Chapter 5

Five

B lake

Dahlia knows I’m flirting now. Likes it. Wants me to keep doing it, unless I’m painfully mistaken.

And as much of a pain in the ass as this whole festival can be, I might be having a fun time. When the little 12-year-old girl who wins the cake contest hoists the grand prize antique Bundt pan over her head and hollers like she’s just won the Women’s World Cup, it’s a nice moment. I’m not made of stone. I consider the possibility that maybe I’m the one who’s the actual pain in the ass.

Dahlia stares at me incredulously as I stay around to help her shake out the gingham tablecloths and pack up the tables from the contest. “You can go if you want,” she says. “It’s almost time for trick or treating. You probably have things to do at the bar.”

I kick at a particularly stubborn collapsible leg of the banquet table and it folds with a loud clank. “What kind of a man would I be if I left you to do all the clean up? Kenny can handle things while I’m gone.”

The way she looks at me with that shy, slightly embarrassed smile is so endearing that I want to grab her and kiss her so hard she forgets her long list of responsibilities for the entire evening.

Once we finish cleaning up, she walks with me toward the bar.

“You’ve done a lot of work, do you know that?”

Dahlia waves me off. “I’ve had some help.”

“For as long as I can remember the Fall Festival has consisted of one face painter and an apple bobbing contest that caused an outbreak of the flu. So yes, you are amazing and I’m incredibly proud of you.”

She makes a dismissive snort but in the golden twilight I can see her grinning.

“I mean it. Did you see the look on that girl’s face when you handed her that stupid bundt pan? You’re a rock star.”

Dahlia laughs. “You’d better stop or I’m going to get a very big head.”

She stops walking and turns to me. The fading gold and purple sunset makes her skin glow even more than usual, and her eyes sparkle. I think I see a tear there, and I’m kicking myself for going too far with my compliments. We stare at each other, both of us remembering the way we used to be together. I remember it every day. I have to stop kidding myself; I never stopped thinking about her.

“Thank you for helping me today,” she says.

I chew on the inside of my cheek. The thing I want to do has the potential to go really well or really fuck everything up again for the both of us.

I don’t know how long we stand there, making eyes at each other.

With a regretful sigh, she points out that trick or treating is starting soon and that I need to head back to the bar to get ready.”

I mutter, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“And then there’s the scavenger hunt, plus the bar is open late tonight. You have a long night ahead of you,” she says.

I nod. “Yup. And you should go get some rest before your first annual ghost tour.”

She sighs. “Yes. I really should.”

I give her a wink. “Get going. And I’ll see you tonight for our big Halloween bet.”

Dahlia exhales and treats me with a small smile. “Right. Tour starts at midnight at the picnic shelters, and then I’ll meet you at the haunted house.”