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Was that the first guest?
Her stomach knotted at the thought. This was really happening.
Ari hurried for the door. Her and Rita’s voices carried from the entry way along with the mouthwatering aromas of Mexican food from the bar and grill.
Bella took the long way around to the staircase in order to avoid her sister.
It was time to get dressed in her secret costume.
ChapterTwenty-One
Damon adjusted the collar of his safari outfit and rechecked his reflection in the mirror. He would get tired of holding the binoculars all night if he didn’t find a strap. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t fit in the fanny pack Ariana had insisted made the ensemble.
He was pretty sure she just thought it was funny that she convinced him to wear the atrocious thing.
Luckily he had a plain black lanyard that would hold the binoculars so he wouldn’t have to carry them around all night. Otherwise, he’d lose them within fifteen minutes by setting them down and forgetting about them. And they actually completed the costume, unlike the goofy pack around his waist.
Ariana stepped out of the bathroom in her clingy yet elegant leopard print dress and matching ears. She’d drawn leopard spots on her face, arms, and legs that matched her dress.
He whistled then pulled her close. “We could always skip the party and have the night to ourselves.”
She kissed him but pulled away. “As nice as that sounds, there’s no way I’d skip my Halloween party.”
Damon chuckled. “Can’t blame me for trying.”
“Nope.” She grabbed her phone, leaned close, and took a selfie.
He grinned widely, proud as always to be the other half of her costume.
They made their way downstairs and looked around one last time to make sure everything was perfect. He turned up the volume of the music.
Ding-dong!
Ariana clapped her hands. “Our first guest is here!”
She flung open the door to welcome Maya and Olivia. They were dressed as the twins from the Shining.
“I love it!” Ariana wrapped her arms around them.
“Look at you two!” Olivia gushed. “Perfect!”
They took turns taking pictures of each other.
Rita, Grayson, and the kids were next. Rita and Grayson wore matching pirate outfits and the kids all raced inside before Damon had a chance to take in their costumes.
More guests arrived, each in their own fun and unique designs. This year might be the hardest to pick a winner. They were all so good, and everyone seemed to love his and Ari’s combination. Charles and Lia always used to go all out, having some kind of weird and wild idea that people would talk about for weeks after. But now they were in LA and their house had afor salesign out front.
Their old friend group was almost completely broken up. Damon and Ariana remained, as did Rita. But Boone was in prison, and Damon hadn’t had time to really connect with Grayson yet. They were friendly, but it wasn’t like they were at the point of calling each other at all hours.
Maybe that was on Damon. While he was friendly and well-liked, he found it difficult to make close friends. As the son of an infamous serial killer, he didn’t just open himself up to others. That invited fear and rejection, two emotions he ardently avoided. It was impossible to know how someone would react to finding out his parentage.
The doorbell kept ringing, and more people flooded in. Soon the house was packed, and he was leading the first group of people into the escape room. He went over the directions and returned inside.
Music now boomed louder than before, laughter and conversation came from all rooms, and even more people had arrived. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone from Rosy Hills was here now, and as far as he could tell everyone was having a great time.
He greeted some of the newcomers, complimenting the creativity of the costumes. Something on the staircase caught his attention.
No, someone.
