His suggestions were fun and doable, but Caitlin hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of going to the party. On one hand, completely disguising herself to go to a party seemed to defeat the purpose of socializing. On the other hand, itwouldallow her to get out of the cottage for the evening, and she’d get to spend time with Shane, who really seemed to want her to go. But wasn’t that potentially a red flag, too?He might only consider this a platonic night out together, but just in case he doesn’t, I don’t want to give him the wrong impression—I think I’d better just say no.
“Those are excellent costume ideas,” she began. “But?—”
He didn’t give her a chance to continue. “Before you say you still don’t want to go, can I just emphasize that the party’s for a very good cause? And I get the feeling Marion’s counting on us to be there?”
He’s really putting the squeeze on me, Caitlin realized, and his eagerness to take her to the party was so disarming that she decided to throw caution to the wind.
“You didn’t let me finish.” she replied. “I was going to say, those are excellent costume ideas, but I’ve got something else in mind, since I have everything I need for it already.”
Shane’s eyes widened. “So you’ll come with me?”
“Yes, thanks. Count me in.”
“Great, I’ll pick you up at eight fifteen. Not sure what I’ll be dressed as yet, so don’t be frightened when you see me.”
She laughed. “I’ll try not to scream.”
When Shane showed up at precisely 8:15, Caitlin was dressed from head to toe in black; black leggings, black turtleneck, and black socks and shoes. She used mascara to draw thin whiskers beneath her black-tipped nose, stretching toward her cheeks.
But as she opened the door and saw Shane, her heart sank: he was wearing overalls and work boots. He had a hammer hanging from one of the loops and the pockets on his bib were filled with an assortment of small tools, and he was nervously fiddling with a couple of long, black wires.
“Hi, Shane,” she said cheerfully, trying to contain her disappointment. Apparently, he still hadn’t finished repairing his client’s ramp. “Don’t tell me—you didn’t finish the job, so you can’t go to the party after all?”
“No, I finished a couple hours ago. But I was sort of hurting for ideas, so this is my costume.”
“You’re going to the party as a carpenter?”
“Not quite…” He affixed the pair of black wires atop his head, so they bent forward at an angle. “I’m going as a carpenterant.”
Caitlin cracked up. “I see. And those must be your antennae, right?”
“You got it. Originally, I’d planned to wear sunglasses, too, for a more ant-like appearance, but since we’ll be outside in thedark, that idea didn’t pan out.” He cocked his head at her. “So you must be going as something feline… a panther?”
“Close.” She donned a black balaclava over her head and adjusted it over her face until only her eyes, nose and whiskers were showing. “I’m acatburglar. Get it?”
It was Shane’s turn to laugh. “I hope they give out prizes for the cleverest couple, because you and I will win.” The tips of his ears turned pink as he said, “Not that I’m trying to imply we’re a couple…”
“You shouldn’t even imply we’re clever,” teased Caitlin, taking his slip-up in stride. “Although if they award prizes for the cringiest, punniest costumes, we’ll be shoo-ins.”
“Hey, now.” Shane feigned offense. “It took me upward of three whole minutes to make my antennae.”
Caitlin giggled. “That’s two minutes more than I spent on my costume. Like I said, I’d brought this entire outfit with me, so it was easy and inexpensive.” She pulled the door shut behind her, and started down the driveway with Shane, activating the outdoor light sensors along the way. “Best of all, I’m completely unidentifiable. I figure if I don’t talk, no one will even know if I’m a man or woman.”
“Mm, I think they’ll know you’re a woman,” mumbled Shane, giving her a sidelong glance that made her face flush with warmth. “Speaking of being unrecognizable, how do you want me to introduce you when people ask who you are?”
“I figured we’d just say I’m Caitlin, and leave it at that,” she answered. “I was sort of joking about being completely unidentifiable. I’d rather not be bombarded with questions about my aunt’s property, but it’s not as if I want to be invisible, either.”
“Who said that? Who’s speaking? I heard a voice, but I don’t see anyone.” Shane exaggeratedly turned his head from side to side, looking around.
“Stop it!” Caitlin protested through her laughter. “Your antennae are moving and it’s creeping me out.”
They’d reached the truck and Shane opened the passenger door for her. “I know cat burglars are notoriously agile, but it’s a big step up. Let me give you a hand.”
“Thanks.” Allowing him to take her arm and boost her into the cab of his truck, Caitlin thought,This evening has already been a lot of fun, and we haven’t even left the driveway yet.
As they drove to Rockfield, Shane asked if she’d ever been to the Lindgren Cranberry Farm.
“No, although I drove by it lots of times when I was a teenager because I used to go hiking on the trails in the conservation area.” Caitlin remembered how beautiful the cranberry vines looked in the summertime when they blossomed with blush-pink flowers.
