“Last year she made me dress up as hot dog.”
“Go to work, darling,” he said, tutting his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll get there and the sooner your shift will be over. The sooner I?—”
“Get to wear me like a glove,” I know.
I kissed the smile off his face, adjusted my ears, and headed into work.
CHAPTER 7
Cory
Morganbreezed through the front door, a garment bag slung over her shoulder. She kicked her shoes off and made a beeline for me, brushing a hasty kiss that smelled of peaches against my cheek.
“Traffic was a nightmare, so we have to be quick.” Morgan draped the garment bag on the couch and zipped it open. She pulled a white dress out of the bag, and then a black tuxedo jacket. I grew increasingly worried that she was having us go as some sort of bride and groom costume.
“Uh…” I started to question her until I saw the next item she pulled out of the bag. A white mask that would cover roughly half my face. Realization and relief swept over me. “I’m the phantom of the opera?”
Morgan looked over and flashed me a grin. “Reese is going to cream his pants.”
She handed me the mask. “He thinks the phantom is so hot.”
“Does he?” I grinned. “Suddenly I’m very glad I have a friend with inside knowledge of my boyfriend’s brain.” I held the mask to my face. “How does this thing stick?”
“I have some liquid latex we can use, if you’re not allergic. That will keep it stuck all night. Hand me that dress, will you?”
Morgan obviously wasn’t shy because she yanked her yoga pants down to her ankles and kicked them aside. Her shirt was the next to go.
Somehow, I managed to get the dress out of the bag and hand it to her without having to look directly at her.
“Do you strip in front of all your friends?” I asked.
“Honestly, probably yes.” She laughed as she bundled the dress up and put it on over her head. Once she was in, she tugged at the fabric, making sure everything fell the way she wanted it to. “Can you zip me?” She gathered her hair up and held it off her neck.
“Do you have more hair than usual?” I asked.
“I had some extensions put in to really sell the whole opera diva vibe. Do you like it?”
“It’s very voluminous.” I dragged the zipper to the top of the dress for her, and she turned around. “But I don’t think opera divas wore nearly see-through dresses.”
“Listen.” Morgan stabbed my chest with a perfectly manicured nail. “Halloween is supposed to be slutty or scary, and I chose slutty. Now let’s get that mask glued to your face so we can go surprise your boyfriend.”
“Are you sure this thing will stick?” I asked, gently touching the outline of the mask with my fingertips for the tenth time in as many minutes.
“Yes, but if you take it off, it’s off for the night unless you can find some double-sided tape or something. But it won’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight or anything.”
Morgan had picked me up from my place, and we parked at hers before taking an Uber the short distance to the bar. I’d offered to come into town and get ready at her place, but she’d insisted on getting ready at the house because it was bigger.Morgan had an apartment that was only slightly larger than Reese’s old place.
I tried not to miss it too much, but there was still something extra special about those memories.
She led me into the bar. There had also been a cape in the garment bag, but I told her I’d die if I had to wear that many layers. As it was, the jacket might not last all night before I took it off.
The bar was standing room only, and it was hard to weave through the throng of people without bumping into people’s costumes. Angel wings clipped my face, and I dodged a girl dressed as a martini.
I saw Reese before he saw me. My heart did a cartwheel in my chest. I was serious when I told him he could quit his job, and he’d been just as serious when he said that he loved it. I could see the truth of it in the way he moved behind the bar and the way he interacted with people.
As if he sensed my approach, his gaze lifted, and he found me right away. When he caught sight of me, he went absolutely still like I’d turned him to stone. And maybe there was some truth in that because the next thing he did was hungrily drag his gaze over me as Morgan and I approached.
Reese kept his gaze on me for a second before glancing at Morgan. “You?—”
