Page 65 of Just Ten Seconds

Jackie tosses an extra Hershey’s candy bar in Amanda’s bag. “You’re cute. I give extra candy to the kids I like.”

I nod because I’ve been watching her do it all afternoon.

“Why don’t you guys wait up, and Mara will join you?”

I shoot Jackie a what the fuck expression. She responds with a not-so-discreet head nod in their direction. I widen my eyes at her, so she lowers her chin with a raise of her brows and then pushes my shoulders in their direction.

Amanda is grinning from ear to ear. “Cool!”

Dean, on the other hand, is looking at me with a slight tilt of his head.

I hold my palms up. “I don’t want to impose.”

“You won’t be imposing,” Dean says, making Jackie’s red lips widen across her face.

I glance at the clock on the wall. “Yeah. I can in about thirty minutes.”

Amanda tugs on Dean’s coat. “We can finish hitting up all the stores.”

“Sounds good.” He rubs his hands together. “So, we’ll see you in a half hour?”

“See you in thirty.” I nod.

The two walk out, and Jackie looks extra pleased with herself.

When my shift is over, I reapply my freckles because they’re pretty damn adorable and head onto Main Street. The town is bustling with kids running in and out of the stores. When I catch up with Dean and Amanda, they are heading toward a nearby street with detached homes and weathered porches.

It’s a cool night but not too bad for walking around. We enjoy the orange sky as the sun sets on the Hudson Valley. I pull them toward a home decorated like a haunted house.

Amanda is the first to walk up the pathway, passing tombstones with words like Imma Goner, Barry E. Deep, and my favorite, Chris P. Bacon. The ground has a smoke machine making a fog across the grass, and there’s eerie music playing from what I would assume is a hidden Alexa.

She rings the bell, and it chimes like that of a haunted mansion. A man opens the door, dressed like Frankenstein, including a green face and nodes sticking out of his neck.

“Who comes to visit us on this Halloween night?” the monster asks from the door.

Amanda is just looking up at him with her mouth open and her eyes wide. “I’m Mal from Descendants,” she utters. “And you’re so scary; it’s cool.”

The guy at the door doesn’t break character. “Come in, if you dare, Mal from Descendants.”

Amanda starts to walk over the threshold, and Dean steps forward to grasp her shoulder.

I pull on Dean’s hand. “It’s okay. They do this every year. We can go inside.”

Dean looks at the front foyer that’s covered in cobwebs and black light. “You sure about that?”

I fight a sarcastic eye roll. “Some tough guy. Let’s go inside the super-scary haunted house.”

I push Dean through the doorway and laugh. As we pass, Frankenstein grunts at Dean. When Dean is out of sight, Manny winks at me from under his green makeup.

I give him a thumbs-up and mouth, You look great!

Thanks. He mouths and points to Dean, Bellissimo.

I squint my eyes at him as I run my fingers over my mouth, telling him to zip it. He laughs, making Dean turn around at the noise. By the time he’s facing me and Manny, we are stoic-faced and serious.

We walk into the living room where the fireplace roars with bright red flames. The brick is illuminated by jack-o’-lanterns and spiders. A mechanical witch is stirring a cauldron in the corner and summoning everyone to taste her soup.

Amanda walks around and looks at everything, jumping back when a man’s hand pops out of the witch’s cauldron. Dean stays toward the center of the room, careful not to get too close. I happen to find this pretty funny, considering what a natural protector he is.