My mom put down her mug. “No kidding?”
“Yeah. A winner won’t be announced until April, but I have an idea for an entry, and I think it’s kind of a good one. If they accept it, and I move on to round two, I’ll have to put in some late nights.”
“This is exactly why we came to Rhode Island and Castle HillAcademy,” Mom said. “For opportunities like this. We’ll work something out, right, Dash?” She shot him a wink.
“Harper, I’m going to be a cowboy for Halloween!” he chirped. “What are you going to be?”
“I’m going to be a suffragette.”
He scrunched up his face. “A what?”
“Well, buddy, it wasn’t all that long ago that women weren’t allowed to vote in elections. Suffragettes were women who fought for that right. Have they talked to you about elections in school?”
“Nope!”
“They will,” I said with a grin and turned to Mom. “Remember that costume I made for the social studies project?”
“Of course. You worked so hard making that beautiful dress.”
“I figured I’d put it to good use. There’s a big Halloween festival here instead of a homecoming dance this Saturday.”
“SaturdayisHalloween!” Dash wiggled in his seat. “Candy, candy, candy.”
I ruffled his hair. “Just what you need. More sugar.”
Mom smiled coyly. “Any hot prospects for a date?”
Because my stupid brain—and heart—couldn’t leave well enough alone even after all this time, Orion’s face floated into my thoughts.
No, you shut that door. You don’t get to open it, even in your imagination.
“I don’t think so. I’ll probably go with friends from the Math and Physics Club.”
“Well, there’s nothing on the books for cleaning, and I’ll make sure I keep it that way.” She leaned her elbows on the counter, coffee mug in both hands. “Anyway, Dash and I have some trick-or-treating to do.”
He bounced in his seat. “Candy, candy, candy!”
Wow. Another Mom Thing I’d been stuck doing, three years running.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You don’t have tothank me, Harper,” she said, then quickly softened her tone. “We’re all going to have a good time this Halloween.”
She smiled apologetically. The Slap Heard Around the World was still hanging heavily between us after all this time too.
Her phone on the counter buzzed a text.
“Oh, it’s Dr. Hensley. He needs me until 5:30 p.m. tonight.” She looked to me as I was shouldering my backpack. “I’ll drive Dash to school this morning, but can you pick him up today?”
I stared. I’d been hoping today could’ve been one of my late nights to finish writing up my NoSci proposal, but I guessed not.
“Sure,” I said tightly. “No problem.”
“Thanks, hon. You’re a gem.”
“Yep.”
I ruffled Dash’s hair again and grabbed a piece of bacon on my way out. “Have a good day, buddy.”
