Natalie showed her the stencils they had printed off the computer, and asked her to pick out two or three. She looked at the twenty or so pumpkins lined up on the patio floor behind her and wondered how the three of them would get them done before the party.
Natalie saw her looking at them. “Oh don’t worry. We aren’t going to carve all of them. I only brought them out here to clean them before we set them up in the ballroom.”
They have a ballroom? Of course they do. This place is like a resort.
Amy chuckled. “I thought they were there just in case I keep messing up.”
Natalie smiled at her. “Last year I messed up two of them, but Jake just turned them around the other way and put fake leaves and vines around them so they didn’t look like they were carved.”
Amy flashed Jake a surprising look. “That’s a good idea.”
Jake pushed out his lower lip. “I can be creative when I want to be.”
They all laughed, and set to work on their pumpkins. Amy was grateful the pressure was off. She’d always been very good at carving, but she’d never used stencils before. She decided her next one would be done freehand since using the stencils wasn’t exactly easy.
When they’d each completed their first pumpkins, Natalie suggested they find a spot for them in the ballroom. Amy followed the two through the mansion, turning down several corridors and around corners to reach the ballroom.
A person could get lost in here.
When they arrived at a glass-enclosed area with French doors, Amy knew it must be the ballroom. Jake swung open the doors, and Amy’s breath nearly caught in her throat. It wasn’t decorated with tacky store-bought tokens that represent Halloween. It was filled with handmade themes. In each corner, mannequins dressed for the occasion owned the room. A set of 1920’s Gangsters, a vintage wedding, mummies with a cardboard tomb painted to look like it belonged to King Tut, and even Cinderella, complete with a handcrafted carriage were set in the backdrop that mingled with handmade bats hanging from cardboard spooky trees. Hung from the ceiling, twinkling lights were strung to represent stars, and a cardboard moon with a witch flying across it hung from one corner.
Amy looked on in amazement at the room that was larger than a gymnasium.
“This is all so wonderful.”
Natalie showed pride in her eyes. “Our mother put everything together, and painted King Tut’s tomb. She was a very talented person.”
Amy smiled. “I can see that. Everything is so beautiful.”
“It’s even nicer with the twinkly lights on and the fog machine going.”
Amy felt anxious. She couldn’t wait until the party. It was going to be even nicer than she thought.
Natalie hooked her arm in Amy’s.
Must be a family thing.
“Tell me what you’re wearing tonight. I’m dressing up as Juliet and my boyfriend Ray is dressing up as Romeo.”
Jake cleared his throat.
Natalie let out an exaggerated sigh. “I mean friend. I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend until I turn sixteen, which is only next week, so I don’t see what the big deal is.”
Jake busied himself with setting up the table at the front of the room for the DJ.
Natalie turned to Amy. “So…you were about to tell me about your costume.”
Amy thought about it for a moment. She’d planned on dressing up as a rag doll, but given the elegance of the ballroom, she knew she had to come up with something else quickly.
She whispered to Natalie. “My grandmother has an old wedding dress in her attic, and I think I’m going to borrow that for the night.”
“Well don’t make it a zombie bride because I think you would make a beautiful regular bride.”
Amy smiled. “Thanks Nat.”
She giggled. “Jake calls me that too. You have a lot in common with him. I’m not supposed to say anything, but he likes you.”
Thankfully, Jake had just stepped out of the room, but even so, Amy’s face heated with embarrassment. Why was Jake acting so casual with her if he liked her? Was it because of Jonathon? She still hadn’t heard from him, and wasn’t even sure he was going to show up this afternoon. If the truth be told, she wasn’t even sure she cared. She was, however, very intrigued by the news that Jake liked her. But she would never admit that to Natalie, just in case the young girl was mistaken about Jake’s feelings for her.
Jake entered the ballroom with two big pumpkins in his hands. “Are you two ready to carve another pumpkin?”
Natalie flashed Jake a smile. “You two go ahead. I’m getting something to drink. Do you want anything, Amy? We have every kind of soda or juice you can think of.”
“Really? Okay. How about a Fresca?”
“Coming right up.”
Natalie skipped off to the kitchen, while Jake and Amy returned to the patio to carve out another pumpkin. By the time they finished carving three pumpkins each, it was three o’clock, and Amy needed to hurry home to change.
Jake offered to walk her to car, and Natalie flashed her a knowing smile. When they reached her car, Amy felt sad to be leaving even though she knew she was coming back in only a few hours.
Jake leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She was beginning to get used to it.
“Thank you for helping me today. I know it meant a lot to Natalie.”
“I’m glad you wanted to include me. Natalie’s a sweet girl.”
“She really seems to like you. I could see that she looks up to you.”
Jake brushed her hair back and kissed her cheek again. His touch sent tingles of excitement to Amy’s very core. She wanted to feel his lips on hers again, but she was too nervous to initiate contact like she had in the garden. Since they’d agreed on only friendship, she was afraid he would reject her advance, so she held her emotions in check for the sake of their friendship.
****
Amy repeatedly glanced back at Jake in her rearview mirror as she drove away from the mansion. For the time being, she needed to put some distance between them. The long drive home would give her time to think—especially since she suddenly felt confusion rise up in her about her feelings for Jake. How could she even think of entertaining the idea of being with Jake? She hardly knew him. Jonathon, on the other hand, she knew all too well. He was comfortable and familiar, but suddenly, she didn’t want comfortable familiar anymore—it was too boring. She wanted passion. How could she settle for comfortable after experiencing the kind of passion that Jake offered? Jake was exciting and kind; ruggedly handsome and sensitive; passionate and gentle. So much the opposite of Jonathon, who would never be any more than comfortable, predictable and boring. How had things gone that far with him without her knowing? She loved him, but was she in love with him?
****
Before Amy realized, she was pulling into the alley behind the store. Jonathon’s car was parked in the parking lot, and he and Emma exited the car as soon as she pulled in beside them. Her heart beat so fast upon seeing Jonathon, she began to feel warm. Sweat began form a light mist on her forehead, and she wiped it away. She took a deep breath. She was happy to see Jonathon—really.
His boyish grin always had a way of evening out the nerd in him. He looked thinner than usual, and his brown eyes seemed to set deeper in the dark shadows that formed at the inside corners. Neatly trimmed and combed, his brown hair looked dull, and in need of washing. He looked generally unkempt and tired.
Emma, on the other hand, always full of energy, her black hair shiny against her flawless, bisque skin, and green eyes that smiled at everyone. The energetic girl rushed around Jonathon toward Amy, screaming and jumping around like a schoolgirl. She pulled Amy into her arms, still jumping and screaming. Amy screamed too, and jumping seemed to release some of the nervous energy that needed to be freed.
Emma giggled as they stopped. “I’ve missed you so much, girl.”
Jonathon stood by patiently leaning against his car. “Is it my turn now?”
Emma motioned to
him with her arm. “Get over here and join us.”
Amy wasn’t ready for it, but ready or not, she found herself suddenly in the midst of an embrace with her two best friends. Within minutes, Emma stepped back, allowing Jonathon to fully hug Amy.
Amy pulled away slightly.
“Why didn’t you guys call me? I had no idea if you were even planning on showing up.”
Jonathon tried to kiss her on the mouth but she turned her head. “We were only trying to surprise you. Don’t you want us here, Ames?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want you here, but I had plans for us tonight and I would have liked to have been able to tell our host that we would all three attending the party tonight. And don’t call me Ames anymore. I hate it.”
Jonathon tried to pull Amy into his arms, but her frame became rigid. “I thought you liked it when I called you that, but I’ll stop if you want me to. But what’s really bothering you? You act like you don’t want us here.”
Her look softened. “Of course I want you both here. You’re my best friends.”
Jonathon frowned. “I thought I meant more to you than that.”
Amy’s heart felt like it skipped a beat. Being near him felt somewhat awkward. How could she answer that truthfully when she knew her feelings had changed since she’d met Jake? She had always loved Jonathon, and probably always would, but something had changed, and it wasn’t entirely her fault. He’d been neglecting her, and he had to know that.
“Ames? Are you going to answer me?”
“I asked you not to call me that anymore.”
Her tone was harsh, and she immediately wished she could take it back.
Jonathon’s face dropped. “I can go home if you’d like me to.”
Amy was confused, but she knew she loved Jonathon, and she didn’t want him to leave.
“No. I’m sorry. I’ve had a really long week, and the two of you just caught me off guard. That’s all.”
She hugged him carefully, not wanting to initiate anymore than that. It was already going to be tough getting through the weekend, but thankfully, he would be staying at her grandmother’s bungalow across town, so that would cut down on some of their time together. In the meantime, she had to figure out how she was going to manage her emotions around both him and Jake tonight at the party.
Amy turned to Emma, who wore a concerned look on her face. “Why don’t we get your things upstairs so we can get changed for the party? It starts in a little over an hour, and it takes about twenty-five minutes to drive over to the mansion.”
Emma raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t say anything about it being at a mansion. How much is going to cost us to get into this party?”
“Absolutely nothing. I know the family.”
Emma placed her hands on her hips. “And how is it that you know this family?”
Amy lifted Emma’s garment bag from the backseat of Jonathon’s car. “Mr. Bennington came into my store with his grandson one day, and the rest is such a long story.”
“You’re taking us to the Bennington Mansion for a Halloween party? How can you be so casual about that?”
“How do you know about the Bennington’s?”
“Everyone has heard of the Bennington family. We don’t live that far away from you, Amy. Their family is in the paper all the time. That Jake is supposed to be the most sought-after bachelor in this area. Will he be there tonight?”
Amy was cornered, but they would find out at the party that she knew him, so she might as well get it out in the open now.
“Yes. He’s actually the one that invited me.”
Jonathon looked scornfully in her direction.
“Is this why you’re acting so distant?”
Amy set Emma’s things on the chair just inside the door to her apartment. “No, Jonathon. But now that you’ve brought it up, I feel a little awkward around you since I haven’t seen you in nearly three months, despite that fact you’ve promised to visit me almost every weekend, and then you back down. I guess I didn’t really expect you to show up today either since you didn’t call, and you’ve done nothing but disappoint me for so many weeks now.”
Jonathon sighed with great exaggeration.
“Cripes, Amy. Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”
Amy sighed. “Let’s just get ready for the party. I’m in the mood for some fun. I don’t want to argue with you, Jonathon. I missed you.”
Jonathon’s eyes brightened. “Well then I suppose the only thing left to decide will be which character you want to be. Will loaned me the entire costume cast from The Wizard of Oz from the props department at the school. You can be Glenda the Good Witch of the North, or we could paint your face green and you can be the Wicked Witch of the West. I brought makeup and everything…”
Amy had to interrupt. “I already have a costume. I didn’t know you were going to bring all this stuff.”
Emma was busy pulling her hair back into ponytails to each side of her face. When she finished, she picked up the Dorothy costume and closed herself in the bathroom. In her absence, Amy busied herself with taking Emma’s things to the spare bedroom, hoping to avoid another confrontation with Jonathon.
When Emma exited the bathroom in full costume, Amy giggled at her. “Well if Dorothy Gale from Kansas had a twin, you would definitely be it.”
Emma looked a little unsure of herself. “You think it looks okay?”
Amy smiled. “You look great.”
“What about you? Where is this costume you have picked out?”
Amy called to Jonathon, letting him know that she and Emma would be back in a minute. Then, she led Emma up the stairs to the attic. Amy pulled the chain at the bottom of the stairs to turn on the light. When they reached the top, Amy flipped a switch that dimly lit the rest of the room, then, walked over to a large steamer trunk made from leather and wood.
“The dress is in this trunk, but the lid is pretty heavy. Will you help me push it open? I think the hinges are rusted.”
“Why didn’t you ask Jonathon to help?”
Amy gave her friend a look. “I think he’s been kind of a jerk ever since he got here.”
“He was nervous about seeing you. He isn’t happy he’s let so much time go by without seeing you. He’s missed you, Amy. I think you both need to have some fun tonight and then you will feel better. And I also think you need to introduce me to Jake Bennington; Mr. Bachelor of the year.”
Amy smiled at Emma, but the thought of pairing her friend up with Jake put a knot in her stomach.
I must be greedy to want Jake when I already have Jonathon. Except I’m not so sure I want Jonathon anymore.
Once they opened the trunk, Amy pulled out the lacy, vintage dress that had slightly yellowed, but it didn’t matter to her; she was smitten with the style. Emma poked her head in the trunk and pulled out a leather-bound book that rested in the bottom.
She turned it over. “Hey what’s this? Someone’s diary or something?”
Amy took it from her, glancing at the round, stone medallion imbedded in its cover. It was split down the middle, and bore two doves and a set of four hearts that formed a circle below the doves. Amy tried to pry open the pages, but it seemed stuck from decay, and she didn’t want to destroy it. She replaced it in the bottom of the trunk, leaving the lid open so she could return the dress without the hassle of fighting the rusted hinges again.
Amy held up the dress in front of her. “I probably should have had this dry-cleaned before I decided to wear it, but I was too worried the chemicals would destroy it.”
Emma touched the lace at the sleeve. “It’s beautiful, Amy. I’m jealous.”
“Don’t be; I’m sure I’m going to be itchy all night.”
The two giggled at the thought of it.
“Besides, you make a perfect Dorothy. And I noticed Jonathon picked out the Scarecrow for himself. You guys are going to look so cute together.”
Emma’s eyes fell. “But he’s your boyfriend.”
Emma squealed. “I’m ready to meet Jake.”
Amy paused. “There’s just one more thing I want your help with.”
“What’s that?”
Amy chose her words carefully. “I have to take my own car because I promised Jake and Natalie I’d stay after the party and help with the cleanup. So I want you to ride with Jonathon and talk him out of being angry with me. I don’t like it when we argue, which seems to be a lot lately.”
Emma hugged her. “You know I’ll do anything for you Amy.”
“Then let’s go party.”
****
Amy walked into the ballroom and spotted Jake and Natalie from across the room. Jake looked breathtakingly handsome in a black tux and tails, with a black bow tie and cummerbund; a starched white shirt with round black buttons down the front complimented Jake’s rugged features.
Natalie rushed to her side and hugged her, ignoring Dorothy and the Scarecrow beside her. “You look beautiful, Amy. Guess what Jake is dressed up as?”
Amy looked him over as he walked toward them. “A music conductor? Or, how about Cinderella’s footman?”
Natalie giggled. “No, silly. He’s your groom.”
Amy’s eyes held their gaze on the deep blue of Jake’s, as she felt her heart thump against her chest wall, thinking that she could absolutely accept him as her groom. But she quickly averted the attention away from Natalie’s statement by introducing Jonathon and Emma. As she did, she caught the disapproving look on Jonathon’s face. She ignored him, and walked arm-in-arm with Natalie to the punchbowl. She wasn’t giving in to his moodiness tonight, especially after the argument they had earlier. She was in the mood for fun, and she was determined to have fun tonight with or without Jonathon.
A Secret in the Attic (Mystery/Suspense/Romance) Page 5
