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Bella shoved everything back into the closet and shut the door. Nobody was going to see her costume until she arrived at the party. All eyes would be on her, and nobody could make her change once all the guests had already seen her as the bride who would choose death over domination.
She couldn’t help smiling at the thought.
Knock, knock!
Bella leaped from the closet then pulled on the soft bathrobe she’d been wearing lately. “Come in!”
Ariana poked her head in and smiled. “Oh, good. You’re up. Breakfast is ready, though we should probably call it lunch at this hour.”
“What timeisit?” Bella yawned and looked out the window.
The clouds were as dark as they’d been the previous day, so it was impossible to guess the hour. It could be ten in the morning or two in the afternoon. Rain fell in torrents, pelting the windows and puddling on the ground.
“Almost noon, and we still have more work to do before guests start arriving.”
“I can’t wait!” Bella bounded toward her, imagining the delighted responses to her outfit. “Do you have a costume contest?”
“Of course.” Ariana beamed. “It’s always done by a secret vote. And it’s always so hard to pick. I swear, people’s ideas get better each year. Last time someone came as an octopus, and it looked so real. Somehow the tentacles even felt slimy to the touch.”
“So cool! I can’t wait to see what people come up with this year.”
“Me too. There are always a lot of fun original ones.”
“What are you dressing as?”
“Damon and I never tell.”
“Not even to your houseguest?” Bella batted her lashes.
“Nope. Come eat.” Ari turned for the door and motioned for her to follow.
By the time they reached the bottom of the staircase, Bella’s stomach rumbled like the thunder outside.
“Help yourself.” Damon motioned toward the food on the counter as he dug into his meal. “I’d have waited for you two, but I have a ton of errands to run before we can get the party started.”
Bella’s stomach roared, and if her hosts heard it they didn’t act like they had. While she stuffed her face, Ariana and Damon discussed the remaining things to do.
It sounded impossible to get everything done in time. But luckily it wouldn’t take her long to get into her costume. She didn’t have to deal with makeup or fixing her hair. The mask and wig took care of that. It would probably take her all of five minutes to get everything on, and then a few more minutes to adjust everything to her liking.
“Do you need anything else for your corn on the cob costume?” Damon asked her.
She shook her head, guilt stinging for the lie. But she didn’t want anyone knowing about her switch in plans. Plus, they weren’t telling her what they were dressing as. It was all fair. A girl was allowed to change her mind.
“Okay.” He took his plate to the sink and rinsed it off. “I’m off.” He kissed Ariana. “Text me if you need anything else.”
“Will do.”
After finishing their breakfast, Bella helped Ariana clean the kitchen then set up the table for the party. They put out more than twenty different kinds of candy. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen.
They went around the rest of the first floor, checking everything that had been set up the day before and touching up anything requiring a last minute adjustment. The only thing that remained was the long dining room table. Rita would arrive just before the start of the festivities to set up the food.
After scarfing down so much bacon and eggs, Bella wasn’t sure she’d be hungry by then. Or ever. Hopefully she’d still fit into the gorgeous gray dress after gorging herself.
Ariana put on the music, and everything started to feel real.
Bella was actually going to her first ever Halloween party.
Ding-dong!
