Violet pulled to a stop behind my spot in the driveway. The pumpkins we’d carved lined the porch. I’d tried for a geode, but only Van and I knew what it was. Both Van and I had attempted Pokémon characters, a cat, and regular jack-o’-lanterns. The rest we left and joked they were rocks.
Van jogged toward us and opened my door. “Hey, got anything to haul in?”
“Just one bag.”
I was about to get out when Violet put a hand on my shoulder.
“I almost forgot,” she said. “What are you two doing for Halloween?”
I met Van’s gaze, and he shrugged.
“It’s been years since I’ve done anything,” he said.
“As long as it’s not a cocktail in some stuffy bar, what are you thinking?” I asked her.
“Willa’s old enough to trick-or-treat, and I was going to ask the others if we should just pick a neighborhood to wander. We could all get together, eat first, and then trick-or-treat. If it’s nice out.”
“There shouldn’t be snow.” Didn’t mean it wouldn’t be freezing. I would join them, but would Van want to? He hadn’t minded yet.
He leaned down with his hands on the top of the frame. “Whatever Clover is down for, I’m in.”
“You don’t mind?”
This close, the darker green flecks in his eyes swirled like a hypnosis spiral. When we were this close, it was usually dark. “Yeah. It sounds like fun.”
“What are you dressing as?” Violet asked.
Van’s smile froze. “Dressing up?” he croaked.
Violet rested an arm across the steering wheel. “The first year we were married, Evander wore coveralls and carried a spade. Willa and I were pumpkins.”
He chuckled. “Guess Clover and I will have to come up with something good.”
“Really?” I asked. “You’d do that?”
“Like I said, whatever you want to do, I’m in.”
Chapter Sixteen
Van
* * *
I adjusted my red hat. Next, I flipped the white collar of my blue jacket straight and tugged on the white sleeves. The last thing to put on with my Ash costume was the green, fingerless gloves.
A night that had passed with little notice over the years had turned into a big family event. And I was invited along again.
The Halloween night festivities blossomed from the initial idea of roaming Coal Haven as one large group. Poppy and Jensen were supplying pizza at the Perez house for everyone, and then we would walk the neighborhood from there. If we needed to warm up, we could dip back into the house and gorge on more pizza and cocoa.
“I love it,” Clover called from the bedroom. She came waddling out in her plush yellow Pikachu costume. She’d found a full-length pajama suit with a hood that had the ears. With this, she could wear normal shoes and stay warm.
Mostly, I was looking forward to having an adorable Pikachu at my side. “I’m never going to look at Ash and Pikachu the same again.”
She turned from side to side like she was at the end of a catwalk. “In a good way or a bad way?”
“All good.” When she beamed, I just wanted to herd her to the bedroom and strip her yellow pajamas off.
“The Ash look fits you, honestly.” Appreciation shone in her eyes. “You’re a chameleon.”
