“Are you okay?” Christie asks as we walk toward the town hall.
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve barely said a word since you picked me up. I thought you would like the outfit.” She does a little twirl. “But you seem completely in your own head.”
She’s right. I am in my own head, but that doesn’t give me a reason to be a prick to her. And she really does look gorgeous. She is dressed as…well, I’m not even really sure what it would be called.
Maybe a farmhand? But make it slutty. And those are her words—not mine. She is one that thinks Halloween is where a woman can let down all her inhibitions and just let her freak flag fly.
And I have to admit she looks hot as hell in her flannel crop top, cut-off jean shorts, pigtails, and cowgirl boots.
It was her idea to match, so I’m dressed like a lumberjack. In our mountain town, flannel isn’t a foreign concept, but it’s not something I usually sport. I’m much more of a simple jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.
I stop walking and get her to look at me. “I’m sorry. Just had a long day at work. You look incredible.”
“Do you want to prove it to me later tonight?” She asks with a sly grin.
I do my best at giving her a genuine smile in return. “Let’s get through the dance and go from there.”
She takes my hand, and we continue walking. This is the first time she and I have actually gone out. Usually, we keep our encounters limited to the bedroom. At this moment, I’m regretting my decision to change that. She promised we would just go as friends and have fun, but it feels like she’s angling for more.
We walk inside the town hall. Well, that’s what we call it. It’s more of an old pole barn that has been turned into an event space. Usually, if something is going on around town, at least part of it will go on in here.
Orange lights and Halloween decorations hang on every inch of the place. Music blares through the speakers, and even thought it’s a dance, very few people actually are. Most are just mingling and talking.
Instinctively, I scan the room, but I don’t see Jo. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and she won’t come.
I doubt it, but a man can hope.
Someone Christie knows comes over and starts talking to us. I stand by and jump in when I’m spoken to, but I’m not paying much attention. I am already ready to go home and hang out with my dog.
While getting my dick wet doesn’t sound like an awful idea, I don’t know if all this is worth it. It almost feels like a school dance. I was never a fan of those, so this is not my cup of tea.
Christie keeps mingling, and I manage to sneak away to go to the bar to grab a beer. It isn’t until I’m on my way back to Christie that I see Jo and Jamie walk inside. He’s dressed up as some sort of military guy, and she’s dressed as Tomb Raider.
I try to ignore how sexy it looks as she walks around and says hi to a few different people. It’s hard not to notice her—or how Jamie touches her every chance he gets. Whether it’s putting his hand on the small of her back to lead her around or wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he does his best to keep his paws on her.
The whole thing makes me sick.
How is it that I can’t stand her, yet I’m still here getting upset as I watch her with other guys? It might as well be a decade ago.
After I finish chugging down my first beer, I head to the bar to get another. While I’m waiting, Jo walks up. Next to me.
“So, what exactly are the two of you supposed to be?” She asks. “Jamie says you two look like you’re going to a hoedown.”
I look over at her. “What do you think?”
“I think without Christie next to you, you are a hoe down.”
Through gritted teeth, I ask, “Jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous? Some of us can look hot with our clothes on.”
I look her up and down. “It’s not like you are covering up.”
She ignores that last part. “What the hell are you doing fucking Christie. We hate her, remember?”
“We don’t hate her. Maybe you hate her, but that’s on you. Christie isn’t so bad. People do change, Jo. Well, some people do. I guess you don’t.”
