Hayden held up both of his hands in surrender, surprise etched in his features. “Whoa, Skip. Easy there.”
“Sorry.” I exhaled a deep breath. “I thought…never mind. What are you doing out here?”
“They’re about to announce the winners of the costume contest. Ellison said you stepped outside, so I thought I’d come get you.” He regarded my face, looking a bit more closely. “Are you okay?”
My posture snapped straight, and I brushed past him, plastering on a fake smile. “Yeah, I’m great. Why wouldn’t I be? Let’s go inside.”
I didn’t let him respond before I pushed through the front doors of the bar, Hayden following on my heels.
“Welcome to the first annual Rudy’s HalloweenCostume Contest!” Liv’s bubbly voice echoed off the walls as she spoke into the microphone.
Cheers erupted throughout the bar, and she waited for everyone to quiet down.
“We’ve got some incredible prizes for our winners tonight, including a free branded trucker hat and a Rudy’s T-shirt as part of our new merch launch”—she paused for whoops and hollers—“a fifty dollar voucher to The Copper here in town, and finally, for the first place winner, a two hundred dollar cash prize! We’ll have three individual costume winners as well as a couples costume winner who will get the restaurant voucher. We had three amazing judges tonight, including our owner and namesake of the bar, Rudy!” She gestured to a kind-looking, older gentleman with white hair and patchy scruff on his jaw.
As Liv continued talking, I glanced around the crowd, trying to figure out if the person who sent me those texts was here. No one seemed particularly suspicious, and my stomach dropped.
“Without further ado, let’s announce our winners!”
Nico handed Liv four envelopes like it was the Grammy’s.
“In third place for our individual costume contest, the winner is…” Liv called out the name of a girl wearing butterfly wings, and she went up to the front to grab the hat. The next person who won was dressed as a pirate and got the T-shirt.
“Finally, our winner of the two hundred dollar cash prize is…” Liv paused for dramatic effect, and everyone started drumming their hands on their legs. “Sierra Bayley!”
My brows furrowed as my face contorted in panic. “What? N-no.” I shook my head. “My costume wasn’t even that good, why did I win?”
“Go on and get your money, Skip.” Hayden laughed as he gave me a gentle push toward the front.
“Congrats!” Liv grinned as she handed me a plain white envelope. “I may have had a little bit of pull in you winning, but don’t tell anyone. Your costume is great.”
My cheeks flushed. “Thanks.”
As I headed back toward Hayden, Liv announced the winners of the couples costume contest. Of course it was Colter and Ellison, Miles City and Silver Creek’s very own “it couple.”
Colter scooped Ellison up in his arms after taking the voucher, and she held it in the air like a trophy.
Mikey and Juniper were nowhere to be seen, and I laughed under my breath at the thought that they were still in the bathroom using the handcuffs.
“Can we get out of here?” I asked Hayden with what I was sure was a pleading look on my face.
“Yeah. Come on, Skip. Let’s go home.”
He led me back to his pickup truck, helping me into the passenger side.
After turning on the ignition, he didn’t immediately start driving.
“Are you okay?” he asked, a tinge of concern in his voice. “Don’t lie to me, Skip. We don’t do that, remember?”
I bit my lip. “I was just a little overwhelmed tonight, but I’m good now. Promise.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. The textshadoverwhelmed me, and now that we were leaving, I was starting to calmdown again. My brain didn’t feel like it was trying to attack me anymore, and my heart stopped pounding in my chest.
“Okay. You know I’m here for you, right? You’ve got me, Skip.” He reached over and squeezed my hand.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
hayden
