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“Okay, just go with me on this one,” I said, trying to prep Mason for the idea that was getting bigger in my head by the second. “What about a Halloween theme night? I know it seems like it’s far away now, but it’s really not when you think about it. And how much fun would it be to do another festival like we just did but Halloween themed?”
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
“Basically, like we did for the classic-car night, cooperating with the other bars and businesses. Closing down the street, but all one big Halloween party. For grown-ups. That’s the big part. It’s all going to have to be of-age people, just like our other events. But bring back all of the fun and exciting things about Halloween from when we were kids. When was the last time you had a caramel apple?”
Mason laughed. “A caramel apple?”
“Yeah. Like just an amazing apple covered with thick gooey caramel and like chocolate and nuts and sprinkles. All the good stuff. When is the last time you just sit down with one of those and ate it?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” Mason said. “When was the last time you did? It was probably the same time.”
That made my heart warm, and I couldn’t help but lean over and kiss him on the cheek.
“It probably was,” I said. “But my point is, there’s so many things that we’re told we’re not supposed to do now that we’re grown-ups that would be so much fun, and I think that people would really love to do it. I already know they want to dress up in costumes. Of course, that’s not all that unusual. A lot of people would take any excuse available to dress up in a costume. But it could be so much more.”
“What are we talking here? Like trick-or-treating?”
“Yes!” I said excitedly. “Just like we did the scavenger hunt during the classic-car night, we could do a trick-or-treating trail from place to place. But it wouldn’t have to just be regular candy. There could be something else. I’m not sure what, I will work on that. But fun themed desserts, drinks with gruesome names. Haunted areas. We may even be able to pillage the community theater and get some actors to play monsters.”
Mason laughed and looked over at me. “You’re really into this, aren’t you?”
“I am,” I said, then let out a breath and looked over at him. “Do you think it’s ridiculous? Have I totally gone off the deep end with this one?”
He shrugged and made that little high-pitched sound people do when they’re trying to figure out what to say to not offend somebody. I gasped and gave him a playful smack on the arm.
“I’m kidding. It sounds like fun. I think that people would have a really good time with it. We could do a costume contest. Maybe there would even be enough space somewhere for a hay maze,” he said.
Now I was pretty sure both of us were losing touch with reality, but it was fun. No matter how ridiculous the plans got, I was enjoying just talking about them with Mason. We were having such a good time talking and getting excited about all the upcoming seem events and the possibility of something amazing for Halloween I was surprised when we were already at the bar.
I immediately noticed a car I didn’t recognize sitting in the parking lot. The bar still wouldn’t open for a few hours, and the only people who were ever there during this time were the guys and me. I looked at the car strangely, tilting my head at it. The license plate indicated it was a rental, which seemed even stranger. We parked, and I looked over at Mason.
“Whose car is that?” I asked. His face went white. “What’s wrong?”
Mason swallowed hard. “It’s Tom. He said he might be coming for a visit at some point, but never said when he was actually coming. But that has to be him.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked. “This whole time you talked about how you wished he would come back from California so he could help at the bar. He calls constantly. Aren’t you happy to see him?”
He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Not exactly.”
That struck me as strange, and my stomach started to do flips. I could tell something was wrong. There was something Mason wasn’t telling me, and it wasn’t going to make me happy. Finally, he turned toward me and stared intently into my eyes.
“Look, I have to tell you something,” he said.
That made my stomach start doing full-on gymnastics. Never in the history of the world has a man started a good conversation with the phrase “I have to tell you something.” Those just weren’t words that came before anything positive. But maybe this was going to be different. Maybe Mason was the pioneer. The trailblazer who would keep my good mood going and tell me something that would make me even happier.
