by Jaci Burton
"Oh, Nathan Riley? Yeah, he's really good. His dad is a pro quarterback for San Francisco. Following in the family footsteps, I guess." Carter paused, then looked at her. "You follow football?"
"Pro and college both. That surprises you?"
"I guess. I don't remember you being all gung ho about it in high school."
She shrugged. "I was interested in the sports you played, but I wasn't a big sports nut back then. Now, though, I like football."
"That's great. We can finish up in here and watch the game."
She put the artichoke dip in the refrigerator, then washed her hands. Carter put his dish in the slow cooker, then they grabbed some drinks and settled on the sofa to watch the game.
"I've heard Riley's stats are good enough this season he could be considered a Heisman candidate his sophomore year," Molly said.
"You do know your football."
"You thought I was bullshitting you?" she asked.
He gave her a shocked look. "And you cuss now, too. It's like I don't even know you."
"A lot of time has passed, Carter. I'm a big girl now."
"Next you'll be telling me you drink alcohol and have sex."
She laughed and took a drink of the beer he'd given her. "Funny."
He nudged her with his leg. "Who've you got for this game? Baylor is tough and their quarterback is a senior. He's going to be good in the pros."
She nodded. "Agreed, but this is Riley's year. Texas is undefeated, and I think they're going to take the Big 12 again this year. They're my pick for this game."
"I think I'm going to have to agree with you."
On the next play, Riley threw a perfect pass to a wide-open receiver, who ran thirty-six yards for a touchdown.
Carter and Molly smiled at each other.
"Yeah, it's going to be that kind of game."
It was a blowout, with Texas winning forty-three to sixteen over Baylor. After that, they took a break to set a few things up around the house. Carter made sandwiches for them, and they sat down to watch the Missouri game, though Molly kept an eye on the time, because she'd need about an hour to do her hair and makeup for her costume, and she didn't want to be in the middle of that when people started arriving.
So at halftime, with Missouri thankfully ahead, though only by one touchdown, she headed into Carter's bedroom to start getting ready. It would be dark soon, and who knew when kids would start to arrive.
This ensemble was going to take some work, and she wanted it to be perfect, especially since there were several parts to it.
She grinned as she entered the bathroom.
CARTER DECIDED SINCE Molly was going to get dressed, he probably should, too. He'd moved all his stuff into the spare bedroom so he'd be out of her way in the master, so he dashed into the bathroom to do his makeup--something he definitely was not adept at, but he did the best he could. At least he'd read the instructions, and there was glue stuff to do the bolts, plus the hair piece. He inspected himself in the mirror and laughed. Not bad.
He put on the clothes and the clunky shoes, hoping like hell he could walk in these damn things without falling over. When he'd seen the outfit at the costume store, he knew it was perfect, and it went with the whole atmosphere of the house.
He clomped into the kitchen to refresh his beer, then heard the door open to the bedroom. His eyes widened when he saw Molly.
"Oh my God," she said as she entered the kitchen. "You're Frankenstein."
"And you're the Bride of Frankenstein."
She looked amazing, her hair all wavy, with a shock of white on both sides. She wore a white sheath, and her lips were painted dark, dark red. She had painted on stitched scars across her neck and arms in red, with a few blood drops on the white sheath for effect.
It was awesome. She looked ethereal, and gorgeous.
She came over to him. "Your makeup is perfect. And those bolts on your neck." She reached up to touch one, then looked down at his feet. "Those shoes are amazing. You must be four inches taller."
He laughed. "Yeah, I hope I don't trip over anything."
She lifted her gaze to his. "I can't believe we match. I didn't tell anyone about my costume."
"I didn't, either. It's like a psychic connection or something."
"Yeah, or something."
"It's perfect, Moll."
She didn't say anything for a few seconds, then smiled. "Right. We're going to scare all the kids tonight."
She wouldn't scare anyone the way she looked. She took his goddamn breath away. He wanted to close the door, turn out the lights, and kiss those ruby red lips for about twelve hours.
Hell, he was getting hard just thinking about it, but judging from the wary looks she was shooting his way, and the fact he'd actually invited people over tonight for a party, he was just going to have to get his wayward body under control.
So he took a deep breath and mentally squashed his lustful thoughts--at least for now.
"And speaking of the kids, it's starting to get dark, so I should get the show ready to go."
He turned on the lights surrounding the tree and the house, and set the dry ice so smoke would billow around the porch. Then he turned on the scary music. By then, a few people had started to show up, so Molly got to work making drinks and setting the appetizers out on the table and on the bar.
"Decided not to wear a costume tonight, huh?" Logan asked him as he and Des came in.
"Yeah, too much work. And look at you, all dressed up."
"Des made me," Logan said with a grimace.
"Oh, quit complaining." Des rolled her eyes. "You would have thought I asked him to dig me a grave. Though, if we didn't have so much land and so few trick-or-treaters, that might have been funny, especially since he is dressed like an undertaker, and I'm the dead body."
Carter laughed. "That would have been awesome. I might steal that idea for next year. Though digging that hole would be a bitch."
"Not to mention the potential liability," Molly added.
"So true."
A few more people arrived, then the kids started coming to the door. He found Molly right by his side, and man, did she know how to turn on the horror. She had a dead-eyed look about her as she slid her hand in the bowl of candy, her head tilted to the side in a broken fashion while he stiffly walked outside into the smoke to welcome the kids.
Most of the kids screamed with delight. Some just flat out screamed. They had quite the light show going, and with him and Molly shuffling out through the smoke, it was a hell of a scene.
Chelsea and Samantha had shown up, and they'd snuck out through the side door in the garage and were taking pictures.
Several of the parents were, too.
Carter had to admit his was a popular house, because he was certain several of the kids made more than one trip. And it wasn't for more candy, it was to see the lights and the skeletons and smoke and the graveyard.
Awesome.
Once he'd had to run inside and refill the bowl, and his house was filling up, too. Fortunately, his friends knew to make themselves at home, and Logan and Des pitched in as bartenders, since Bash couldn't be there to fulfill his duties.
He had to admit, he enjoyed watching Molly with the kids. She seemed to know which ones she could be scary with, and which ones to tone it down with. One girl--she had to be about four years old--tentatively came to the door, clutching her daddy's hand like a lifeline. And even though her little brown eyes were wide as saucers, she was determined to come to the front door for candy.
So Molly grabbed the bowl, crouched down, and smiled at the little girl, spending a few minutes talking to her, explaining that this was all make-believe, and not to be scared. Then she invited Carter over, and let the little girl see that Carter wasn't a real monster.
After that, the little girl got her candy and happily ran down the street to the next house.
Molly had an instinct about kids. Someday she was going to make a great mother.
His stoma
ch tightened as he thought about what could have been between them. They could have had a kid--maybe more.
He hadn't been ready for that kind of responsibility back then. He'd have totally fucked it up.
Maybe things happened for a reason.
But now? As he watched Molly laughing with a group of adolescents who'd come to the door, he reevaluated his current life.
He wanted a wife. And kids.
He just wasn't sure who he wanted them with.
Or maybe he did know, and he wasn't sure how in hell he could make that happen.
Tonight wasn't the night to be thinking deep thoughts. Especially since he didn't have answers to any of the questions that had suddenly started popping nonstop into his head.
A few hours later, when the kid traffic had slowed to just a few of the older kids, he and Molly took a breather.
"Beer?" he asked as Chelsea, dressed as a vampire vixen, took over door duty with Samantha, who was perfect as Raggedy Ann.
"I think I'll have a glass of wine instead."
They headed into the kitchen to grab drinks and some snacks.
"Hell of a turnout tonight, Carter."
"Thanks, Evan. And you get the night off for Halloween, huh?"
"Yeah. Lucky me."
"Evan, you remember Molly, don't you? She's Emma's sister."
"Oh, right. Nice to see you again, Molly. We met at the wedding. I work with Luke on the police force."
Molly put her plate down and shook Evan's hand. "Of course. Nice to see you again, too. That whole wedding thing was kind of a whirlwind for me, since I'd just gotten back in town."
"Understood. How's your mom doing these days?"
"She's doing okay. Thanks for asking."
Carter turned to Evan. "Did you bring a date?"
"Megan's here with me, but you know how it is. We're just friends who decided not to come alone. Less awkward that way."
Carter nodded. "Yeah, I totally get it."
Molly was trying to keep up with everyone. She had no idea such a crowd was going to be here tonight. She knew a lot of people from high school, even the ones who'd gone to Oakdale, the other school. Growing up in a small town meant you ran into the same people over and over again, or went to a lot of the same parties when you were teenagers. But some were a few years older or younger than her, so tonight was spent reacquainting herself with people she hadn't seen in years.
"Molly, I'm so glad you're here tonight."
She turned and smiled at Samantha Reasor. "Me too, Samantha. Are you having a good time?"
"It's Sam, remember? And who wouldn't? Carter's Halloween parties are legendary. I wouldn't miss one. Well, there was the one year right after he and I broke up when we weren't exactly speaking to each other, but other than that, I come here every year."
"You . . . broke up. You two dated?"
"For about a year."
"I see. I had no idea." Of course she'd had no idea, because she hadn't been here.
Samantha waved her hand back and forth. "It's no big deal, and that was a long time ago. Carter and I are friends now. That's all water under the bridge."
"Really. So you two can still be friends after being . . . involved?"
Samantha laughed. "Of course. We had a few months of trying to adjust after realizing we just couldn't make it work together as a couple. It was more on my part than his. He'd ended it well, and he's always a gentleman. I was the one who had to drown my sorrows for a couple weeks in several pints of Ben and Jerry's. No woman likes to get dumped, you know."
"Ouch." So now she knew who'd done the breaking up. It had been Carter who'd ended things. Molly wondered why.
"Yeah. But, like I said, we weren't right for each other. I've moved on, and so has he. And as friends, we're great."
"I think you're a much nicer person than I would be, Sam."
"I don't know about that. You and Carter were a big deal back in high school, as I recall. And you're here now, too, aren't you?"
She let out a soft laugh. "I suppose you're right."
Sam looped her arm through Molly's and led her toward the living room where there weren't so many people. "Carter has that way about him. It's just too hard to stay angry with him. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body, and he'd never deliberately hurt anyone."
Her gaze drifted toward the dining area where Carter stood talking to Logan and a few other guys. "No, I don't suppose he would."
"Anyway, we really need to spend some time catching up."
"I know. I did promise I'd call you so we could get together and have lunch. I'm sorry that time seems to have gotten away from me."
"That's okay. I understand you've been busy with your mom. It's hard when there's someone you have to take care of. I do the same with my grandmother. She's eighty-two and I'm the only one left to look out for her, though she doesn't think she needs anyone. She's an independent sort."
"Is that right?"
"Yes. A little too independent. And she's still driving--too fast for my liking, too."
Molly could already see her mother doing that many years from now. Being independent, driving her crazy.
"What are you two whispering about over here?"
Molly looked up to see Chelsea had come over and had Megan with her. Megan was dressed like an angel, and she looked completely ethereal and quite beautiful tonight.
"My grandmother, and her fierce independent streak," Sam said.
Chelsea laughed. "We should all hope to be as independent as your grandmother when we're eighty-two."
"Yes, but you know Grammy Claire. She still wants to keep her fingers in the flower shop, and she has her bridge club, and her eyesight isn't as good as it once was. So I try to cajole her into letting me drive her places."
"I know, and you're trying to have your own life while seeing to hers," Chelsea said. "That's not working out too well for you, is it?"
Sam sighed. "No, but she's taken care of me all these years. It's time I paid her back. And I don't mind, really. Gramps died a few years back, and she's been missing him, so she likes having me around to keep her company."
"Did you talk to her about the new retirement center?" Megan asked.
"There's a new retirement center?"
Sam nodded at Molly. "Just finished up last year, over in the new section of Hope. It's really nice. I took Grammy Claire there for a tour when it opened."
"And?" Chelsea asked. "What did Claire have to say?"
"She said she isn't going to leave her house. She said her children were born there, and she plans to die there. What am I supposed to do? My aunt Cecile lives in Ohio, and while she visits every now and then, she can't really make any of the major decisions where Grammy Claire is concerned."
"Which means you're the one in charge of her," Chelsea said.
Sam lifted her chin. "Like I said, she's mine and I love her. She's pretty much the only family I have left."
Chelsea rubbed her back. "I understand, Sammy. I didn't mean to get you upset."
"I'm not upset, but I sure could use a glass of wine."
Molly lifted her now empty one. "I'm with you on that one."
They all went into to the kitchen for refills, and Molly smiled when Emma and Luke showed up.
"Did you get Mom situated?"
"We did. Well, Dad mostly did, since he shooed us off after all the trick-or-treaters left, so we changed into our costumes and had to hurry over here. We didn't want to miss the party, which I see is going strong."
"You look cute," Molly said, admiring Emma's sexy prisoner garb. "And really, Luke is playing cop tonight? How unoriginal."
Emma laughed. "I know, but he said he has this idea for later about me playing escaped prisoner, and something about the handcuffs." Emma held up one hand where the cuffs dangled from her wrist.
Molly shot her hand up. "That's more than enough details, thanks."
Her sister grinned. "So how's it going here?"
"Good. The kid turnout was phenome
nal."
"I heard the music, saw all the smoke and lights all the way from the corner. Carter went all out, though he does every year."
"So I hear. This must be the Halloween place to be, huh?"
"It is. Everyone who can tries to at least swing by. And I really need a drink, so I'm going to grab a glass of wine."
"Okay."
"Refills sound good to me, too," Megan said, and Chelsea and Sam followed her.
Molly remained where she was, and suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her. She jumped, then turned to see Carter.
"Oh, it's you."
"Who else would be putting their arms around you?" he asked.
"No idea. No one, of course."
"Good to know."
"Why, would you be jealous if I named someone?"
He cocked his head to the side. "Probably."
She smiled at that, then remembered her conversation with Sam from earlier. "So, you had a relationship with Samantha Reasor?"
"Yeah. We went out for about a year. Did she tell you about that?"
"She did. And now you're friends?"
"We are. Why?"
She shrugged, trying to pretend it didn't bother her. Which it didn't, of course. "No reason. I just didn't know about it."
"No reason you would, since you weren't here when we were dating. And that was a while ago anyway."
"Okay."
She looked around the room, suddenly feeling awkward.
"Molly."
She lifted her gaze to his.
"It's been over for years. And I'm not currently seeing anyone, if you're worried about me and Sam. Or me and anyone else, for that matter."
"I'm not concerned at all. Sam told me about the two of you, that it ended and you two are friends. I get it, really."
Except she realized she'd missed a lot by being gone. She wondered what else she didn't know about.
Life in Hope had passed her by.
And whose fault was that, Molly?
"How about a refill on my wine?" she asked, planting a smile on her face. She couldn't do anything about the past. No one knew that better than her.
Fortunately, he smiled back at her, and she couldn't help but laugh at the black lipstick on his mouth.
"What?" he asked as he walked with her to the bar area.
"Your face."
"I know. It kind of rocks, doesn't it?"
He pulled the cork out of the chardonnay and refilled her cup.
"Oh, it totally rocks."
"So does your hair." He smoothed his hand over it. "How did you get it to do that?"
