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“I thought I might come over and find you in a scary mask, doing your best to scare the kids before awarding them with candy,” Kassie said, as she tugged at his usual flannel.
He squinted and cocked his head. Her hands were on his waist as she talked about his flannel. Her eyes sparkled, matching the glittery orange-and-black bow she had around her ponytail. “Oh? You think you know me that well?”
“I’d like to think I can read people,” Kassie said with a smirk.
“Well, I went easy on the dress up. Don’t want to scare the little ones. But I’m really glad you could come over and help me hand out candy tonight. And actually, I am a big fan of Halloween. When I was younger, I’d help my dad decorate the front yard all spooky. You know, with jack-o’-lanterns, zombies, spider webs, maybe a monster or two.” Luc chuckled. “It was great. Scaring the kids was the best. I know that sounds terrible.”
“No, it sounds like you enjoy Halloween.”
“Oh, he did!” his dad called from the couch. He chuckled. “One year he dressed up as a zombie and hid in the yard. He’d crawl out of his hiding spot and scare every one of the kids as they walked up to the door! We had such fun with Halloween! Too bad these homeowner organizations don’t let you decorate like that nowadays.”
“They let us decorate, Dad. Sort of,” Luc responded. He lived in a townhouse, and they did have specific rules.
“What, you mean the festive Halloween wreath on your door?” his dad asked, his words full of sarcasm.
“Um, well yeah.”
His dad shook his head with a scoff. “That’s not decorating.”
“Dad, I’d have put more out, but I’ve been busy this year. I could put things on my porch, too.”
The chime of the doorbell saved him from the rest of this conversation.
Kids yelled from outside his door, “Trick or treat!”
Luc opened the door. “Hey guys!” He grabbed a few candy bars from the basket and handed them out, talking to the kids as he did. “I like the costumes! A zombie, a princess, and a pirate. Nice! Be careful out there, guys.”
“Thank you!” they all yelled, as they ran off to the next house.
“Kass, you want to sit outside? It’s not too cold, and if you need a jacket, you can wear one of mine. That way we don’t have to keep interrupting Dad’s television show.”
“Sure, use me as your excuse,” his father muttered with a smile.
Luc took Kassie by the hand and led her outside before closing the front door behind them. He pulled up a bench for them to sit on and turned to her, wanting to wrap his arms around her. But instead he caught her opening one of the candy bars.
“Did you just steal a candy bar?” Luc asked, trying to hold back the grin that threatened to form.
Kassie tried not to laugh as she hid the candy bar behind her back. “Maybe.”
Luc faced her and wrapped his arms around her waist, with the objective of grabbing the candy bar. “You know those are for the kids, right?”
Kassie laughed as his hands ran over her. She slapped him away with amusement. “Stop it! You have plenty.”
Her laugh warmed his chest. He loved seeing her happy. Giving up on getting the candy bar, because she was not letting him have it, he pulled her close with his arms still wrapped around her. His voice lowered, and her lips were only inches away. “But what if I run out? And that one last little kid comes to the door—Can I please have some candy—and we’re out of candy, because you ate it.”
She looked from his eyes to his lips, then back to his eyes. “Then we’ll just give that destitute-sounding little kid a signed hockey puck. Better yet, I’m sure you can spare a stick, and maybe a twenty-dollar bill, just as an added bonus so he can buy his own chocolate.”
Luc dropped a kiss on her forehead and pulled her with him to sit down on the bench. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“I do. Speaking of the chocolate, I’m impressed by the candy selection. Jumbo size bars. No one gives these away anymore. At least, not that I ever got. We typically only got the fun-size bars, more like bite-sized. My least favorite candy on Halloween were Now and Laters. I always preferred a good Kit-Kat, or anything chocolate.”
“Really? Hating on Now and Laters? They were great to eat while you were sitting in class.”
Kassie shrugged and glanced at the floor. “Well, I had braces, too. I wasn’t allowed to eat anything sticky. Plus, why waste calories on taffy when you can eat chocolate?”
He tipped her chin in his direction. “You mean you weren’t born with this stunning smile? I don’t believe it.” His words may have sounded like he was flirting, but he hoped the look in his eyes would convey his honest thoughts.
Kassie tried to respond to his comment, her cheeks darkening. “Oh, please—”
