Trending, page 16
She wondered absentmindedly if they would receive trick-or-treaters that night. Though she wouldn’t be home, she wanted to be ready. Maybe she would leave a bowl of candy on the porch just in case. The church she had been attending with Lucy had a Trunk or Treat ministry that night and Lucy had talked her into handing out candy together.
“We’ll use Mom’s van and decorate the back. It will be so fun!” Lucy gushed.
Amelia had to admit it sounded better than her usual Halloween tradition of renting Alfred Hitchcock movies and staying home alone eating apple slices and caramel dipping sauce with the lights off.
She walked Olé for over an hour, loving the crunch of leaves beneath their feet and the harvest tang in the air. They finally made their way back and Amelia heated tomato soup in her new kitchen, staring out the window at the peaceful landscape while she ate.
Lucy arrived after lunch, the back seat of their mom’s van full of bags from the party store.
“Good gracious,” Amelia said when she saw it all. “Did you clear out the store?”
“Just about. I thought it would be fun to make our car look like an enchanted forest and we can dress up like princesses. The kids will love that don’t you think?” Lucy’s cheeks bloomed pink with excitement.
“Well that’s better than sending all of the kids crying from us in terror tonight, I guess,” Amelia muttered. “You didn’t mention costumes, though, Sis.”
“Didn’t I?” Lucy asked innocently, retrieving two dresses from a hook in the back. She grabbed a large shopping bag as well and shut the trunk. “Let’s go try these on to be sure they fit and then we’ll decorate.”
Amelia spied a wild, curly red wig through the plastic lining of the bag Lucy handed her.
“How do I let you talk me into these things?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chad arrived at Creed’s house in full Prince Charming attire. The tights. The small maroon, gold-stitched shorts. White billowy shirt. A short…dress jacket? Also maroon and stitched in gold designs. Poofy sleeves. A cape. A hat with a fluffy feather.
Creed opened the door a little wider, taking in Chad’s garb with a smirk.
“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch you as bad as I do right this moment.”
“Back off, peasant. There is an excellent reason I’m dressed like such a chump. And at least I’m in a costume unlike boring loser dad here.” Chad strode in like some regal buffoon and flicked the bill of Creed’s baseball hat.
“I’m in a costume,” Creed protested.
Chad looked him up and down, taking in the sneakers, worn blue jeans, and faded sweatshirt. He cocked a brow at his older brother.
Creed rolled his eyes and pointed to the camera he wore on a strap around his neck.
“I’m the paparazzi. Obviously,” he said.
“Oh, okay,” Chad laughed. “Hey, what’s going on with all of that? Seems that the whole ‘trending’ thing has moved on.”
Creed flattened his mouth and gave Chad a long side eye.
“What?” Chad asked, blinking innocently.
“Have you not seen the pictures?”
“What pictures?”
Creed explained the ridiculous article about him and Amelia and the pictures posted first of their walk, then of him leaving her apartment.
Chad whistled low. “Okay, I stand corrected. So, the trending hasn’t moved on, but do you think Hailey will?”
“I’m not sure. I told her I need some time to think it through. She asked if she could come by sometime or if we could go to dinner. The way she asked made it seem more like a date.” Creed took off the camera and set it on his desk.
“No way, man. Why?”
Creed rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense to me. She hasn’t tried to contact me at all in almost six years. Now she’s suddenly back and wanting to see Izzie, and me. What I don’t understand is”—Creed leaned forward, his voice low— “what changed? And is she even genuine? Even at that show in New York she didn’t so much as glance at Izzie. If she wants to see her as bad as she says, don’t you think she would have been unable to look anywhere else? It’s really strange. We’ve talked on the phone a few times, but she almost never asks about Izzie. Doesn’t ask how she’s doing or what she’s like. I just can’t get a peace about letting her into Izzie’s life.”
“That is strange.”
They stood in silence for a moment before Creed snickered and punched Chad in the shoulder.
“Seriously, what is with this get up?”
“Uncle Chad!” Izzie, dressed in a puppy costume, ran into the room and leapt into Chad’s arms.
“You look nice, Uncle Chad. So handsome!” Izzie fingered the clasp that held Chad’s cape together.
“Why thank you, Izzie,” Chad responded loudly, slanting a look to Creed. Creed shook his head.
Chad turned back to Izzie. “I need your help tonight. You see, Lucy is dressed like a princess and will be handing out candy.” Chad leaned close to lean his forehead against hers. He whispered loudly, his eyes dancing. “I am going to ask Miss Lucy to be my wife tonight.”
Izzie’s mouth dropped open in a gasp, her eyes wide. “You’re getting married tonight?!”
Chad laughed. “No, but soon. I hope.”
Creed punched Chad in the arm again. “Wow! Really?”
Chad looked over Izzie’s head to meet Creed’s eyes. “I don’t think I can wait another minute to ask that woman to be mine. I should have a long time ago. I was a real idiot.”
Creed blinked, knowing just how Chad felt. He sobered. “Yeah, man. How can we help?”
Chad set Izzie down and put one hand on her shoulder, the other on Creed’s circling them up in a huddle. “Okay, here is what I need. Creed, your pathetic excuse for a costume is actually perfect…”
* * *
Amelia couldn’t believe how much fun she was having. Dressing up in a long flowy dress with wild, curly red hair, passing out candy and pretending to be someone else; it was magical somehow. She wasn’t a teacher—or ex teacher in search of a job. She wasn’t the woman from the internet. She wasn’t some desperate fool that hadn’t had a date in, well—never mind about that. According to Lucy, she was dressed up like Princess Merida—a woman that won her own hand in an archery competition to prove to her mother that she didn’t need a prince.
Amelia liked that.
Lucy was ethereal in her pale blue ball gown. With her blond hair and pale skin, she made a perfect Cinderella. The sisters had parked near the end of the line and joyfully played their parts with each group of children that came by. The back of their van was decked out with paper trees, and rolling mountains made out of green and brown felt stuffed with pillows; bunny statues they had borrowed from their mother’s garden were peeking out from the folds, and even a stuffed deer stood stoically behind a castle piñata. Twinkle lights were strung in the top of the van’s trunk door, adding just the right amount of sparkle. Both sisters agreed it was cheesy, but the kids were eating it up.
Amelia was talking with a girl dressed in a hot dog costume when she noticed a man watching her. He stood a few cars away in the line and smiled softly when she met his gaze. Amelia blushed and looked away. After a few seconds she chanced another look. He was still watching. A small hand reached up to grasp the man’s elbow and he turned his attention to the little wizard.
Amelia blinked. He really was watching her. How creepy was that? Some guy here with his kid ogling the princesses?
She felt more than saw when the man finally made it to their car. Still uneasy, Amelia focused all her attention on the little boy with him. She smiled and held out a bag of candy. He excitedly turned around and held his candy high in the air.
“Uncle Aaron, I got your favorite!”
Uncle? The man grinned over his nephew’s head at Amelia. Oh, okay. Her nerves fluttered at the look in his eyes. And now that he was closer…
“Oh, hey I’ve seen you here at church, haven’t I? You play the drums for worship?” Amelia asked, trying to keep her voice even. But those baby blue eyes he was flashing her way had tangled her nerves. Not that she was interested, just…well, it had been a while since a man had shown interest in her.
“Yeah, I thought I recognized you, too. I’m Aaron,” he said, reaching for a handshake.
“Amelia.”
“Hey, I know you’re busy here, but, um…you should come to the singles group sometime.” His face suddenly scrunched up. “I mean, that is if you’re single.”
Amelia laughed a little too loudly. He had no idea.
“Yes. I’m very single.” Very single? Really? She fought to keep her eyes steady instead of rolling them toward the darkening sky. Okay, so you can still talk to the opposite sex, right? You didn’t completely forget how in your decade of seclusion? “I’ve actually thought about it; I just haven’t made it to an outing yet. But it sounds fun.”
A wide grin broke over Aaron’s face. “Then maybe I’ll see you there.” He held her gaze for a moment longer before looking around for his nephew. Seeing that the boy had moved on without him, Aaron winked at Amelia and took a few long strides to catch up.
Ok, what just happened? Did a guy honestly just show interest in me? And—oops—was agreeing to go to single’s group like agreeing to go on a date? Amelia’s thoughts raced around each other. And kept crashing on one memory: the feel of Creed’s arms as they came around her at his home the week before.
But surely it was the same with Creed that it had always been. He wasn’t interested in her that way. Just appreciated her friendship. There was—and never would be—anything between them. Right? The electric chemistry was all on her, in her own mind, wasn’t it? He was just…being kind. If there was tenderness in his glances and warmth in his touch, well, chock it up to comfortably familiarity. Plain and simple.
Amelia gathered the fragments of her thoughts and focused on handing out candy.
An hour into the parade, the line finally began to thin out as the activities in the church building started up. Amelia had been told that one of the men in church was a talented illusionist that liked to share the gospel with a carefully choreographed routine. She wondered briefly if the illusionist was Aaron and let her mind linger on the memory of his blue eyes and dark hair. Maybe she needed to work harder to get Creed out of her heart. Aaron wouldn’t be a terrible distraction.
Just when her feet were beginning to pinch inside her ballet style flats, Amelia spotted Creed and Izzie coming their way.
And just like that she couldn’t have picked Aaron out of a line up.
Creed’s familiar gait stirred something deep in her belly. He wore his baseball cap backward—have mercy—and jeans beneath his hoodie. The frayed cuffs made her wonder if it was the same one she used to borrow in high school. His camera hung from a strap around his neck. Izzie jumped around excitedly next to him, stopping to lift the front paws of her puppy costume and pant. Her nose was painted with a black triangle and the costume had a hood with ears that flopped adorably over her little face. Chad trailed behind them, decked out in a Prince Charming costume. Amelia looked to see if Lucy had noticed them coming. Her sister was batting her fake lashes playfully at a little boy in line that told her she was beautiful, gazing up at her in wide-eyed wonder.
“Why thank you,” Lucy blushed and shyly lowered her lashes, playing the part. “I was just saying to my sister here that the only thing I’m missing is my Prince Charming.”
Amelia winked at Chad, who had stepped close enough to hear that comment. A hand wrapped around Amelia’s upper arm and pulled her off to the side. She turned in surprise to Creed who flashed her an apologetic wince before he stepped in front of her with the camera raised to his eye. Amelia looked on in confusion, as the shutter on the camera began to click away.
Chad stepped forward and locked his eyes on Lucy as he knelt on one knee before her. Amelia brought her hands to her mouth, tears stinging the back of her eyes.
She couldn’t hear what Chad said over the furious clicking of Creed’s camera, but she watched with joy as Lucy smiled, tears streaming down her face, and nodded enthusiastically. Izzie stepped forward and held out her candy bucket, gripping the handle with both hands, her puppy-dog face lit up proudly. Chad retrieved a black box from it and turned toward Lucy. The lights Lucy and Amelia had strung on the underside of the raised van trunk shone down on the couple like stars blinking in approval.
Amelia stood on tip toe to see over Creed’s shoulder as Chad eased a band onto her sister’s finger. Lucy slipped her arms around Chad’s neck, squeezing him tightly. Her diamond winked beneath the bright parking lot lights at the cheering crowd. Lucy pulled away to stare down at her hand, dazed. Well-wishers from those left in line and volunteers of the cars that were finished handing out candy rushed forward to congratulate the couple.
Amelia’s eyes pooled with tears. Her sister had been through so much. The adoration in Chad’s eyes was unmistakable: he loved her deeply.
A tap on her shoulder startled Amelia, and she turned to find Aaron standing to the side, his nephew no longer with him.
“Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Aaron said. His voice was softer than Creed’s, more tenor than bass. And he was tall. Amelia’s neck would cramp if she stared up at him too long.
“No, not a problem. I was, uh distracted,” Amelia hooked a thumb over her shoulder, realizing belatedly that Aaron probably had no idea what she was pointing at.
Aaron’s eyes twinkled, and he flashed her a bashful smile. He let out a puff of laughter before palming the back of his neck. “Listen, uh, I know you don’t really know me, but I was wondering if you want to go out sometime? Maybe just grab some coffee?”
Amelia blinked. Go out? Coffee? She was still reeling from Lucy’s proposal, from her own muddled feelings for Creed.
Creed! Why was his face filling her mind when this was her chance to move on, to shake off the ridiculous life choices she had made, to—
“Amelia!” Lucy called out for her and Amelia turned back to Aaron.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. My sister just got engaged, so…” as if that explained her hesitancy.
Aaron’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s your sister? Wow, that’s great. She and Chad are great. Yeah, I’ll, uh…I’ll just see you at church, okay?” He flashed her another smile and slipped into the crowd.
I could have handled that a lot better, Amelia thought. I’ll just track him down at church next Sunday and…what?
She didn’t stop to reflect on how relieved she had been to not have to answer his request.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Focus, dude. Just focus.
But something clenched in Creed’s chest as he watched Amelia smile up at Aaron out of the corner of his eye, at the way Aaron stooped over to talk to her. Creed didn’t even know that they knew each other. Amelia was still new to their church and kept mostly to Lucy.
Aaron’s voice floated above the crowd, “…coffee sometime…” and Creed strained to hear Amelia’s response. Another swell of congratulatory shouts muted her answer.
Creed could have kissed Lucy himself when she called out for Amelia, interrupting her conversation and sending Aaron on his merry way. Chad must have informed his fiancé of the informal party they had planned at the Williamses house with all of the family to celebrate the engagement. Lucy waved Amelia over to inform her of their plans. Creed watched Amelia through the lens, snapping photos of the sisters hugging.
Click.
Amelia grabbed Lucy’s hand, her mouth forming a perfect “O” as she looked at the ring, blinking back tears.
Click.
They hugged again, Amelia’s red, curly wig pulling to the side, her cheek pressed against Lucy’s, her eyes closed, lips curling upward.
Have mercy, she was beautiful.
Click.
Chad came forward to place his hand lightly on the small of Lucy’s back, grinning like a big, dopey idiot in that Prince getup. Lucy turned to him and Amelia began to pack up.
Creed offered to help Amelia load up the van with the chairs and candy bags. Lucy and Chad were hopelessly worthless, gazing lovingly into one another’s eyes. Creed asked Amelia if she would like to ride with him and Izzie to his parents’ house.
“I see that your back seats are a little stuck under all of these woodland creatures, and I assume that Chad and Lucy will want to ride together,” Creed said when Amelia looked at him in confusion.
“Oh, did Chad come with you?” she asked, realization dawning.
“Yes. The poor guy was so nervous he couldn’t see straight. I figured he would calm down once she said yes,” Creed winked.
Amelia looked distracted. “Yes, I would love to ride with you guys, I just don’t know if there’s more I am supposed to do to help with the festival.”
Creed waved her question off. “Nah. Chad has been planning this for weeks, although he just told me about it a few hours ago. He let the staff in charge of this know that you two would be jetting out of here right after the Trunk or Treat.”
Amelia dipped her chin. “Well, okay, then. Let’s go to your parents’.”
She took Izzie’s offered hand and walked with them to their car. Creed lagged behind, admiring the look of the two of them together. And, if he was being honest, he admired the sway of Amelia’s hips in her long dress.
He held her door open for her, handing her the bottom of her princess gown. She accepted it regally, her mood festive. After making sure Izzie was buckled properly, he jogged around the back of the car and slid into the driver’s seat.
As soon as he had put the car in drive, Amelia squealed and lightly punched Creed in the shoulder. “Oh my goodness! Can you believe it?!”
She was positively giddy. Her wide smile brightened her face, the shimmer in her eyes infectious.
Izzie squealed from the back seat as well. Creed steered out of the parking lot, enjoying the excited chatter of the two ladies in his car. He was thankful that he didn’t need to talk; Amelia’s presence was heady that evening. The curly red wig—still slightly askew after all of the celebratory hugging—brought out the flush of her cheeks, the pretty pink of her mouth. She had glitter or something lightly brushed on her cheekbones and eyelids. Every time a car passed them, Creed found his gaze wandering to watch the way the headlights shimmered up her neck, to her eyes, and wig before falling away. She was radiant.
