“Are you sure?” Her expression held doubt. Was she one of those people who didn’t like to dress up? Or was she simply self-conscious?
Fishing a pink bonnet out of the pile of extra costumes, he approached her. “This will complete the outfit.”
As more costumed characters—all inToy Storygear—strolled past, she nodded and smiled. “Okay, I’m ready for the hat.”
“You’ve got your hands full of sheep. Why don’t you let me do it?” He paused for only a moment, then placed the hat on her head and tied it under her chin. Her skin was like silk. A few of her curls pushed out, so he tucked them in and adjusted the material. “Will this keep you from being able to hear if it covers your CIs?”
“It should be fine, but thanks for asking.”
“Well, now that we’re ready, can I escort you into the party, Miss Peep?”
A pretty pink rose in her cheeks. “I’m sure you have things you need to do. I can just stay on the fringes and watch.”
“No, ma’am, you can’t. You see, Sheriff Woody needs someone to help him give out candy. And nobody’s purdier than you.” His cowboy accent was corny, but the kids loved it. Winking at her, he added, “Plus, you know Sheriff Woody and Bo Peep are an item, right?”
“They are?” Pink rushed back to her face. “Of course, I’d be happy to help any way I can.”
Once in the party, Carli dove into the action, whether it was handing out candy, playing games, or sitting with children who were too tired or weak to participate but wanted to watch. A few of them asked her to teach them some signs, and soon she was interpreting the stories being told by the storyteller they’d hired for entertainment. Man, she was gorgeous. The animated way she signed, her eyes lighting up, her facial expressions, all showcased her pretty features and brought her to life. The children loved the addition.
Another child pulled the string on his back, and Blake shouted, “Reach for the sky.”
His repertoire was limited unfortunately. “There’s a snake in my boot,” and “somebody’s poisoned the water hole,” were the only others, but the children didn’t seem to mind.
When the famous actor arrived, the children went wild, especially as he came in costume. He took turns passing his brightly colored shield around and chatted with both parents and children.
“It’s wonderful that he volunteered his time to come here today.” Carli was back at his side, the sheep held tight to her chest. Lucky stuffed animal.
“We were fortunate he was visiting his parents who live nearby. We managed to keep it a secret. He didn’t want the press showing up and hounding him.” And Carly was standing next to Blake, instead of drooling over the actor. Good.
“That’s so sweet. What a great guy.”
What could he do to get her to think that of him? Certainly not insult her like he had at their first meeting.
“Smile, Sheriff Woody and Bo Peep,” one of the nurses said, holding up her phone.
Blake put his arm around Carli’s shoulder, and she leaned in close.
The nurse snapped the picture. “We want to make a scrapbook for all of the children here today. They’ve had so much fun.”
“Yes, they did.”
He kept his arm on Carli’s shoulder as they enjoyed the merriment. She didn’t pull away, and he wondered how long she’d stay there. He wouldn’t mind if it was a long time. It felt pleasant holding her. When the kids started getting tired, they settled them in chairs or on blankets on the floor and put the movie on. He and Carli moved to stand against the wall at the back. Could he put his arm around her again? Probably not without being too obvious. There was no reason this time.
“Can you stay and watch?” he asked after a few minutes. As she looked at the show flickering on the wall, she cocked her head and looked intent.
“I really need to get home, but thanks for the invitation. I had a blast.”
“You all right?” Her face was somewhat pale and her mouth tight.
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long day, and I still need to walk to the train station and take the T home. I’m glad I stopped in. I’ll leave this costume stuff at the nurses’ station.”
He wished he could offer her a ride. It couldn’t be fun having to take the commuter rail, especially when the weather was rainy and cold like today. Unfortunately, he’d been one of the party planners and had volunteered to help clean up. His hope was that she’d jump in, too, and they could grab coffee or dinner after. No such luck.
As she walked out of the room shedding her bonnet, he wondered where those thoughts had come from. Dating wasn’t something he had time for at the moment. Best put Carli and her expressive green eyes and full pink lips right out of his mind.
“You’re home later than normal,” Mercedes said as soon as Carli trudged into the kitchen. “I made dinner. Just chicken soup. It’s still simmering and warm.”
“It smells great.” She pulled her CIs off and set them in the case on the counter. “Sorry. They had the Children’s Unit Halloween party today, and I ended up staying to help.”
