Chapter Seven

Stacia had been stood up.

It was okay. It was okay! Really. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

The Dead or Alive concert had started an hour ago. She'd looked everywhere for Callum and Alex, but the only person she'd found was Wendell, who was actually really fun to hang out with.

The second band was setting up, and Stacia reached into her Red Riding Hood basket and pulled out her lipstick. It was serving as her purse tonight.

"I feel kinda silly," she admitted to Wendell, who was sipping on a margarita in a plastic cup.

"Because Callum isn't here?"

How had he known? "Yeah."

"He'll be here. The wolves are running tonight," he said mysteriously with a wink. "He has responsibilities and then he can have fun afterward. Just be patient."

Huh.

"Have you figured things out yet?" he asked as they watched the drummer rearranging his set to suit him just right.

"Figured out what things? Oh my gosh, does Callum have a girlfriend? Wife? Secret lovechild?" she asked, her imagination going wild.

Wendell laughed loud enough that the group of concert-goers in front of them turned around. "No, no, nothing like that. His life is much more exciting. It's not my place to tell his story, but if you get some downtime, or you get bored, there is some very interesting reading at the town library about the Ashbrock family, and a curse on this town."

"Whoooa, a curse? I've never heard about a curse on this town. And I've researched this place. What's it about?"

"My lips are sealed." Wendell zipped his lips, waited three breaths and then unzipped them, then took another sip of his margarita. "If you want any more answers, you'll have to find them in the library. Now, lets enjoy the night. Your big bad wolf will be here shortly."

Big bad wolf? Oh! Right. To match her Red Riding Hood costume. Ha.

The lead singer was a woman dressed as a skeleton, and she took the microphone and belted out a loud, long, heavy-metal rocker note. Geez, she was good.

Wendell winked at her and said, "You're in for a treat."

And he wasn't lying. This band was incredible, and had everyone up and rocking out before the chorus even hit. She was jumping up and down in rhythm with everyone else, and as she turned to say something to Wendell, he'd disappeared. Confused, Stacia stopped dancing and looked around. In the crowd, perfectly still with the chaos dancing all around him, was Callum. His eyes looked even brighter under the undulating strobe lights. His features looked sharper, more handsome, and he wore a slight, crooked smile as he watched her.

Stacia waved and mouthed, Hey stranger .

Callum pointed to his chest and looked around jokingly.

Yeah you , she said, pointing to him.

He sauntered over to her and leaned into her ear. "Second job ran late. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I've been hanging out with Wendell. He's bought me two Pepsis from the bar. I'm spoiled."

He chuckled and nodded to someone over her head. When she turned, Wendell was there with a couple of bottled waters and another margarita for himself. He handed one of the waters to Callum. "Figured you could use this."

He took the water and popped the top, then drank half of it straight down. "Been a long night," he said.

"Trouble in paradise?" Wendell asked cheekily.

"My life has never been paradise, Wendell." Callum arched an eyebrow at him. "Behave."

Wendell zipped his lips again, and Stacia couldn't help the feeling that she only understood half of what their conversation was really about. When she turned to complain, Callum leaned in and kissed her lips, spun her out and back in, then began jumping with her in rhythm to the crowd around them.

Oooh, he was a fun boy. That made him even hotter.

"I thought you stood me up," she admitted between songs.

He frowned and looked offended. "How could I stand you up? You are the most interesting, most consuming, most fun thing that has happened to me. I'm not throwing you away. I'll text if I'm going to be late to anything from here on. It's been a long time since I did this."

"Did what?" she asked innocently.

"Chased a woman."

"Gasp! You're chasing me!"

"I sent you flowers to your room, goofball. Of course I'm chasing you."

"Wait, I didn't get any flowers!"

"Oh. Shit. Maybe they got delivered after you left." He looked disappointed. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I will act very very surprised when I get back there and see them."

"Okay, describe your reaction so I can enjoy it," he told her.

"I'm not going to describe it because you are going to give me a ride home, and then you can see my face for yourself. Also, where is your Big Bad Wolf costume?"

His grin consisted of pure, undiluted wickedness. He leaned in close and murmured against her ear, "I don't need a costume. I am the big bad wolf."

Chills rippled up her forearms, and she leaned into him.

The last band ended the night with a slow farewell song, and Callum slow danced with her right in the middle of the crowd. She liked how proud he was to be with her, and how he didn't hide her at all.

He was fun and charismatic and at the end of the night, they told Wendell goodbye and he gave her a ride the four blocks back to the hotel. And sure enough, there was a bouquet of flowers waiting just beside her room door.

Heart full, she stooped and plucked the card from the beautiful bouquet of orchids.

She read it out loud. "I like you. From Callum."

Stacia clutched the note to her chest and grinned up at him. "I'm sentimental. I'll keep this in a shoe box with all of the cute little notes you send me in the future."

"Ha, I'm surprised you want more notes from me. I'm not very poetic."

"Poetry never spoke to me."

"What does?"

"Honesty."

His expression twitched into a frown, and then he took a seat against the wall across the hallway from her.

"I wish I could tell you every single thing about me all at once, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you would run."

"See, that's the thing about me…I'm very bad at cardio."

His chuckle echoed down the empty hall, and she took a seat against her room door. The hardwood floors hurt her butt, but it was worth it if she got to see Callum's smile from this angle.

"Let's swap stories. I'll go first," she said. "I work at the front desk at a YMCA and coordinate all the kids' events, including summer camps."

"Oh, God, you really are a good person."

"Whatever. I'm just me. Now you go. What is that second job you were talking about earlier?"

He pursed his lips. "I'm the leader of a local club and we have meetings once a week."

"Whoooo, what kind of club?"

"A top-secret club."

She pouted. "Fine. Hold onto your mysteries, sexy man, it will only make me like you more."

"You aren't afraid of the red flags?"

"Red is my favorite color and besides, we only just met. I think. I dunno, you still seem very familiar. I'll wear you down with my adorableness until you tell me your life story."

"Mmm. It would be a very long story."

"I've got all night," she teased.

"Would you move here?" he asked suddenly.

"W-what?"

"If I keep chasing you, if you keep liking me back…would you move here?"

It was the first time she'd seen uncertainty in Callum's eyes.

"I suppose one of us would have to move. The three-hour drive between us would get old very fast. And you have the pumpkin patch, and your top secret no-girls-allowed golf club—"

"It's not a golf club."

"Damn. It was worth a shot." She sighed and rested her head back against the door. "Plus, you are a founding family member, so far be it for me to steal you away. I would need a job though. An important one. Like maybe driving the tractor of the hay rides for festival week and I want the same salary as my other job," she teased.

"You are a tough negotiator."

"Fine, I will also be a wine sampler. And a corn dog taster."

"You make things lighter." He'd said it with such conviction, she had to know more.

"What do you mean?"

"My life was heavy for a long time, and then you came along, and since I saw you, everything just feels…bearable. It's fun again. You have this enamoring way of looking at the world and it's like a breath of fresh air. You could be in a dark room and just by existing you could banish the shadows. It's a rare thing, Stacia."

"Well, save your compliments until you see my energy level in the morning. That light and bright ain't so fun at six-thirty in the morning when I'm already up singing musicals off-key, talking your ear off, messing up your kitchen, and making plans that don't make any sense."

He laughed, and she marveled at how easy his smile was. Handsome boy. "Plans like what?"

"Like after you get off work tomorrow, do you have your top-secret meeting stuff? Or do you have time to do an adventure with me?"

"Tomorrow is Halloween. Your favorite holiday, right?"

"Yep," she said, popping the P at the end.

"Then how could I say no to a Halloween adventure?"

"Good, because Alex said there is this ghost tour around town, and you end up at this little pub that was built in the early seventeen hundreds as the first building in the whole town, and it's supposed to be haunted by a witch who used to live there!"

The smile fell from his face completely.

"Callum?" she asked, leaning forward. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." He cleared his throat and repeated it, but she couldn't tell if he was trying to convince her that he was fine, or himself. "Yes. I'm great. Just…surprised. Alex doesn't like haunted stuff, so I'm a little shocked she suggested the ghost tour is all."

"Oh. Well, we don't have to go," she backpedaled. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable, or—"

"No! I'm in." His smile crept back across his face, and even if it was smaller than before, it was still a smile. It counted. "I haven't been there in a very very long time. It'll be good to see the old pub again. My family has a very long history with it."

Okay, well now she was extra super intrigued. "Eeee, now I really can't wait. What costume should I wear?"

"Marie Antoinette, most definitely."

"Yessss." She pumped her fist. "I was hoping you would say that!"

There was still something behind his eyes…something somber. Something thoughtful, but when she asked him about it, he shook his head and told her, "Everything is okay." And then he changed the subject and asked her about her parents, and her childhood pets, and the town she grew up in and she got lost in talking to him because he was so easy.

It was as if she'd known him forever.

This was different for her. Never in her lifetime had she ever been so comfortable with another person.

It made her happy that she'd finally stumbled onto a nice, normal man.