I looked out at the quiet street beside the cafe. It wasn’t just Mom. My heart was telling me the same thing she was.
“Fucking hell,”I muttered, the sound fading quickly in the empty parking garage. I picked up the fallen Halloween decorations, trying to juggle them in my arms. I’d already made three trips to my office with various pumpkins, bags of cobwebs, and most importantly the foam panels for the grand display.
With the last of the supplies somewhat secure, I hit my key fob to lock the car and walked toward the building door. The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, so the only light was fluorescent. I took a few steps when a bang sounded on the other side of the garage in the stairwell.
I jumped, but then smirked when I assumed it was Ryan fucking with me. I hadn’t mentioned his little spying on me in the garage and outside my apartment, but I knew it was him. Someday, I was going to be the one to spy on him and catch him in the act. Today wasn’t that day though. I had way too much to do to worry about him and why he was up at the ass crack of dawn in my garage. Halloween was this week, so I needed to get the office decorated. I hurried toward the door with my bags and disappeared inside, putting together the list of tasks I needed to do that morning so my afternoon could be spent turning the office into a spooky wonderland. Too bad I couldn’t leave it that way all year.
The afternoon came faster than I had hoped, but as I put together the foam board coffin I made, I couldn’t quell the excitement in my stomach.
“Are you passing out candy this year?” I asked Joanne as she hung sticky synthetic cobwebs around the front of the reception desk.
“Of course. I get so much joy from all the little ones running around in their cute costumes. Their excitement is contagious, and the best part is when my grandbaby stops by. Are you going to your parents’ like usual?”
Grabbing the glue gun, I ran a bead along the length of a panel. “Yep, I wouldn’t miss it. Their neighborhood is perfect for trick-or-treating. My apartment building, not so much.” I pressed the foam board to the sturdier cardboard I had cut for the back. I discovered I needed something that would be strong enough to keep the coffin upright when I was crafting everything at home.
“Shit. Mia, will you hold the other end of the panel? I don’t think there's enough pressure to make it stick.”
Mia rushed over and secured the other end of the foam to the cardboard. “This really is an epic idea, Raven. I’m not creative enough to come up with building a coffin like this. You really do love Halloween.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it’s my thing. This year I wanted to pull out all the stops. Dracula is my favorite classic novel. Contrary to popular belief, vamps were cool before Twilight.”
Cassie snickered from the corner where she was adding the finishing touches on a table with red goblets and decanters of fake blood. “What, you don’t like vampires that sparkle?” she asked.
“I actually liked Twilight when I was a teen. I was Team Edward all the way, but Count Dracula is, and always will be, the OG. If I were Mina Harker, I wouldn’t want to be rescued.” Istood up and grabbed the last piece of black foam board as laughs sounded throughout the room.
“I just know of Twilight from my mom,” Cassie said.
I froze, the glue gun poised in mid-air. realization slamming into me. “Wow, I feel old now.”
Joanne laughed and moved to sift through the remaining decorations. “You all are young enough to be my daughters. Who's really the old one?”
“Fair point.” I sighed.
Our banter continued until all the decorations were hung. Once the coffin sat for an hour, the main attraction was ready to be put into place. Mia and I hauled it into an upright position and set it in the corner amongst two tables. The black lace tablecloths added the perfect touch to the various goblets and decanters of liquid I had dyed to look like blood sitting atop them.
After draping cobwebs in the corner of the coffin, I tacked purple fairy lights along the top of the inside. The coffin was as tall as I was, and as I dimmed the lights, Mia powered on the flickering candelabras. The room was transformed into a vampire’s dungeon.
“It’s perfect!” I said, clapping my hands and twirling in a circle. “Thank you all for helping. This is going to be a fun week.”
My watch buzzed, signaling an incoming text. I plucked it from my pocket and saw a message from Ryan.
“How’s the decorating going? I can’t wait to fuck you senseless in Dracula’s lair.”
A blush crept over my cheeks, and I couldn’t help smiling as I typed a response.
“That doesn’t seem like a business text. You never smile when typing emails on your phone.”
I jumped as Mia’s voice sounded closer than I thought, andI shielded my phone from her eyes, her expression morphing into one of suspicion.
“Raven! Are you texting a guy? Your cheeks are so red!”
I stammered, and Joanne smirked from behind the desk. “Uh oh. I thought I heard something before I left during the last day of interviews. When you were meeting with that young, handsome guy.” She waggled her eyebrows, while Mia and Cassie gasped.
“Joanne!’ I exclaimed. “That would be extremely unprofessional.”
She crossed her arms, suspicion painting her features. I blew out a breath. “Fine. You all win. Yes, I’m texting a guy.”
Mia looked like she was going to burst from excitement. “Is it the hot one? The one that I ran back to your office about? Oh my god, I would lick him from head to toe.”
