“Thanks.” He straightened his crown in Jake’s mirror. “I figured that out for myself.”
“Nice picture,” Milo said, pointing to a photo on Jake’s mirror.
Not just any picture, but the one of us at Dollywood. My heart did this funny little thump-thump, and I turned to Jake.
He glanced down and then met my eyes. If we were alone, I would have kissed him right then and there.
“Hey guys,” Camille called, coming through the door from the hall. Kent, dressed as Anakin Skywalker, followed.
It took me a minute to realize what she was dressed as.
“You look great Camille,” Jake said. “But shouldn’t you be Amidala instead of Princess Leia? Otherwise, you’re on a date with your father.”
Milo and Anya cracked up.
With a frown, Camille said, “They were out of Amidala costumes.”
“How’d you get those buns on the side of your head?” Anya stepped closer for a better look.
Camille swatted her away. “It’s a hairpiece. It came with the costume.”
They sure had jumped into the whole couple thing quickly. Last month, they weren’t even dating. Now, they wore coordinating costumes. Well, almost.
The situation was really weird. Usually, Anya had the boyfriend and Camille and I tagged along. Unfortunately, Anya was directing her newfound single status at pestering Milo.
“You’re crown’s a little crooked,” she said, and tried to straighten it.
“I like it crooked,” Milo said, but he was forced to stand there for her ministrations.
“Wow,” Camille said. “I love the prince and princess thing. Did you guys plan that?”
“No,” Milo snapped. “We didn’t.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “Come on downstairs, Anya. We can see if anyone new has shown up.”
Her face brightened. “Good idea.”
Downstairs, Sheree had taken a break from her hostessing duties to dance with my dad. A slow dance. For some reason, seeing that was almost worse than catching them kissing. And spotting me watching didn’t make them stop.
I stumbled as the realtor couple bumped into me. They were trying to dance, but their house boxes didn’t make it easy.
“Sorry,” they said. “Maybe next year, we’ll just come as For Sale signs.”
Or people, I thought. But I didn’t say anything.
I felt a hand on my waist and turned to find Jake.
“My grandmother’s here. I want you to meet her.” He motioned toward the other side of the room.
His grandmother looked cute in a flapper dress. She was very nice.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Zoe. I’ve met your father a few times. He’s such a dear.”
A few times? I smiled and concentrated on making her like me. “I love your costume.”
She reached up to smooth her hair. “Thank you. I like to see a young lady in a sensible outfit.” She smiled warmly. “So many of those costumes are indecent.”
My drab costume couldn’t be any more decent.
She turned to Jake. “Although, I must say, makeup looks fabulous on my grandson.”
I laughed at Jake’s discomfort.
“This headband is driving me crazy,” she said. “Jake, aren’t you going to dance with your friend?”
Unfortunately, Milo and Anya joined us then so we couldn’t dance. It wasn’t like we’d get any privacy at the crowded party anyway.
My toughest moment came an hour later when Jake’s grandmother asked me to bring her some punch. Dad wasn’t anywhere close, and Anya was distracting Milo again.
I’d just met the petite woman, and I wanted her to like me.
“Wouldn’t you rather have a soft drink?” I asked. “Or some water?”
“No, dear. I love Sheree’s punch.” She patted my hand. “Will you bring me a cup?”
“I’ll be happy to,” I said as I frantically searched for someone to help me. Scooping out punch could be a fiasco.
Because punch didn’t come straight out of a can. His mother had mixed juice and sherbet and stuff to make it.
I walked towards the punch bowl and turned to see if Jake’s grandmother was still watching me. She was.
Of course.
Helplessly, I continued on my journey, past the realtor couple dressed as houses, past the vampire from next door, and past Jake’s uncle who’d dressed in a toga for some reason.
Still no sign of my dad or Milo.
I chanced one more look at Jake’s grandmother. She was still watching, fingering the long strand of beads around her neck.
I reached for a cup. Timidly, I picked up the dipper. I poured the punch gently into the cup.After turning slowly, I took several steps toward the elderly lady.
One.
Two.
Three.
On my fourth step, a roar filled the room and a gaping vortex opened in the living room wall. The nearby decorations were sucked into the spiral and disappeared.
“Dad!” I shouted.
No one was close enough to be hurt, but I was pretty sure from the shouts and gaping stares that everyone had noticed.
A couple of Jake’s friends started to approach the phenomenon.
“No!” My dad yelled as he entered the room. “It’s dangerous.”
“Cool, Mr. Miller,” Anya said, coming up behind me. “How’d you do that?”
“Is this the last surprise?” Sheree asked in a shaky voice, close on Dad’s heels.
“Yes. It’s a, um, complex blend of light, mirrors, and chemicals, guys. You can’t touch it until the half life, about ten hours.”
Sheree frowned. “It’ll be like this for ten hours?”
“Is there really a hole in the wall?” Anya asked.
“No.” My dad pulled out his reassuring voice. “That would be crazy.” He came up to me and took the punch glass.
“For Jake’s grandmother,” I whispered.
Dad delivered the drink to the slightly shaken older woman. Her flapper headba
nd had gone askew.
Then he returned to my side. “Call your mother to pick you guys up. I’ll run interference here.”
While the party guests admired my dad’s impressive work, I slipped away to call Mom.
I told Milo we’d be going soon. Then I located Jake for some goodbye time.
“I wanted to show you the back yard.”
“That’s right. I haven’t said hello to Indiana yet.”
“Not just that.” He took my hand.
Indiana, looking one-hundred percent back to normal, greeted us effusively at the side gate. Then we went in, and he followed us to the back yard.
The moonlight illuminated a cluster of gravestones.
“You made a cemetery?”
Jake grinned. “Cool, isn’t it? I worked on it all day Sunday. Of course, it can’t compete with your father’s black hole, or whatever.”
“It looks real.” I shivered. “It’s creepy.”
“Well, if you’re scared, maybe I should put my arm around you.”
“I’m not—” Duh. “I am scared. Very scared. Save me, brave pirate.”
He put his arms around me and was about to kiss me.
A rustling behind a gravestone caught our attention.
Indiana ran over there and barked twice.
Camille and Kent emerged, looking sheepish.
“Hi, Zoe.” Camille gave me a weak wave. “We were just heading in to get more punch.”
Even in the dim light, Kent’s red face was apparent. Jake started laughing.
“Who’d have thought there’d be so much romance in a graveyard?” I teased.
We waited until they rounded the corner of the house.
Then Jake pulled me close and kissed me.
And I kissed him back with the knowledge that all was right with the world.
Except for the vortex in the living room.
With any luck, I’d have the toad slime substitution perfected by Thanksgiving. I had the perfect boyfriend, and Halloween wouldn’t come again for another year.
If only I could keep from stirring up more trouble in the meantime.
Footsteps crunched through the leaves, and we pulled apart to see Anya at the side of the house, her tiara glittering as it caught light from the windows.