“Of course. And the apples are in the plastic container right next to the rocker.”
“It wouldn’t be Halloween if I wasn’t out on the porch. The kids count on it.”
“Yes, they do. Don’t forget to turn on the organ music when you go out. And cover up with the blanket. You’ve had a cold. I don’t want you outside very long.”
“The little ones are done by eight or eight-thirty. I won’t go in late. And it’s not raining on Halloween for a change.”
Addy gave her a hug and hurried out.
The costume section at the mercantile was picked over. If she planned on snooping around Addy needed a costume that would mask her identity. But the biggest one they had left was a purple goblin sized for a ten-year-old.
“So much for that idea,” she grumbled, and waved to Harvey Hooper, the owner, as she dodged a little princess and Batman who, together with their parents, were coming down the aisle.
“Excuse me.” She’d just decided to put a sheet over her head and be a ghost—that would cover her completely—when her gaze strayed to Crank It Up down the street. The open sign was still lit.
Was Noah there?
She got in her 4-Runner and drove past at a slow creep, craning her head to catch a glimpse of the people inside. But all she could see was a young woman with long hair, straightening bike helmets near the front window. After checking her rearview mirror to make sure no one was behind her, she slowed to a stop in the middle of the street so she could look at the portion of his house visible behind the shop.
She’d only been there for a second when she realized that someone was watching her. Even before her eyes darted back to the store, she knew instinctively that it was Noah.
Sure enough, he stood in the doorway, wearing a pair of jeans that fit him perfectly, a Crank It Up T-shirt and a bemused expression. He started to walk out as if he intended to talk to her. But she had no idea how she’d explain what she was doing so she drove off, leaving him staring after her.
“You’re an idiot,” she muttered to herself. He had to be so confused by her actions. She was confused.
She needed to stay away from him.
So why couldn’t she?
* * *
“Who was that?”
Noah watched as Addy’s taillights disappeared around the corner.
“Noah?”
He blinked and turned his attention to Amy, who’d come out to stand next to him. “What?”
She gazed in the same direction. “In that 4-Runner.”
“No one.”
“No one? You just about knocked down all the helmets I stacked trying to get outside before she could drive off, and it’s no one?”
He pivoted and went back inside. “It wasn’t who I thought it was.”
She rolled her eyes. He didn’t see her do it, but he could hear it in her voice. “You’ve been acting a little nuts lately. Have I told you that?”
How else was he supposed to act? He usually didn’t have any trouble getting people to love him, but in the past week his best friend had written him off and the first girl he’d gotten excited about in ages had slept with him and then tossed him aside.
So why had she come by the store?
His cell phone went off. Motioning for Amy to finish closing the register, he headed into the back to clean up his tools. “’Lo?”
“You coming tonight?”
Ted. Noah smothered a sigh. His friends had been bugging him to join them for their annual party, but he didn’t want to make Baxter feel uncomfortable. “Not sure. Things here at the shop are busy.”
“On Halloween? You’re selling a lot of bikes, huh?”
There wasn’t a soul in the store. He couldn’t go quite that far. “I’m fixing a lot of bikes.”
“Which can wait.”
He glanced around. He was actually more caught up on his work than usual. “Do I have to wear a costume?”
“Yes, but you can throw on those spandex shorts you wear to impress the girls and be a biker.”
He would’ve laughed. They teased him about his shorts all the time. But he wasn’t in a very good mood. “I am a biker.”
“So it’ll be even more convincing.”
“Will Baxter be there?”
Silence. Then he said, “Would you mind?”
“Of course not.” God, he hated the rift that had changed everything.
“There’s something going on between you two. What is it?”
With a grimace, Noah remembered, once again, that wet kiss. He wanted to tell Ted how terrible it had been, how sick he’d felt afterward and how lonely he felt now, despite his repugnance. But Baxter wasn’t talking, wasn’t giving the others a reason for the fact that they were no longer speaking, so neither could he. “We had an argument at the cabin last weekend.”
“You’ve never had a fight that’s lasted this long. What kind of argument was it?”
“Just an argument.”
“Over...”
“Women.”
“You mean the fact that he’s not attracted to them?”
Noah’s free hand automatically curled into a fist. But he wasn’t sure whom he wanted to hit. Baxter, for being g*y? Ted, for figuring it out without such a rude awakening? Or himself for struggling with the fallout?
“You still there?” Ted asked.
“Yeah,” he breathed.
“Did he finally tell you?”
“When did he tell you?”
“He didn’t. But he’s had a thing for you since I can remember. It’s been obvious.”
“You could see it?”
“I think most of us could.”
“So...have you all been sitting around, talking about what an idiot I am for missing it?”
“No. We haven’t discussed it. But even if we did, we’d be more concerned with how it would affect your relationship than making fun of the situation.”
“I don’t believe you. You guys have talked about it. It’s too scandalous not to talk about.”
“Believe me. We care too much about both of you. We’ve been afraid to address it, at least openly.”
That was pretty nice, but Noah wasn’t sure he could appreciate such generosity, not fully. “Shit...”
“Is something wrong?” Amy had come back to ask him a question. He told Ted to hang on while he dealt with it.
“No.”
She scowled at his curt tone. “Fine. I’m done. Can I take off early? I have plans tonight.”