“Is he still glaring daggers at my back?” Joel asks out of the corner of his mouth as we walk across the parking lot, away from Zach and their coworkers.
“I’m too nervous to turn around and look,” I admit with a laugh. He chuckles next to me. “This really is an impressive costume. Did you do this all yourself?”
“I Youtube’d some tutorials,” he admits abashedly. “But the turtle shell I bought at the Halloween store. I didn’t have time to make one.” He tightens his arm that’s looped through mine. “He’s kind of a stick in the mud when it comes to whimsy stuff like this.”
“He’s just a grumpy beast most days,” I laugh, nodding.
“A beast, huh? Hmm…” he murmurs, looking me up and down. “Maybe I should have been the villain from that one if he’s got the beast thing down.”
I laugh out loud, shaking my head. “I’m not much of a Belle, girl. Rapunzel and Aurora are my favorites because they’re the easiest for me to cosplay. But you’d have pulled off Gaston well with your dark hair and debonair attitude. Zach is very beastly. But, it’s okay though, dressing up isn’t for everyone, and I get it.”
“Yeah… but a man should be willing to make himself look like an ass to make his girl smile. And I think dressing up to match is a really easy way to do that.”
I look up at him. “You’ll make some girl really happy someday, Joel.”
He shrugs his shoulders as we make another loop. “It’s not in the cards for me. The guys at the station call me a playboy, but I don’t care. I don’t need the white picket fence to be happy.”
“So, can I ask what this is all about then?” I gesture to between us. “Obviously you know he and I are…”
“Oh, I’m just trying to piss him off and make him jealous enough to make a fucking permanent move,” he laughs out loud, throwing his head back. He leans close then, bobbling his eyebrows, that are also painted red to match his hair, “Do you think it’s working?”
“Oh, absolutely,” I giggle, ignoring the swoop in my belly at the thought of what’s going to happen later when Zach has me alone. He’s dropping the girls off to Lydia tonight for a pre-planned sleepover, and I can’t wait.
“Just uh… just so you know,” Joel says quietly, almost hesitantly, “I think you’re exactly what my brother needs. We grew up with just our mom raising us, since our dad was out in Washington fighting fires, and I like to think that Mom did a bang-up job making sure we have some level of emotional awareness. But uh… Zach’s ex, she did a bit of a number on hisheart, and well, he’s been pretty closed off ever since. Doesn’t trust easy, if you know what I mean.” I nod, and he continues. “Anyway. I know he’s got some pretty heavy stuff coming up here next week with his final court date, and I just… I don’t know. I know my brother, if nothing else. Don’t let him push you away, okay? Not that I’m saying it will happen, but… just…fuuck—” he groans, then reaches up with his other hand and tugs at the back of his neck, rubbing it before catching my eye again. “I’m probably fumbling this something terrible. Just—if he tries to push you away, don’t let him. Call him on his bluff, make a scene. Because he knows losing someone like you would be the stupidest move he’s ever made. But us Macomb men… we’re kinda dumb, sometimes. You can’t let us ruin something great, though. Okay?”
“Oh, umm,” I whisper, nodding. My mind is trying to play catch up with the info dump Joel just gave me. “Okay.”
“Sorry, if that scares you. I’m not trying to scare you off. I just… I can see the way my brother and his girls look at you,” he says softly, smiling reassuringly. “You’re good for him, for all of them. Don’t let him be an idiot.”
I’m really not sure what to say to that, so I just nod.
I don’t have time to reflect on any of it, though, because I can hear vehicles pulling into the parking lot.
I unloop my arm from Joel’s and grin up at him. “Thanks for the walk and the talk. It’s showtime.”
I make my way to the Trunk-or-Treat gated entrance and prepare for the throng of guests. Joel heads back toward the firetruck with a grin and a wave. I spot Zach and the girls—Chloe is racing in circles, her excitement too much for her little body to contain any longer—and then they’re off from one vehicle to the next collecting candy and treats.
By the time they make their way around all the cars back to me, Zach is carrying Chloe’s candy bucket because it’s too heavy. He grins at me, dropping a kiss to my cheek. “Hi, Princess.”
“Hi,” I whisper. “Are you all having a good time?”
“Yes!” Bailey and Chloe shout, pointing out different vehicles that they’ve been to. “The pirate ship one is my favorite! You have to walk the plank to get to the candy!”
“I think we’re going to head inside and get a donut, and maybe some cider before we do the hayride,” Zach says. “Chloe’s already eaten a handful of her candy. She’s going to have a stomachache by the end of the night.”
“What time are you taking them to your mom’s?” I ask, twining my fingers with his as I walk with them toward the barn.
He licks his lips, his eyes darting from mine to my mouth and back. “Probably around seven. What time are you done here?”
“It might be close to ten before I can get out of here. My family is going to want the full scoop since I kept them in the dark for so long.”
“We’re going to talk about that later,” he grumbles at me, and then those blue eyes darken. “And other things, Louise.”
“Oh? What did I do wrong this time?” I tease.
“You know exactly what you did, Brat,” he growls, before dropping a quick, chaste kiss to my mouth. “I’ll see you at home.”
My mouth drops open, but he’s already turned away, walking toward where Abigail has Bailey and Chloe watching a ten-foot-tall scarecrow on stilts wander around the parking lot with a bubble wand.
