The Favor

Dane was uninterested in most holidays, so he’d probably hole up in either his home office or the one at o-Verve. No trick-or-treaters would come all the way out here, so there’d be no costumes to admire. I had no decorations to hang, since mine were in storage and Dane was unlikely to have any of his own. It would probably just feel like any other day.

I narrowed my eyes and twisted my mouth. Maybe I could still spend it with Ashley and Tucker. Would it look weird if Dane and I didn’t spend our first Halloween together? Maybe.

It was thinking of Halloween that had inspired me to grab some candy and go watch a scary movie in the media room. So far, none of the selections had jumped out at me.

Hearing hinges creak, I twisted and watched as Dane strolled into the room.

Stopping near my seat on the front row, he looked from the TV screen to the glass of wine in the cupholder to the bowl of candy on my lap. “What are you doing?”

“Searching for a movie.”

“You look like you’re sulking.”

“That, too.” I shoved a piece of candy in my mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

“I love Halloween.”

He frowned. “And that bothers you?”

“No, it bothers me that I probably won’t celebrate it this year. I’m in a funk, ignore me. Did you need something?” Because it wasn’t like him to seek me out.

“I came to bring you this.” He held up my cell phone. “You left it in the kitchen. I doubted you’d done it on purpose.”

I shot him a grateful smile and took it from him. “Thanks. That’s the one thing about your house that drives me crazy.”

“What?”

“If I lose something, I know there’s an endless number of places it could be. Tracking the object down can sometimes take a while.”

“You’ll get used to it.” His gaze moved to the TV screen. “What are you watching?”

“I don’t know yet. Something scary. I’d invite you to join me, but you’ll say no, and I’m too emotionally fragile right now to handle the rejection.”

One corner of his mouth quirked just a little. “Right.” He left the room.

I shoved yet another piece of candy in my mouth and turned my attention back to the media screen. After scrolling through yet more options, I finally settled on Insidious and sank deeper into my seat. I’d watched the movie dozens of times, but I loved it.

It had only been playing for a minute or so when the door swung open and Dane reentered. I frowned when he sat two seats away and positioned his laptop on, well, his lap. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“Working,” he said, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“In here?”

“Yes. Then you won’t be on your own, which seems to be what’s truly bothering you.”

I swallowed. “Okay. Well. Thank you.”

Without looking away from his laptop screen, he inclined his head.

“Have you never thought of unplugging from technology for a few hours when you get home? You’re always on the clock, you never seem to wind down. It’s not good for you.”

He frowned at his laptop screen. “I don’t have time to wind down.”

Nor did he seem to have any inclination to do it. “Okay.”

“I was talking to Chris over the phone earlier. He mentioned that the dress you bought for the reception is perfect. Then he asked me if I liked the color brown. The dress isn’t brown, is it?”

I smiled. “No, he’s just messing with you. He’s got a weird sense of humor.” I tossed another piece of candy in my mouth. “And, just so you know, I’m keeping the dress after this is over.”

“What do you intend to do with it?”

“Splash fake blood all over it and use it as a Halloween costume next year. It’ll be epic.”

“Hmm.”

“You’re supposed to tell me I can’t stain a designer gown with fake blood and use it as a costume.”

He shrugged. “It’ll be your gown, not mine.”

I sipped my wine. “I’d keep it for my real wedding, whenever that might happen, but I figure that would be in poor taste. And probably bring me bad luck.”

His gaze met mine, broody and unreadable. “Your real wedding?” he echoed, his tone utterly flat.

“Uh-huh. Unlike you, I don’t want to be all by my lonesome for the rest of my days on Earth.”

“What do you want?”

Someone who could give me the things that Dane would never be able to give, just as Owen had pointed out. “A family,” I replied. “And a cat.”

His mouth twitched. “A family and a cat.”

“Maybe I’ll call it Dane. That’s a cat-like name, right?”

He just shook his head and turned back to his laptop.

My mood surprisingly lighter, I settled in to watch the movie. Just as one of my favorite parts approached, I got the weirdest, most indefinable “feeling” and my vision began to blur. My stomach bottomed out, because I knew what that meant.