, grasping his hands with hers. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I must be a total embarrassment.”
“Are you kidding? This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks. You—you are full of surprises,” his eyes narrowed on her. “What came over you when you were talking to Harry by the way, it was as if you were prepared for a battle.”
“Honestly, I was. I don’t like being treated like I don’t know any better and can’t make decisions that would be best for everyone. Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with many Harry’s in my life and can feel them from a mile away.”
Scott rubbed his chin. “Yeah, he can try to be intimidating. Especially when it comes to women. I’ve never liked that about him. But I do like his organization. Trish keeps him in check though.”
“I can see that.”
They walked by a table with apple cider and Isabel reached into her purse, “Oh those look delicious.” Isabel handed the woman a few bucks and took two plastic cups full, handing one to Scott.
They walked on admiring other booths. “Before we go, I have to get a bag of candy corn.”
“Just one bag?” he asked.
Elle smiled at him and stopped at the candy corn booth. She read the sign and realized that this was one of the charities that donated candy to foster centers. Elle picked up a medium-sized box to be filled and pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her wallet. As she handed both to the young woman, Elle was given a pamphlet to choose her charity from.
“You know I didn’t bring you here to donate.”
“I know.”
Scott handed the same woman a bill, picked up two cone shaped plastic bags filled with candy corn and held up his hand that no change was needed. They finally reached the last booth by the entrance which was the jack-o-lantern tent. He paid the booth worker saying, “We’ll be making two votes,” and pulled Isabel inside the dark tent.
The small, enclosed space was nearly devoid of light, save for what shone through the few decently carved pumpkins. He slipped the candy corn into her purse, pulled her by the waist closer to him and pressed his lips against hers It was something he had been dying to do from the minute she jumped off the stage, her face glistening with the heat of the flames she had drawn. She returned the kiss with a smile and fell into him. Her passion was unrelenting. She was so different—even her kiss. It was playful and exciting. There was something eloquent about the woman and it wasn’t just in her kiss. It was in the way she lived. He needed to find out more but for the first time in his life, he was too afraid to demand it.
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