The King of Halloween, page 24
Silly. His father had probably lost thousands of dollars in business over the years just because he’d wanted to talk to his wife. Most people would call that dumb, anti-American even. Everything for the all mighty dollar.
“Mom…?”
“I wanted to believe that love like that could exist for everyone. That it didn’t have to be all helicopter rides to Paris and champagne on top of a skyscraper.”
“You have rather expensive romantic tastes.” Adam laughed.
“Sometimes love is a man sitting in a diner eating blueberry pie.”
“That’s…very sweet, but why are you telling me?” They all knew about their dad’s infatuation with blueberries. His teeth were always a slight shade of purple.
“I thought you found your blueberry pie, but it seems like something’s wrong.”
Oh, fuck him, no. Adam was not having the hookup discussion with his mother. He would die happy if she believed he was a virgin, as there would never be any evidence to the contrary waddling around. “Ma, it’s…it’s fine. Okay. Love? We’ve only known each other for…”
Adam winced, realizing he just walked into her carefully laid trap. “Well played, mom.” She was the sweet, kindly old lady who gave out butterscotch discs—but could also tear a man to pieces and rebuild him in a single sentence. It was terrifying and awesome to watch.
“What happened?” She passed her handbag to her other side as if she’d suddenly need to reach for her bag of tissues.
“Nothing happened. Well, okay, a lot of…things happened. But it’s only been three dates. We’re keeping things casual. Easy.”
“Is that what you want?”
“What I want? What I want is…”
Adam’s entire body gave out with that confession. He collapsed onto a bench, his mother being the one to help him. She perched beside him, her purse to the side and at the ready.
Staring at his toes wedged inside of shoes that always pinched, Adam kept waiting for logic to take control. It didn’t matter what his heart wanted; his brain knew the answer. Sex without feelings—that was supposed to be easy. Baked into the Y chromosome. Men didn’t care, men took. Men didn’t cuddle, men fucked. Men didn’t love, men…
“I like him, Mom. Enough to get a slice of blueberry pie, but…”
“But what?”
“I don’t think he wants to walk me down the street.” Damn it, why was he tearing up? This was stupid. They weren’t in love. Most of the time that they’d known each other was spent in hate instead of like. “Maybe it’d be best if I just let him go. Isn’t that what they say to do with love? Let it go and, if it’s worth having, it’ll come back?”
“That is a load of horse hockey, excuse my French!”
“Mom!” Adam gasped at her nearly cursing.
“Love isn’t some paper butterfly you toss to the wind. It’s got battle scars, it’s withstood hurricanes. It’s the best and most terrifying thing in the world and worth fighting for every damn day.”
“He told me…”
“What he wants.” She rapped her knuckles on the bench between them like shots fired through love’s bullet-proof chest. “But you have to ask yourself, what does he need?”
“I don’t know.” He’d seemed so dead set on running the hotel on his own and for good reason. But even on the outside, Adam could see it was wearing on him. If he’d just accept a little help from a few hands, then…
“Yes, you do.”
Why didn’t I think of that? Adam shot up from the bench. He nearly took off down the street before turning back to his mom. “Are you okay here?”
“Of course, love. I’ve got these.” She pulled out her six-inch knitting needles that could pierce a man’s heart. “Where are you going?”
“To get a shit ton of blueberry pies!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
WITH HALLOWEEN LOOMING, Raj lost all track of time. Not just the passage but its mere existence. He could be drinking coffee, watching the sunrise—then blink—and find himself passing out complimentary nightcaps to the guests. Instead of taking a power nap or cramming in three days’ worth of food, he stood in the ballroom pretending to care.
“No, we need to have the banquet table here. If you put it too close to the door, people will nick everything and run. Too deep in and we’ll have the dreadful beef liver fiasco all over again.”
A question hung on Raj’s tongue, something to do with spleens? No, another organ. Eh, it would pass, just like everything else in this world.
“Mr. Choudhary? Hello!”
Clap!
He jerked, expecting thunder or a chandelier crashing for his head. Instead of facing a floor of glass, he stared into the disconcerted face of the woman running this show. She’d shown up one day, didn’t say a word to him, then took over the whole ballroom from floor to ceiling. If he wasn’t stretched to the breaking point, he’d have fought her off.
“Yes?”
“I asked if you have the keys to the entertainment suite up on the mezzanine? We’ll need access for the ball.”
“Yes. I…” He patted his chest, half expecting to touch his sleep t-shirt. As he rounded into his pockets, his palms felt the soft fleece not of his usual boxers but Adam’s comfortable pants. Adam.
He’d tried. There were texts.
He was pretty sure there’d been texts.
A promise here and there to meet up, but every time Raj thought he could get away, another crisis would rear its head. All he needed was a good, long sleep—preferably in a huge bed with thick blankets and a lanky man frying him eggs for breakfast.
Raj winced, and the woman tapped her heel to get his attention. “Sorry. I don’t seem to have the keys right now. Maybe my partner does.” Trying to shake off any thoughts of Adam, Raj moved at an indeterminate speed toward the door. He passed a man with blond hair coming in. It had to be his exhaustion playing tricks on him.
At the threshold, Raj called out, “Logan?”
“Yes?” The illusion called out behind him, yanking Raj around.
“You’re real.” It could still be a trick.
“I need your signature on a few documents.” He held out a clipboard, then pressed a pen into Raj’s hand. Raj jerked his hand in the form of his name, hopefully getting close to the line.
“Seems like the ball’s coming along. I like the decorations.” He pointed to the rafters where they’d hung black lace for…reasons.
To decorate. For Halloween.
Right, that was it.
“Ahem,” the woman coughed loudly.
Raj clicked his pen and almost passed it to her before he remembered. “Do you have the keys to the speaker system upstairs?”
“No. You do.”
“No, I don’t.”
“They’re in your hand, man.”
Raj tightened his fist, certain it was empty. Cold metal bit into his flesh. Burning from his chin up to his hairline, he sheepishly sidled next to the woman and handed her the key. “This should work.”
“Thank you,” she said with so little emotion, Raj knew she was fighting to drain the sarcasm.
“Maybe you should take a break. Get some shut-eye. I can handle things for a few,” Logan said.
“No. There’s so much to do. Like the Robinsons.”
“In their room, drinking a bottle of nicely upgraded wine as we speak.”
Weren’t they supposed to check in after two? Raj tried to get a look at his watch before he realized he wasn’t wearing it. Damn it, where did he leave it again? “Well, I’m needed to keep the place running so it keeps running. Remember.”
“Actually, I came to tell you the good news.”
“Good? Bite your tongue.”
“The ballroom has been reserved for…” Logan opened his phone. “Three weddings, two retirement parties, a Christmas party for the local Birders Society, and something called Krampusnacht.”
“Already? But we haven’t even listed it on the website.”
“I know. Word’s gotten out. Maybe it’s the upcoming ball, or that movie night impressed people.”
Raj rather doubted that. Half the place had been under sheets. Even now, it was touch and go if the new floor was glued into place. If not, a lot of ghouls and goblins were going to be twisting their ankles on the dance floor. Then again, maybe people just needed a place and were looking for anywhere new. That seemed possible.
“I haven’t even told you the best part. We’re booked solid through March.”
Raj’s jaw hit the unfinished floor. “What? How? You told me we had one, maybe two guests for all of January, and December was a ghost town.”
“I don’t know. The phone’s been ringing off the hook. People were hoping to snag a spot on Christmas Eve. They want to be haunted by three ghosts. But that filled up in five minutes, so I convinced them to try some earlier dates. Those Christmas spirits never take a break.”
“Let me see,” Raj said and held out his hand for Logan’s phone.
None of this made a lick of sense. He hadn’t put out any new ads. Their website barely got more than a random click from Macedonia. How were people finding them?
Just as Logan was about to show him, his phone rang. “Hang on.” He slipped into his sweet customer service voice. “Hello, this is Heartbreak Hotel. Oh, you want our Eternal Lover’s package? I’m afraid that Valentine’s Day weekend is gone, but I do believe there will be a spirit of spring in April. Yes, yes, that should work. I just need your credit card number to save the room.”
They were on the brink of disaster. The money was all going out, nothing coming in. No one cared about this place, and suddenly—with the flick of a wrist—they were solid for five months leading into six. The pieces weren’t puzzling right.
A single name throbbed at the back of Raj’s skull. He waited for Logan to finish this booking in order to look at the schedule, but another call came in. Holding his finger to Raj, Logan took it with promises of a shark-attack themed wedding and the entire hotel reserved for an entire weekend.
Adam.
He was doing this. Somehow. After Raj asked him to stay out of it, he went and stuck his nose into his business. He used his connections, strong-armed people into staying here. How? Did he offer them a discount? A visit from the Halloween King at their kid’s birthday party?
Adam…
“Do you have the event list?” Raj asked.
Logan held up another finger to try to quiet him, but Raj was moving from simmer to boil. I told him. He knows why I don’t want any help. Why I have to do this on my own.
“Here.” Logan pulled out a copy of the sheet they’d taped up on the front desk about the events happening around the hotel on Halloween.
“No, for Anoka. Their parties, and corn mazes, and… What’s happening today?”
“It’s the parade,” the woman said.
“Another one?” Raj asked. “Wait, what about our float?”
“It’s already there,” Logan said, filling up another space in their schedule. “The haunt kids are running it. They seemed to know what they were doing.”
“But that equipment can be very delicate. If the projectors are off balance, they might blind someone…for a few seconds. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did. You told me to go ahead and send someone else because you were too busy.”
I did?
Raj had no memory of this, only a familiar throb growing at the base of his spine. Maybe he should take a nap to rest and recuperate.
Logan’s phone went off. He answered it, then promptly put someone on hold for another booking.
No. Raj needed to confront Adam. To get him to stop helping like this. Then, once everything was back to normal, he could take a nap. For a month.
“I’m heading into town,” Raj declared. He tied his scarf before realizing he didn’t have it on. “Where is the parade route?”
“Same as the first one, though longer. Good luck getting through,” Marianne said with a wave.
“Hey man, while you’re in town, could you pick up more toilet paper? We’re gonna need to stuff the storage closet to get through November.”
Growling at his sudden good fortune, Raj stomped out of the ballroom.
He expected the parade route to be a little busy, maybe a few cars stopped at lights waiting for the chance to go. But there were thousands of people lining both sides of the street. It took him half an hour just to drive a block. Accepting his fate, he’d parked in the first spot he found and dashed for the parade nearly a mile away. Children were everywhere, shaking tiny buckets of orange and black popcorn while cheering for the floats. Balloons shaped like murderous clowns, bloody knives, and ravens floated on by. A brass version of Night on Bald Mountain rang out as a band marched past.
Raj tried to muscle his way through, saying it was on city business. Some of the kids and adults gave him the stink eye, but he had to get a sense of the route. He’d be at the end, proud as a damn peacock for all he’d done.
At least Raj hadn’t missed him.
A float turned a corner, and he caught a hint of orange. That had to be Adam. Without a thought, Raj took off in the opposite direction of the parade. Tiny cars with paper batwings whizzed around him, honking. A couple of ninety-year-old men told him to get off the damn road, but he had his target in sight.
I asked him. No, I told him to leave it to me. That I had to do this, to prove to them… To prove to myself that I could do it. I could create a hotel out of nothing, one so popular that people would have their Halloween weddings here. They’d talk about it fondly on their golden anniversaries. But no, he had to throw his weight around, like always, and get to be the hero riding in to save my ass.
There!
Just past the flatbed with a group of zombie girls dancing to Thriller was the pumpkin throne. Instead of sitting on it, Adam stood. He waved his hand and threw candy to the crowd. They cheered, loving him for it.
Of course they do, he’s so fucking lovable it’s infuriating.
Raj walked straight into the road. A long stick covered in denim slammed right in front of him. He jerked back in surprise, and a man on stilts weaved to the side. “Whoa!” the very tall scarecrow cried out. For a second, Stitches looked about to meet the pavement, but he got his footing under him.
As he skittered away, he shouted back to Raj, “Who the hell walks under a man on stilts?”
He hadn’t even seen him. Raj’s heart pounded as he did his best to look around and not trip any very tall monsters. The coast looked clear, and he took off after Adam’s float.
Down at ground level, Raj had to peer up at the pumpkin head. All he could see of Adam was a hint of his skin under the giant gourd. “Hey,” he shouted, briskly walking along the parade. “I need to talk to you!”
“Raj? What are you doing?” Adam asked, then he flung a bunch of tootsie rolls into the crowd.
“No, what are you doing?” Raj tried to keep up, but it was like walking in sand for him. Shaking his head, he jogged back to the float’s side. “I asked you to stay out of my business.”
“Can we talk later?” Adam said. So I was right. He used his damn influence. Raj’s depleted body got the kick it needed. With the last of his energy, he threw his foot up onto the flatbed, got a good grip on the fake throne, and hauled his ass onto the float.
“No. I asked you. I told you. This is mine.”
“I know. I’ve been trying to call you, to text you, but you said you were busy.”
“I am, because I’m trying to run a goddamn hotel for Halloween and…” Raj’s last nerve shattered. “Will someone kill that shitty music?” he shouted at the marching band.
A horn blurted, then faded like a dying balloon. The crowd went quiet, everyone staring at the man here to ruin their fun. Well, he could glare right back. All he’d tried to do was be nice, and they took his ballroom, then his ballroom again. His haunt wasn’t scary enough, or it was too scary.
Oh yeah, well…
“Raj, maybe you should sit down.” Adam started to reach for him. “You don’t look so—”
Raj slapped his hand away. “I’m fine. I have this. It’s my hotel. I can do it. I can…” Whoa. Bubbles floated in his head. He clung to his skull, trying to keep it from tipping over.
“You are, Raj. People love your hotel.”
“Because of you. They love you, not…” His chest tightened as he stared up the nose of the pumpkin to catch a single silver-blue eye. “Adam,” he gasped.
Like cutting the strings of a marionette, the last sinew gave out on Raj Choudhary. He plunged backward, unable to even try to catch himself. The shock hit him first, then the pain as he stared into the rolling blue sky.
It sure is beautiful today.
“Raj?” Darkness crept in, dragging him under. All he could hear was a tearful plea wrapped up in his name. “Raj!”
Adam…
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“RAJ…?”
There wasn’t any blood on the pavement, thank god, but Raj didn’t move. The float carried on without Adam. He tossed the pumpkin head off, where it rolled around until hitting a shin. People were advancing, everyone concerned about the man who had appeared out of nowhere and screamed at Adam.
He’d feared he wouldn’t take his help well, but he didn’t expect this. “Give him some air. Is anyone a doctor?” Adam shouted.
A sliver of brown peeked between Raj’s eyelids. Then he groaned.
“You scared me half to—” Adam began to chastise him when two people grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him back.
“We’ve got this. Sir, can you tell me your name?”
The crowd pulled in around Adam, tugging him farther away from Raj while the two medics attended to him. All he could do was watch and hope that everything was okay. By the time they got Raj to his feet, a lot of the crowd had dispersed. The parade was over, and there wasn’t a lot of fun to be found in testing a man for a concussion.
