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“It’s from one of Gramma’s favorite movies, Livvie. You haven’t seen it. It’s a grown up movie.”
Olivia shrugged and claimed Mom’s hand, tugging her after Ethan and my Dad who were already halfway to the next house.
“Hey, you don’t happen to have any watermelons, do you?” Ellie’s voice called out from behind me, and the smile spread across my cheeks before I even turned around.
“Sorry, fresh out. But if it’s alright with you, I’m happy to escort you to the party.” I turned, and my breath caught the second my eyes landed on her. She had the look nailed, right down to the baby pink dress and shoulder-length wig.
I let out a low whistle. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, beautiful?”
“I could say the same thing.” Her eyes trailed over my body. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a leather jacket before.”
I struck a pose. “Oh yeah, it’s new. You like it?”
She strode right up to me and ran her hand up my chest. “Oh yeah. It’s a good look, Captain Wright.” The low sensual turn her voice took sent a lick of heat up my spine.
“Now, now, Baby, you need to behave yourself. There are children present.” I gathered her hands and brought them to my lips. “Come on, I promised we’d watch them trick-or-treat for a bit before we left.”
Ellie slid her fingers through mine and we walked up the sidewalk hand-in-hand. Ethan and Olivia had already finished with the neighbors and were streaking down the sidewalk with their first candy of the night when they spotted us.
Ethan paused, his head tilting to the side, and he pulled up his mask to be heard. “Ellie, what happened to your hair? Why aren’t you guys dressed up? It’s Halloweeeeeeeen!”
Ellie and I glanced at each other and chuckled. Obviously, the adult version of ‘dressed up’ and the kid version were quite different. If you weren’t in a rayon costume replica of a princess or a superhero, you simply weren’t dressed up in Ethan’s world.
“Eh, I didn’t feel like it,” Ellie replied. “I just wanted to see you guys have fun. Go on, we’re coming!”
Ethan pulled his mask back down and tore off after his sister, who had only waved at Ellie before trying to get ahead of her brother. We trailed behind my parents, dutifully congratulating the kids on every conquest, while my mom glanced our way more than once with starry eyes.
Finally, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the house and our cars, driving them both over to my place before Ellie climbed in with me. Ethan and Olivia were staying with my parents tonight, so we’d have the place to ourselves.
After the night’s festivities.
The Aspen Ridge Halloween party was an annual celebration for the resort; the last big employee appreciation event before they had to buckle down and get ready for winter. Ellie’s family and their co-owners, the Blackwells, sponsored extravagant prizes for a costume contest that had become legendary. We’d spent the better part of two days decorating the event space along with Reece, Stella, James, and even Tessa at times. And, as always, I was so impressed with how much effort Ellie put into these events. She thought out every detail, made sure everything was perfect, for no other reason than that she cared.
It was just Ellie—she was always trying to surprise and delight everyone, make them feel special.
Little did she know, I had my own surprise up my sleeve.
The party was an absolute success, of course. The costume contest took ages. There were so many people who had gone all out it was difficult to choose winners. Fortunately, Ellie had a variety of categories, so there wasn’t just one winner—which was also very Ellie—and the resort was incredibly generous. Season passes, weekend stays in expensive condos, spa packages, even cash prizes. Everyone had a great time, and Ellie was absolutely glowing with happiness.
My heart beat like a drum, growing louder and louder as we worked through the contest. After she gave out the last prize, it was show time.
I darted up the stairs onto the stage before she could start her ‘thank you’ speech and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. I slipped the microphone from her hand. She looked confused, a little embarrassed, but she smiled at me all the same.
My hand trembled when I lifted the mic to my lips. “Hey guys, thanks so much for being here. I just want to take a moment to give props to this amazing woman. She’s the reason for all of this, for every outstanding thing Aspen Ridge does for all of us. If you’ve had a great time tonight, make some noise for Ellie!”
The response of the crowd was deafening, and Ellie ducked her head for just a second before she looked up and waved back at them, blowing kisses.
It took a moment for the noise to die down again, and I waited… she deserved to hear every cheer of appreciation they wanted to give her.
When the wave of sound was over, I lifted the mic again. “Now, I know this isn’t how it’s usually done, but I have a little surprise of my own. So James, hit it!” I ran to the side and handed off the mic to Tessa, who shot me a thumbs up, just as the lights dimmed.
When I took my place beside Ellie, the first notes of the song began, and Ellie burst out laughing. A few whoops sounded from the crowd, apparently the three people who had seen the movie and understood what was going on.
“You didn’t!” She grinned up at me in surprise.
“Oh yeah, I did. Now shhh, this is supposed to be serious.”
“Jake, you don’t really expect me to do the dance, do you? We’ve never practiced.”
