Mouth suddenly dry, I tucked my hair behind my ear and said, “I can’t wait to see the finished product. I walk through store decor year in and year out, and I’ve never thought about what goes into getting it that way.”
I sounded like a rambling fool and bit my lip just to get myself to shut the hell up.
“Oh, you have no idea what we’re capable of,” Ethan said. “Ace is on a mission to top his career best this year, and I think he might just pull it off.”
The man in question perched on top of a step ladder across the store, surveying his domain like a blank canvas. “No, no, no. That’s too subtle. I want drama. I want a wow that people can’t ignore.”
The manager wrinkled her nose. “We’re not sure that’s—”
“Trust me,” he said. “It’ll work. All you need to do is accept the possibility of being unforgettable.”
“He’s really into it,” I muttered, only half-amused. Where everyone else looked like they were hard at work, Adrian was playful. Animated. Loving every second.
Ethan nodded. “Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s a big part of why people keep coming back to Lumen.”
For the most part, the kids were happy to do the small tasks Miles was doling out, but I held my breath when I saw Will strolling to a point beneath the pumpkin garland Adrian was trying to perfect on the store's central chandelier. I started after him, but Ethan gripped my arm and held me back.
“Hold on,” he said. “I want to see this.”
“Uncle Adrian…” Will tilted his head as he studied the garland. Even from way over here, I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
“What’s up, big guy?” Adrian asked, coming closer to his level by one step. The ladder rocked ominously, but steadied out fast enough.
“If we fold the leaves over each other, like winding them, then it’ll kinda look like a whole bunch of bats.” Will pointed at the sections he meant, and when I tilted my head, I could see his vision taking form out of thin air.
Adrian blinked at him. “That’s… actually really clever, Will.”
“I just thought—” The kid looked shy all of a sudden, dropping his gaze to the polished tile. “I saw the reflection on the floor while I was walking, and if it was bats instead of leaves then people would get a piece of Halloween even if they don’t look up.”
“Holy shit, he’s right,” Ethan murmured.
Adrian’s grin was instantaneous, the kind that made his dark hair fall into his eyes. “Brilliant. You just made my display even better. Nice work.”
He came down and gave Will a high five, which he accepted stiffly but with the tiniest flash of pride.
“Wanna see something cool?” Adrian called to me, with a slight nod of his head.
I followed him to an area cordoned off near the back, the noise of the store receding into the background as I watched him tweak and adjust moving parts on an impressive haunted house display.
“Hand me that candlestick, would you?”
I caught the brief sweep of his hand over mine as he took it. The touch was fleeting, nearly accidental, yet it drew my attention sharply.
“You’ve got an eye for this.” I stepped closer, willing my heart rate to settle down. “I mean, the way you… see it all together.”
Adrian’s dark hair fell a fraction over his eyes as he looked up at me, and for a heartbeat, his gaze felt like it pressed in on the edges of my chest. Not heavy or invasive, just… insistently present. His intense focus made the angular lines of his face even more distracting.
“I like it when people notice the little things,” he said, voice carrying the same casual ease as always, but the words settled differently on me.
I nodded, trying to focus on the house instead of the faint tremor running through my fingertips from where we’d touched. He stepped around me to straighten a loop, and I realized, through the warmth washing over me, that more than ten minutes had passed. I’d promised the kids ice cream. I’d promised them we’d leave soon.
And yet, I found myself not really wanting to. I may have been fresh out of a break up, but there was nothing wrong with a little flirting. Or liking the attention.
“See that loop over there on the other side?” Adrian nodded at the corresponding wall. “I can’t reach it, so I’ll need you to pull it at the same time that I pull this one.”
“Uh, okay.” I stepped gingerly onto the display with him. “You should know that my decor ability—technical or otherwise—begins and ends with alphabet animals and giant numbers for classroom walls.”
He chuckled, hazel eyes glinting with amusement. “I believe in you, Maren.”
