“Excuse me,” he said to Matt and Hailey as he walked away from them.
It seemed to take forever to get to her, and the look in her eyes when she saw him coming could have set him on fire. She didn’t move, but just waited for him to get through the crowd.
“Do you have slippers for me in that basket?”
“Ha.” She lifted her chin defiantly, which made him want to kiss her and he didn’t care who was watching. “This is my horror movie costume.”
He laughed. “The ending’s not that bad.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“You look gorgeous.”
“It’s the soot, isn’t it? Really does wonders for my complexion.”
“Everybody seems to have coordinated their costumes. I should have come as the professor.”
“I think the world’s most famous serial killer mask suits you.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s pretty creepy, actually.”
“Have you eaten yet? I wonder if there are any fava beans.”
She punched his arm. “Don’t do that. And no, I haven’t eaten yet.”
He offered the arm she’d just walloped and she shifted her basket to the other hand so she could take it. They took the scenic route to the back side of the lodge so they could admire the “costumes” on the four-wheelers. One of the first in line looked somewhat like a pirate ship, so he guessed that was Josh’s. There was also a space ship and what looked kind of like a banana.
“The parade will be fun to watch,” Tori said. “They’re going to ride around the property, I guess, and some of the businesses donated prizes.”
“Josh asked me to judge, but I passed. I’m not good at picking and choosing.”
She bumped against him, chuckling. “It’s because you’re such a softie.”
“That’s a funny thing to say to a guy in a Hannibal Lecter mask.”
Behind the house, Andy and Drew were manning the big kettle grills, handing out burgers and dogs. There were three tables laden with chips and salads of every variety and several coolers at the end.
Tori and Max ate and mingled, chatting with everybody, and Max realized it didn’t seem to occur to either of them to separate. When the parade went by, they applauded and cheered along with the spectators, especially when one family went by on one ATV doing an impressive, if precarious, reenactment of the hillbilly Clampett family’s arrival in Beverly Hills.
“I hope they have that rocking chair strapped down tight,” he yelled to Tori over the roar of the crowd.
Nobody was surprised when The Beverly Hillbillies family won the grand prize, which was a generous gift certificate to the Trailside Diner. As the families with children started heading home, the party took a turn and it wasn’t long before the sound of beer can tabs being popped punctuated the chilly night.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked Tori, worried about her being in a dress.
She lifted the hem enough so he could see the tops of her ankle boots, and the wool covering her legs. “I’m wearing long wool underwear under this getup. It’s not my first outdoor Halloween party. What about you?”
“This is my first outdoor Halloween party, but not the first time I’ve been outside in November. I’m wearing thermals, too.”
“Good. We can both stay longer, then.”
He nodded and put his hand on her back to guide her as they moved through a crowd of people. Usually he couldn’t wait to make his excuses and leave any kind of function, but tonight he wasn’t going anywhere.
*
Tori had known the party would be enjoyable. Whitford knew how to have a good time, whether it was Old Home Day or the Fourth of July, and coming together for a fund-raiser at the Northern Star Lodge was no different.
She hadn’t anticipated enjoying it quite so much, though. Good food, good fun, good friends and Max. He was having a good time, too, and it showed in how relaxed he was. Everybody thought his Hannibal Lecter mask was hilarious, and he’d probably spoken to more people in the last few hours than he had in all the years since he’d moved there.
Now, as the adults mingled and did their best to ignore the fact they could see their breath when they talked, they made their way toward the fire Andy had started in a metal ring. It wasn’t a big bonfire, but everybody could warm their hands for a few minutes before giving somebody else a chance.
Tori hardly felt the cold. With Max’s hand on her back and desire pumping through her veins, it would take more than the chill of an autumn night to cool her off.
They squeezed in next to Liz and Drew, who didn’t seem to mind getting closer to each other to make room. She looked exhausted, which didn’t surprise Tori. She’d been the star of the night, since word had spread fairly quickly about her pregnancy. Drew had wanted kids for a long time and baby-watch fever in Whitford had rivaled that of the royal family for a while.
“How come you’re not in costume?” Max asked Drew.