“Do you think he had fun?”
“Are you kidding?” Katie smiled and curled her legs onto the sofa. “Between your mom insisting he have more dessert, and you and Caden tossing a football with him in the backyard, I probably won’t hear about anything else for days.” Her smile faded slightly, but warmth lingered in her gaze. “Thanks for making the night special for him. He’s had a rough time lately.”
“I know.” Ryan slid a hand onto her shoulder. “Is he still having nightmares?” She’d told him about those, along with the green cloud, and Sam’s compulsive sketching.
“Rarely. And he’s not drawing as much.” She gave a half shrug. “Whatever was troubling him is starting to fade.”
“The ‘noise’?” He brushed his fingers against her cheek.
She nodded. “I think all the stability he’s had with everyone around him—my mom, Martin, and you”—she lowered her gaze, a blush rising to her face—“has made a difference. He’s not afraid anymore.”
“What about you?” Lyle Mason was a supreme ass for having treated her with anything less than tenderness and respect. He tilted her chin up. “Are you done with UFOs?”
Jerome’s paperback copy of UFO Sightings and Stories occupied a spot on the coffee table. Ryan nodded toward the book. “I should probably give that back to him.”
“You don’t need to. I called him yesterday to see how he was feeling and mentioned I had it. He told me to keep it, that it was the least he could do after I’d helped him. He wants to get together and chat UFOs over coffee.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to?”
“Would it bother you?” She leaned closer, her grin mischievous.
“Hell, yes. I mean—” He fumbled and drew back. “The guy’s just a friend, right?”
“Of course.” Her smile grew broader, lighting the depths of her eyes. Green like her son’s, they were flecked with gold in the lamplight. “But you sound…jealous?”
Ryan’s face grew warm. “Katie, I thought I made it clear how I feel about you. I’m tired of being casual friends. I thought we’d moved past that.”
“We have.” Turning, she nestled into his arms, her back to his chest. Snuggling closer, she drew his hands around her waist. “I like that you’re jealous.”
He grunted. “I never said I was.”
“Then you won’t mind if I have coffee with Jerome?”
It was a losing argument. “I’ve got something better in mind.” He bent his head and kissed her—after which there was no further discussion of UFOs.
Or Jerome.
Chapter 14
The next night Katie helped Sam into his Luke Skywalker outfit and she and Ryan took him trick-or-treating. They started in her mom’s neighborhood, going house to house as Sam collected candy bars, caramels, and gummy worms. After that, it was over to Ryan’s home where Mrs. Flynn and Eve lavished him with homemade popcorn balls and individually wrapped blocks of peanut butter fudge. Neighborhoods were overrun with ghosts and witches waving flashlights, parents trailing behind younger children. No one spoke the name of Point Pleasant’s notorious cryptid, but the Mothman undoubtedly lurked in the back of everyone’s mind. Even Katie couldn’t help shooting an occasional glance to the cloud-streaked sky, fearful the monster might materialize. After its recent rampage, the Mothman had taken to lying low as it had in the past, but a shadow of fear still hung over the town.
Eventually, she was able to tuck Sam safely into bed, dreams of candy corn and jack-o’-lanterns dancing in his head. It was nice staying with her mom, especially as they grew closer, but she was starting to feel displaced and wanted to get back to her own home. She’d shared the thoughts with her mom that morning over breakfast, and while her mother was reluctant, she’d understood Katie’s need for independence.
Sam was a different story. He was having fun staying with his Grammie, a situation that worked well given Lyle and the driver of the green van were still at large. Katie agreed to leave Sam with her mom a few more days. When she kissed Ryan good night later that evening and shared her plans, he scowled as expected.
“Why can’t you stay too? Wait a while longer. We’re getting close on Lyle.”
“Are you?” She raised a brow. They stood in her mother’s driveway, leaning against Ryan’s Camaro. The earlier cloud cover had given way to a star-strewn sky with a full moon, more orange than gold. If there was anyone still roaming the streets, the revelers would be older kids high on the fun of the holiday or dreaming up pranks. Her mom’s house had been the target of egging and toilet-papering more than once, but Katie wasn’t entirely convinced kids were the culprits. More than a few adults—male and female—weren’t overly fond of Doreen Sue Lynch.
Ryan gripped her arms, turning her to face him. “We’ve got vehicle ID and a plate number. We know Lyle’s running low on cash. Darrell said as much. He’s got to surface sooner or later.”
“I’m tired of waiting.”
“I know you are.” Ryan tugged her against him. Slipping a finger beneath her chin, he gave her a light kiss. When he drew back, he brushed a thumb down her cheek. “I think he’s going to zero in on Caden, not you, but I can’t help worrying. Humor me, okay?”
It was hard to say no when he was so attentive. She tugged her jacket closer. “A few more days.”
“Till after Halloween.”
She dissected the thought. “Why then?”
“It’s the magic date. Don’t you remember?” The corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked grin. “According to Parker, Indrid Cold is coming back. Maybe Lyle will too.”
She’d have to make another trip to her house to pick up more clothes and other items she and Sam needed, but it wasn’t as if he’d asked her to wait a week. “All right, and then I’m done.” She wouldn’t budge on that. “Agreed?”
He smiled, gloating a little that he’d won. “Agreed.”
Score another for the sergeant. “Good night, Ryan. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She gave him a kiss, then turned and headed back up the drive toward the house.