Death by Tea, page 27
My heart started pounding. “Okay.” It came out as a little squeak.
“Because I was such a knucklehead, I’ll completely understand if you say no.”
“I won’t.” I cringed and forced a nervous smile. “I mean, I won’t say no just because of that.”
That caused him to laugh. “All right, then.” He cleared his throat yet again. He appeared almost as nervous as I felt. “I would like to make up for my ignorant actions by taking you to a party.”
“A party?”
“A Halloween costume party, to be exact.” A devious smile crooked the corner of his mouth. “Unless you are frightened.”
“I . . .” Fear clenched at my core. I might love Halloween, but I’d never been one to dress up in a costume. Any time I tried, it was always an unmitigated disaster. Pieces would fall off constantly, or I’d end up wearing the same thing as a dozen other people. Then there was the one time when I’d worn a rubber nose and broke out in a horrible rash that spread over half of my face.
A look of worry crossed Will’s eyes. “If you aren’t interested you don’t have to go,” he said. “I have an invitation and thought it might be the perfect way to say I’m sorry.”
“No!” I said, worried he would take it all back and leave, never to return. “I want to go. I’m just not sure I have anything to wear.”
Relief washed over his face. “That’s okay. The party isn’t until Friday night. You have a couple of days to find something appropriate.” He reached into the pocket of his coat and removed a folded piece of stationery. “Here,” he said, holding it out to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, taking it.
“It’s my number. My cell, actually. In case you have any questions.”
“I . . .” It was my turn to clear my throat. “Thank you.”
He looked amused as he said, “It’s no problem at all. And if you wouldn’t mind, I have my cell on me and can input your number now in case I need to contact you before the big night.”
“Of course!”
Will whipped out his phone and handed it to me. It was one of the really nice ones that cost a fortune. I always opted for the free phones that came with a two-year contract.
My fingers shook as I typed in my number. Once it was in, I saved the contact and handed him his phone back. He was grinning as he glanced down at his screen, before shoving the phone in his pocket. He then checked his watch and frowned.
“I need to get back to work,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow sometime so we can work out the details.”
“Okay.” It was about the only thing I could manage.
He turned and started to walk away but stopped. “Is he supposed to be doing that?”
I followed his gaze to the upstairs table where people could sit to read. The black and white store cat, Trouble, was standing on his hind legs, front paw reaching into the eye socket of a jack-o’-lantern, trying to bat at the light inside.
“He’ll be fine,” I said. “The candle is fake.” Though the pumpkin wasn’t. If he were to knock it off, I’d end up having to clean it up.
“Ah.” Will watched the cat a moment longer before chuckling. “I’ll talk to you soon.” And then he was gone.
I floated over to Trouble and picked him up. He meowed in surprise as I gave him a quick hug, before he started squirming to be put down. I carried him across the room and deposited him on top of one of the four-foot-tall bookshelves, where he glared at me before lying down to wash. I patted him on the head before going back downstairs to where Rita still stood, eyes focused on the front door Will had just exited. She turned to me with a surprised look on her face.
“Well, well,” she said. “William Foster now, is it?”
I couldn’t keep the stupid grin off of my face as I answered. “He asked me to a costume party.”
Rita’s eyebrows tried to leap from her face. “Really? You?”
I was too happy to be miffed. “Yep. Me!”
She made a sound that was part incredulous and part impressed. “There are quite a few women who would kill to go somewhere with him.” She paused, eyes widening. “Did he say what party?”
“No,” I said, wondering what all the fuss was about. “He said he had an invitation and he wanted to take me.”
Rita looked as if she might keel over right then and there. “Oh, Lordy Lou! He’s taking you to the Yarborough party! I can’t believe you of all people get to go!” She paused. “You did tell him you’d go, now didn’t you?”
Annoyance started to seep into my voice as I answered. “I did. And how do you know which party he was talking about?”
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone who is anyone always goes to the Yarborough party. It’s by invite only, you see, and I’d wager it is the only one someone like William Foster would go to.”
“I didn’t think it was all that big of a deal.”
Rita’s eyes widened. “Not a big deal? Where have you been? It’s a huge deal!” She leaned onto the counter and lowered her voice. “I’m just surprised they are having it this year after . . . you know.”
“No,” I said. “I don’t.”
“The party was always Howard Yarborough’s baby,” she said, keeping her voice down as if she was sharing some deep, dark secret. “He was an architect, you see. He designed his house for this very occasion. He loved Halloween, did Howard, and he made sure to show it.”
I noticed the past tense. “He’s passed?”
“Just a few weeks ago, if you can believe it.” Rita shook her head sadly. “He was a strange man, believe you me, but he was always kind. His wife, Margaret, never was big into the costume parties, but Howard loved them, so she put up with them. I can’t believe she’s going to continue on the tradition without him, especially after what happened.”
Some of the air went out of me then. What I’d thought of as a chance to get to know Will better, was now starting to sound more and more like it might end up being a somber affair where Howard’s wife and friends would lament his passing by holding the party he’d held so dear. I would feel like I was imposing, not having met the man.
Rita leaned forward even more so that she was only a few inches from my face. “And let me tell you something about William Foster . . .”
I held up a hand before she could go on. “No,” I said, taking a step back. “Just, no.”
“No?” She said it like she’d never heard the word before. “No, what?”
“I don’t want to hear it.” I picked up my cooling coffee and took a sip, shaking my head all the while.
“I don’t know what you could mean?”
“No gossip,” I said. “No secrets. I want to discover these things on my own.”
Rita stepped back, looking mildly offended. “I don’t gossip!” Someone sitting at a nearby table snorted. She glared over her shoulder at him. “Well, I don’t.”
I knew for a fact that Rita spent most of her life gossiping about the people of Pine Hills, but decided not to press the issue. It would get me nowhere but on her bad side, which in turn would turn me into a major target of her gossipy wrath.
“Well, I should run,” Rita said, hand going to her hair. She’d recently curled it, though with the coming rain, it was starting to sag. “You must tell me how the party goes.”
“I will,” I said, knowing I wouldn’t have any choice. I’d either tell her everything, or she would find someone who would. At least if I told her, I could make sure everything she heard was true.
She gave me a simpering smile before walking away.
“Party?” Vicki asked, startling me. Apparently, she’d come downstairs at some point during my conversation and was standing behind me. “What party?”
I turned away from Rita, and with a grin that nearly split my face in half, I began to tell Vicki all about it, hoping I was going to finally have my chance to make a good impression on Will.
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Copyright © 2015 by Eric S. Moore
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ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-753-4
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First Kensington Mass Market Edition: December 2015
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Alex Erickson, Death by Tea
