29. Remi

"In the 1800s, some Halloween rituals were geared toward finding a husband, including bobbing for apples." ~ Tim Rhodes

"Areyou sure you don't want to come?" I asked my mom, who was curled up in the corner of the couch, sipping sweet tea, watching one of the Housewives franchises.

Ruby had invited us to go trick-or-treating with Harper last week during the birthday party. At the time, my mom had said that sounded like fun, but I'd seen in her eyes that she wasn't going to come. Her relationship with my sister had always been strained. At the wedding and Harper's birthday party, I'd seen glimpses of the two of them working on their relationship. It had given me hope that now that Ruby was back in Wishing Well, they might be able to get to know one another with a fresh slate.

I'd always wished that Ruby could have known our mom when my dad was alive, but then again, if my dad hadn't died, Ruby wouldn't have been born. I used to feel guilty for wishing my dad was around because I knew that if he were, Ruby wouldn't be here. That reality had fucked with my head when I was younger.

"No, I think I'm just going to stay in." My mom hadn't left the trailer since Harp's party. She'd been sleeping and watching TV. Her color was looking a little better, and her cheeks weren't quite as hollow. She might have even put on a pound or two. Or that might just be the optimist in me.

She'd made a few comments that she needed to get back to work, but I'd convinced her not to until after we went to see the specialist next week. By then, I should have everything in place to present her with her new life.

"Are you sure?" I double-checked.

"Yes, I'm tired. But take a lot of pics."

"What about the talk you were going to have with Ruby?" On the drive home from Harper's birthday, she said the next time she saw Ruby, she'd tell her.

"I think…I'm just going to wait until after the holidays."

"No. She already knows you haven't been at work; she thinks it's because you've had a cold and are iron deficient." I'm not sure why my mom had chosen that affliction, but she wasn't budging from it. That was what she'd told her job and everyone at the party. The only people who knew the truth were me and Taylor. "You have to tell her."

Her eyes closed as her shoulders dropped in defeat. "I just don't want to do anything to ruin this time in her life. She's so happy."

"I get that. And I appreciate that you didn't want to tell her before the wedding and not until after Harp's birthday, but she needs to know Mom. She deserves to know."

My mom stared at the television, but I knew she wasn't watching it. I could see her trying to come up with more excuses.

"Do you want me to tell her?" At least then, I would know that she knew and had all the information I had.

Her eyes lifted to mine, and I could see the hope in them. "Would you? I just…I just don't know how to tell her. I don't want to make anything about me. I did that for too many years."

My mom hadn't been very motherly for most, if not all, of Ruby's life. She'd gone out and partied and dated a bunch of men. I knew that she was just trying to fill the void my dad left, but that was the only version Ruby had ever known. I knew the other version. The version where I actually had a mom.

"Yeah, I will," I assured her.

I could see the relief in her eyes. "Thank you."

"Call me if you need anything." Before heading out, I leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head.

The sun was setting as I headed out of the trailer park. On the short drive to Kane and Ruby's, I passed Taylor's house and the house I'd put an offer on. Jan Jenson showed me six houses, but I knew the one I wanted as soon as we pulled up in the driveway, before I'd even seen inside. It was on the same block as Kane, Ruby, and Taylor's houses, smack dab in the middle.

However, the close proximity to Taylor's was something I'd not expressed to Jan as one of the pros of the location. I'd focused on the proximity to Ruby and Kane's instead.

My phone buzzed, and I saw it was a message from Captain Dawson asking me if I could stop by the next day. At the birthday party, I'd mentioned to Milo, Kenna's brother, that I was thinking about staying in town. He said he'd pass that on to his captain because they were looking to hire.

As I pulled up to Kane and Ruby's, I was shocked to see just how many people were already out on the street in costumes. I was surprised to see how many adults had also gotten into the spirit. I'd never been a huge fan of Halloween; people usually just used it as an excuse to act stupid. I'd much rather be home with my mom watching Housewives or some other reality show, but I would do anything for my sister, and she wanted me here. Unfortunately, Kenna had mentioned that Taylor had to work tonight, so I wouldn't be seeing her here. Which sucked.

I missed her. Really missed her. I was giving her space. But it was killing me.

When I knocked on the door, Kane opened it wearing his uniform and holding a bowl of candy. "You on duty tonight?"

"No. This is my costume," he explained as I walked inside.

"Your costume is a cop?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"No," he replied. "How's your mom feeling?"

"Better."

He set the candy down and pulled me into a one-armed hug. "I'm glad you decided to stick around for a little bit."

It was going to be more than a little bit, but I wasn't going to tell him that until after I spoke to Ruby.

"Me too." I patted him on the back as Ruby came down the stairs.

Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, she had on a red skirt with a poodle on it. She had a white shirt that had a red R and a megaphone on the chest.

"A '50s girl," I stated the obvious.

"I'm Good Sandy. From Grease." Ruby spun around.

Kane wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. "You can be Bad Sandy later."

"Okay, okay, she's still my sister." For the most part, I was okay with their PDA, but sometimes it crossed the line. This was one of those times.

Ruby giggled as Kane lowered her down to the ground.

"Where's Harp?" I asked.

"With her mom. They're meeting us here in about ten minutes, and then Tay is going to trick or treat for a half hour before she has to go to work."

Yes. I tried to hide my enthusiasm that I'd be seeing Taylor tonight. I hadn't seen her since Harper's birthday, and I was having withdrawals.

Kane's phone rang, and he went into the kitchen to take it.

"Hey, can I talk to you, real quick, about Mom?" I figured this was as good a chance as any and every second that passed that I had information my sister didn't was a second too long.

Worry clouded Ruby's eyes. "Sure."

I told her everything. That I'd found her unconscious. She'd discharged herself against doctor's orders. She had Lupus and a secondary heart condition, which she'd known about since the summer. She hadn't wanted to tell Ruby because she didn't want to ruin this time in her life by making it about her. And, finally, I was moving home, and would be making sure our mom had the best medical care available, and she would no longer be working at The Spoon.

After I finished telling her everything, Ruby asked, "So, is she going to be okay?"

"I mean, Lupus isn't really something that is curable. It's an autoimmune disease that can create a lot of different issues, including the one with her heart. But, I think, if she gets rest and the right nutrition and doesn't have to stress, I think she'll be okay."

"And you're really moving back here? For real?"

"Yes."

Ruby threw her arms around my neck. I could hear that she'd started crying as she said, "I love you, Bubbas. You are the best!"

I patted her back. "I love you, too."

"Everything okay?" Kane asked as he walked back into the front room.

Ruby took a step back and wiped her face. "Yep, just stuff with my mom. She's got—" Her phone buzzed, interrupting her explanation. She looked down. "Oh, Taylor and Harper are heading down here." She sent a message back and then handed me a bag that was sitting beside the stairs. "Here!"

"What's this?" I asked, looking inside.

"Your costume."

"Why did you get me a costume?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't have one," she explained, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

I pulled out a blue polo shirt with a small gold Panther's head logo on the chest, a windbreaker with a gold capital P on it, a blue baseball cap that read Panthers Football in gold writing, and a whistle.

"What is this?"

"You mean, who is this? It's Coach Taylor, from Friday Night Lights."

My eyes shot to hers. Did she know? Had Taylor said something? I could tell immediately she had no clue about the connection.

"Go, get changed." She shooed me away. "They're gonna be here any second."

I took the bag down the hall to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. After putting on the polo, blazer, windbreaker, and hat, I looked in the mirror and smiled. Taylor was going to have a panic attack when she saw me.

As I came out of the bathroom, I heard the front door open, and Ruby exclaim, "Harp! You are the prettiest mermaid I've ever seen!"

When I walked around the corner, I saw that Harper was dressed as Ariel, The Little Mermaid. She had on a long red wig, a purple tail, and a green top. Taylor was dressed in blue scrubs and a white lab coat, which, like Kane, I felt was cheating, but damn, it worked for me. She looked so fucking sexy.

"Hey," I said, announcing my presence.

Taylor, Ruby, Kane, and Harper all looked in my direction. The second Taylor saw me, her jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh, my gosh!" Ruby clapped her hands together. "You look just like him! It was between that and Maverick from Top Gun. I'm so glad I got Coach Taylor."

"You got him that costume?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah. Have you seen Friday Night Lights? Remi looks just like Kyle Chandler. Don't you think?"

Taylor didn't respond verbally; she just nodded her head.

Ruby turned toward me. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like him?"

I grinned. "Yeah, actually. One person has."

Even though my eyes were on Ruby as I answered her, I could see Taylor's cheeks getting flushed. I'd been on the fence about trick-or-treating, but I was very glad I'd come. This was going to be fun.