by C. Morgan
She moaned softly and mumbled that it hadn’t been long enough.
“We can stay like this as long as you want,” I whispered.
No part of me wanted to return to the real world after this weekend. Now that my interviews with Rebecca Mills were done, I should be done with my collaboration with Kayla, but I wasn’t ready to give that up.
Or give her up, for that matter.
There was genuine fear in me that if I didn’t work with Kayla anymore, we would start to drift apart. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d fallen in love with her.
Madly in love.
Kayla didn’t need to know my interviews were finished. Not yet. For now, we would exist in our happy little bubble, and we’d move on to whatever the next thing was back in Seattle.
Together.
Chapter 30
Kayla
The college campus had been transformed into a spooky Halloween town for the night of October thirty-first. The lawn in front of the main campus building swirled with low-lying fog that curled in eerie tendrils. Smoke machines had been donated by the college theatre company to use for the special evening and it added that final touch of spook the event had been missing.
Tables and booths were set up with different stations in the Halloween town. One side of the lawn was definitely scarier than the other and tailored toward the older or braver kids. The other side was friendlier with smiling pumpkins, goofy ghouls, and friendly vampires.
Deep purple lights glowed around tables, and orange lights flickered inside carved pumpkins. Halloween music played from speakers mounted on light posts and rigged up by the lighting and sound team from the theatre company, who’d had a huge hand in making this event come to life. Good Fellow’s had worked tirelessly with the students to ensure a night of carefree fun with safe activities, plenty of candy, and good old-fashioned scares.
The turnout was better than I expected.
Over the years, I knew parents had become increasingly less interested in taking their children door to door for old-fashioned trick or treating. There was a lot of trust being placed on strangers on a night like that, whereas at Halloween town, there was accountability. I’d had to pay an insurance company from my non-profit and there was an ambulance parked at the far end of the lawn just to be safe.
I had worked to put this event on for the past six years, and of all of them, this year definitely drew the largest crowd. It was a ticketed event, so proceeds went to Good Fellow’s, but over the years, I’d pretty much barely broke even. This year, with some luck, I’d make some profits.
By seven thirty, we had nearly two hundred kids passing from table to table and participating in games or showing off their courage to their siblings and friends.
Lukas was supposed to arrive any minute, and as I stood in the purple glow cast by one of the tables, I searched the crowd for him. He’d promised to dress up but refused to tell me what his costume was. I’d told him to be on the lookout for a fairy princess.
My ensemble was complete with a pink sparkly dress, glittery fairy wings, and a princess crown. I’d curled my hair the way a princess might and pinned sections of it back. Little bobby pins with flowers were poking out of my locks, and tons of little kids stopped to talk to me and get some pictures. The bottom of my dress was already stained green by the grass from crouching down for so many pictures.
I spotted a man striding through the fog toward me across the lawn as I smoothed out my skirt and waved goodbye to the little girl who’d just stopped with her parents to say hello to me. He was dressed in what appeared to be a pirate costume. He was too far away for me to tell for sure. He walked with a committed swagger and the low-lying smoke on the lawn rippled around his knees. I realized that he was walking straight toward me.
He was ten feet away when I realized the sexy pirate was Lukas.
He flashed me a dashing smile that stretched his cheeks, which were painted dark brown to mimic a beard. “My lady,” he said, his voice low and seductive. “Aren’t ye a pretty lass?”
I giggled. “Oh no, the voice is so bad.”
“Nonsense, ye scallywag!” He pumped his eyebrows before muttering in his usual cadence. “I’m at least selling it, aren’t I?”
“You and I clearly have very different definitions of ‘selling it.’ I will admit though that you look quite handsome.”
He gestured down at himself—at the loose white shirt, the brown vest, the ballooned pirate pants, worn boots, sash, scabbard, and black flag with a white skull and crossbones dangling out of his pocket. “This is what does it for you? Really? Poor hygiene and knee-high boots on a man?”
I nodded earnestly. “I think it’s quite becoming on you.”
“I feel uncivilized.”
I leaned in and grabbed a fistful of his vest with a cocky wink. “You look uncivilized, too.”
Lukas pried himself free. “Woman, this is a festival for children. Keep ye filthy hands to yerself.”
“Please don’t do the accent all night.”
“It’s that bad?”
“I hate it.”
Lukas chuckled. “All right, all right. Fine. I’ll stop. What’s the deal for tonight? Where can I help?”
Lukas’ costume certainly looked hot on him, but him asking how he could help was even hotter. He was the man I always knew he could be, and I was getting all hot and bothered under my sparkly princess gown. I willed those urges down, reminding myself what he’d said about this being a children’s event, and pulled my phone out of a pocket sewn into my skirt. “We’re the chaperones for a group of kids arriving at eight o’clock. I think there are five of them.”
“Five kids and two chaperones?”
I nodded. “They have some special needs that can make navigating an event like this a little tricky. We’ll have to be aware of certain sensory stimulations like flashing lights or too much smoke, but I have a list of activities we’re going to do that I think they’ll all really enjoy. Oh, that might be them there.”
Lukas followed my gaze to the parking lot where a white van had just pulled up to the curb. A man and woman got out of the front seats and slid open the sliding door on the side of the vehicle. Several children came out, and the last was lowered on a lift off the back of the van in a wheelchair. We crossed the foggy lawn to meet them, and I hoped we would be able to think quickly on our feet to make sure she could still participate in all the games.
We met the workers driving the van who thanked me for hosting this event yet again. They told me the children had been talking about it for weeks now and that everyone was excited to be there.
I grinned as I shook all the kids’ hands. “I’m so happy you’re here, too. We have some new additions since last year that I think you’ll love. My name is Kayla and this here is my friend Lukas. He’s going to hang out with us tonight. If you’re lucky, he might teach you some old-fashioned pirate terms.”
Lukas performed a swashbuckling jig. “It’s about time ye pipsqueaks got here,” he crooned like a pirate. “The princess hasn’t let me near any of the activities. Now that yer here, I can finally do what I do best.”
The children, all roughly eight or so years of age, stared at him blankly.
Lukas straightened and blinked down at them. “Don’t ye know what pirates do best, ye wee lads and lassies?”
I snickered into the puffy sleeve of my princess dress. “Wee lads and lassies?”
Lukas let my amusement roll off his shoulder as he planted his fists on his hips. “We cause trouble. That’s what. Now, are ye ready to cause trouble with me?”
The children nodded. Their escorts returned to the van laughing to themselves while Lukas and I had everyone hold hands so we could make our way back across the foggy lawn together and to the first activity station.
Lukas talked to the kids the entire time, especially to the young girl in the wheelchair, who seemed the least intimidated by his costume. In fact, she seemed more intrigued than anything else. Like the rest of t
he kids, she was in costume. She wore a witch hat and a long black velvet dress. Her shoes had cardboard buckles taped to them that had been painted gold, and someone, a parent I assumed, had painted a mole on her nose. The socks peeking out between the hem of her dress and the top of her shoes were striped and it looked like she belonged at the end of a yellow brick road.
The four other children were timid and shy. They hung back behind me, all holding hands, and stayed huddled together for moral support. Coming out to such a popular event like this was a big deal, especially for kids who might be more susceptible to sensory stimuli like lights, fog, and scary noises. As we walked, I assured them that we wouldn’t go anywhere scary unless they wanted to. For now, we were going to stick to some old-fashioned fun.
“Like what?” Addison, the young girl in the wheelchair, cocked her head to the side and nearly lost her hat. She set it back straight again.
Lukas turned to the first tent. Inside was a giant bucket filled with water. Beside the bucket were baskets full of apples. He grinned. “We’re going apple bobbing.”
Addison lifted her nose at that. “I don’t want to get my hair wet.”
Lukas swaggered out in front of her. “Fine then. I’ll do it in your place. Sound fair?”
Addison shrugged.
“There’s a surprise to be won, you know,” Lukas said.
I opened my mouth to correct him that actually, there was no surprise. But he held a finger up to me and crouched down in front of Addison. The other children gathered around and he made eyes at them, the way a camp guide might while sitting around the fire telling ghost stories.
“If you get an apple,” he began, “if you’re lucky enough, of course, you’ll have good luck for the rest of the night. You won’t have to try to have fun because, well, you’ll just be having it because of the luck. It’s an All Hallows Eve tradition. So, what do you think? Who wants to go first?”
I watched, bemused and impressed, as the first young boy stepped up to the bucket of water and went to his knees on the stool in front of it. He was too short to go without the stool. He had shockingly bright blond hair that hung in tight curls around his temples. His costume, a superhero I didn’t recognize, was half a size too big for him. I assumed it was an older brother’s from the year before.
Lukas crouched beside the boy and asked him his name. He told Lukas his name was Carson, and Lukas shared some pro tips with Carson on how to successfully bob for apples. He told him to take his time and to have fun before Carson stuck his face in the water, mouth open like a gaping fish out of water, and tried to catch apples.
He was too short to have much luck, and when he came up for air, he massaged his chest where the rim of the tub pressed against him.
“I have an idea,” Lukas said. “Can I pick you up?”
Carson nodded.
I watched as Lukas picked Carson up and held him upside down over the bucket of water. Carson started to giggle as Lukas lowered him down, his jaws unhinged like a snake, to catch the apples. Lukas pulled him up in a victorious flourish. Water sprayed from Carson’s soaking-wet flat curls and whipped against the tent walls. Lukas laughed uproariously as Carson pulled the apple from where it was stuck to his upper teeth. He held it over his head, a tiny champion, and Lukas gave him a well earned high five.
Lukas pointed at Addison next. “Are ye ready to catch some luck, wee lady?”
Addison rolled into the tent. The wheels of her chair bumped against the edge of the tub.
Lukas pursed his lips thoughtfully. “How does the wicked witch want to do this? Her pirate servant can either hoist her up, like he did with the wee lad, or he can bob in her place.”
Addison cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Lukas pressed a hand to his chest and bowed. “I could bob for apples for ye, witch. I’ll make sure I give ye the luck once I’ve caught it.”
You’re doomed, a little voice inside my head whispered. Absolutely doomed.
My heart felt like it was glowing in my chest as I watched Lukas bob for apples in Addison’s stead. She cheered him on from her chair, clapping with delight and chanting his name along with the other kids who gathered around the bucket while Lukas made a show of struggling to catch an apple.
When he burst from the water, they all cheered and hollered, and he wiped the gently bitten apple on his shirt before he passed it to Addison. “My lady,” he said with yet another deep bow.
I didn’t need more reasons to fall more in love with him, but there it was, another reason, and it was a hard one to overlook.
Chapter 31
Lukas
I never would have expected a Halloween night like this to be my favorite of the thirty Halloweens I’d seen. Over the years, I’d spent the spooky night doing one of three things: staying home, hooking up with a stranger, or working. As I looked back at the last three years, I realized I’d spent all of them in the office working away on new software or fine tuning the old stuff. No matter what it was, I could always find something to keep myself busy—and isolated.
But out there in the foggy Halloween town Kayla had created, it was easy to see what I’d been missing out on. Pure, honest, and simple fun.
Addison and the other kids moved with Kayla and me from activity to activity, and as promised, luck was on their side from their successful apple bobbing. They tossed darts at balloons set up on a particle board wall which was much like the kinds of games found at carnivals or amusement parks. They performed tricks for treats and were rewarded with little jack-o’-lanterns loaded up with mini chocolate bars and lollipops. They stopped for a bite to eat at one of the food trucks Kayla had reserved, and we sat with them at a picnic table half engulfed by fog while we ate.
Afterward, we only had time for a few more activities before the van returned to take the kids home. All of them were sad to leave, especially Addison, who put on a great show of pouting and wallowing in her misery.
I crouched down in front of her chair and stroked my chin and the painted-on beard that had all but washed off since the apple bobbing at the start of the night. “Don’t be sad,” I told her. “We’ll do this again next year. Deal?”
Addison nodded. I held out my hand and she took it. She had tiny hands and cold fingers but a good grip.
I grinned. “It was a pleasure to meet ye, yer witchiness.”
She rewarded me with a giggle. The other kids all got in the van after saying their goodbyes to us, and Kayla and I stood back as one of the drivers pulled the door closed and the other operated the lift to help Addison into the back of the van. Once everyone was safely inside and buckled up, they drove away.
Kayla and I stood side by side waving, and once they’d turned out of sight, I draped an arm around her shoulders and sighed. “That was more fun than I’ve had in a long time.”
She tilted her head back and smiled up at me. “I’m glad. Halloween town is serious business for fun seekers.”
“I’d say. I’m glad we got to stick to the happy-go-lucky side.”
“What, you can’t handle a bit of scary?”
“I think I had my fill at the haunted house.” I chuckled.
Kayla rolled her eyes and I steered her back toward the lawn where the remaining kids and families were still having a blast. It was about nine thirty at night and we still had half an hour of the event to go. I asked Kayla where she wanted me to lend a hand and she told me the best thing we could do was walk around and get some feedback so we could keep requests or complaints in mind during planning and prep for next year.
As always, Kayla thought of everything.
We split up for the final thirty minutes of the night and talked to everyone we could about what they thought of the event. For the most part, all I heard were positive things but there were some people who had opinions about improvements. Most were well thought out, too. So I pulled out my phone and frantically typed in what they said in one of my note applications so I wouldn’t forget and I could pass along the me
ssage to Kayla.
People wanted more food options and, much to my surprise, an adults-only session later in the night, like after ten o’clock. I thought that was a brilliant idea. It would certainly increase profits having the event open a little longer—so long as the extra insurance costs and overhead didn’t negate the increase.
Kayla and I reunited near the apple-bobbing station at the end of the evening as everyone started clearing out. Teams of students from the university swarmed the field to begin tearing down the stations, and Kayla and I pitched in where we could. It took over an hour to take everything down. Once the lawn was clear and the fog dissipated, we had one last task of making a round and collecting any garbage strewn about. Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of it.
“This is the only part about these kinds of events I don’t like,” Kayla muttered as she bent down and picked up litter with one hand to cram it into the bag she held in the other. We both wore plastic gloves. “I don’t understand why people can’t just use garbage cans. Look around. There are half a dozen of them!”
“People are lazy,” I said. “Especially when they’re enjoying themselves. They don’t want to break away from the fun to put garbage in a can. I bet they’re the same people who don’t get out of the pool or lake to pee.”
Kayla glanced up at me. “Eww.”
I snickered. “I’m not wrong.”
“Probably not.” She sighed as she continued picking up garbage.
Other kids pitched in to help, and once the lawn was all clear, I found myself itching for some good old-fashioned adult entertainment. I turned to Kayla as she pulled the flower pins out of her hair. “We should go get a drink.”
Kayla smiled as she tucked the pins in her purse. “A drink, you say? Where would you like to go?”
“Somewhere close by.”
“All the bars around here will be filled with college students. It’s Halloween night.”